There are many ownership models to choose from when it comes to operating your business, each of which has its own benefits.

For instance, an Employee-Owned Business gives all colleagues a financial stake in an enterprise, as well as a say in how it runs. A tax-efficient model, this can be great for rewarding staff and incentivising them to go above and beyond for the sake of the wider team.

Meanwhile, a Worker Cooperative model is well-suited to start ups, as these businesses are more likely to succeed in the long run. Not to mention, they are also highly regarded by potential customers.

There are many nuances that you will have to consider and different ownership models will naturally work better for different businesses. To help you get to grips with all these complex ideas, the Chamber will be running an informative event on Tuesday, August 9.

Split into a pair of hour-long workshops (broken up by an hour-long networking session and free lunch), this is your opportunity to find out more about Employee-Owned Businesses and Worker Cooperatives. At these focus groups, you’ll have a chance to ask any burning questions you might have, understand the benefits of each approach, get your voices heard, and to ultimately see which is right for you.

Not to mention, your invaluable feedback here will also be used to shape the messaging for the Ownership Hub going forward. This is a project that has been designed to help raise awareness of the different ownership models available to businesses.

Whether you are just getting your business off the ground, or are thinking about what will happen to it once you retire, this is a very important decision to make. For this reason, we strongly encourage our members to come along to the workshop event, so that they can make informed decisions and safeguard their futures.

These events are brought to you by the Chambers and the team behind the Ownership Hub. The Ownership Hub is a joint project between Co-operatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association, supporting the #1MillionOwners campaign which aims to grow employee and worker ownership in the UK. 

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) are delighted to become the first regional partner, encouraging and supporting employee and worker ownership in your region. Working with Co-operatives UK and the Employee Ownership Association SYMCA are helping to raise awareness, develop training, deliver advice and expertise to create resilient and inclusive businesses that give employees a stake and a say.

Co-owned companies succeed because they are likely to be more productive, inclusive, profitable and sustainable. Here’s why:

• Staff’s leadership skills and interest in the companies ambitions increase when they become shared owners
• Staff retention and productivity is higher in employee-owned businesses because of the personal investment of the individuals
• Innovation thrives because managers are encouraged to listen to employee’s ideas and are more likely to share information
• There is a strong sense of corporate social responsibility due to the open way in which the business is ran
• Independent research suggests that a combination of shared ownership and employee participation delivers superior business performance

Agenda 

11:00-11:03          Welcome

11:03-11:10          Overview of Employee Ownership

11:10-11:55          Group discussion using templated questions

Notes to be taken on discussion for final evaluation

11:50-11:55          Delegate questionnaire to be completed

11:55-12:00          Closing remarks and signposting

12:00-13:00          Lunch with all delegates