Leading Companies Online Magazine Archives
October is Employee Ownership Month – Plan to Celebrate!
By Emily Meyertholen, Beyster Institute Staff
During Employee Ownership Month this October, employee-owned companies will not just celebrate the incredible spirit of employee ownership. They will also take time to gain a deeper understanding of their ownership programs and share this powerful business strategy with others.
If your employee-owned company has not yet found its own way to take part in this celebration, this is your wake-up call!If nothing else, take this opportunity to acknowledge the extra effort put in by your company’s employee-owners and reaffirm what it means to share ownership.Many companies plan a special lunch or family picnic, but there are countless ways to recognize your ownership culture.Now is the time to start thinking of a celebration which fits with your company’s style.
Employee Ownership Month is an excellent time to establish or revive educational efforts throughout the company. Ensuring that employee-owners truly understand how their ownership program works and how their work impacts the company’s success are vital to sustaining a strong culture of ownership. Maybe that means it’s time to refresh everyone’s memories of the initial training they may have received, or to cover a new topic to keep owners informed about current issues in employee ownership. These need not be boring lectures. Many companies develop lively games and competitions which engage employees an increase understanding of the financial workings of the company. The consulting firm Ownership Associates suggests some great educational activities in their book “42 E.S.O.P. Ideas for ESOP Month.”
Employee Ownership Month is also a great time to reach out to your customers and community. As you’ve probably heard, employee ownership can be a great characteristic to tout in your company’s marketing efforts.Those who interact with an employee-owned company can recognize and appreciate the extra effort put out by a workforce wherein each individual thinks and acts like an owner, but those who haven’t yet had experience with the company need to know about this attribute. Successful employee-owned companies gain a reputation for going the extra mile at all levels of the organization, consistently providing superior products and services. Share your ownership culture with others during Employee Ownership Month by throwing an open house and inviting the media, elected officials and potential clients to celebrate with you. Take out an ad in your local newspaper or pursue radio and television interviews. Use an employee breakfast, picnic, teambuilding retreat, or essay or poster contest to call attention to this unique approach to doing business.
©2008 The Beyster Institute and its authors and their entities. All rights reserved.
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