After being employed for 6 months and passing probation, each of our employees becomes a shared owner of the company. This means they are entitled to their share of the profit that the business makes each year. Shares are held collectively in a trust on behalf of the employees, which is known as Indirect Ownership.
There are nearly 600 businesses in the UK that are employee-owned, including the likes of John Lewis, Arup & Mott Macdonald. Here at BCS, our employees own 100% of the business, whereas some choose a lower percentage.
The benefits of employee ownership have been proven in EOA-led research, and include improving employee health and well-being, increasing productivity and fostering creativity and innovation across an array of industry sectors. In addition:
- UK employee-owned companies contribute over £30 billion to the UK economy annually
- Employee owners have higher levels of job satisfaction, feel a greater sense of achievement and job security, and are more likely to recommend their workplace than employees in non-employee owned businesses
- Employee-owned businesses operate in a range of sectors including healthcare, social care, education, transport, manufacturing, retail and professional services