Inequality in the U.S. has been getting worse for decades: The richest 1% own a majority of all business wealth, and the top 10% own more than 90%. It has become clear that companies need to address the problem. One place to start is by expanding employees’ ownership stakes in companies, giving workers a path … Read More
The most fundamental tragedy of the coronavirus crisis is human. It is lives being lost. Somewhere close behind is the feeling of desperation shared by working people. In an economy where it is estimated that 50 percent of the labor force survives from paycheck to paycheck, we are facing an economic crisis of unprecedented proportions that exposes a fundamental flaw in our widely accepted idea of the relationship between working people and their places of work.
This article focuses on worker-owned apps, specifically Up & Go, and how they are the new best thing for labor economies. It walks through what worker-owned apps are, what obstacles there might be when making one, and how to build it with the workers at the forefront of designing.
With the emergence of worker-owned apps, where they own and run the marketplace themselves, the on-demand labor apps are seeing a new light. It’s a trend that could save the gig economy from itself. One of these apps is Up & Go, which lets you order house-cleaning services in New York City. The cleaners are … Read More
Employee-owned businesses tend to outperform their competitors, a growing body of research shows. According to the National Center of Employee Ownership, businesses with employee ownership models grow sales and employment at a faster rate than businesses without such programs. Employee-owned firms also perform better than their counterparts during recessions, per research from Georgetown University. For … Read More
Why a low-cost program to educate employees about company ownership could produce huge financial benefits for the country.
In this article, Zak reviews his research and that of others to link trust, the production of oxytocin in the brain, and performance. Furthermore, he identifies eight managerial behaviors that lead to building a culture of trust. By doing so the organization lowers stress sick days, and burnout; and increases productivity, engagement, and collaboration among … Read More
The “ESOP-Owned S corporation” structure offers truly remarkable advantages that can transform a business into a tax-exempt, for-profit entity. An S corporation whose stock is held in an ESOP, of course, pays no federal income tax (and little or no state income tax) at the corporate level…
Even the rich are admitting that inequality is bad for business…
If owners of businesses are reaping the rewards of economic growth at the expense of workers, then why not just try to increase the number of workers who also own a piece of the firms that employ them?
In the wake of the 2010 Massey mining disaster in West Virginia, the author asks whether employee ownership could improve workplace safety, and how such cooperatives might serve as a model for an alternative form of capitalism based on the sustainable use of natural and human resources.
To make an economy that serves us, we need to own the jobs and the businesses—together. How cooperatives are leading the way to empowered workers and healthy communities…
When companies are owned by workers and the community—instead of Wall Street financiers—everything changes.
This special edition of The Nation brings together a wide range of articles on new ways to shape capitalism, and to work on economic recovery.
The folks at our Lexington, Ky. plant are well on their way to becoming owners of their company, all part of our plan to turn the operation around and make it profitable again.
This article spells out five proven practices to help you keep your most talented employees.
Staff members at Vasey Commercial Heating & Air Conditioning in Zionsville are company owners as part of an employee stock ownership plan.
At W.L. Gore, innovation is more than skin deep: The culture is as imaginative as the products.
Here’s why Hy-Vee is successful as a chain and as a marketer of its private brands: Location, Ownership, Organization, Brands, Promotion and Customer Focus.
Four times a year, as many as a thousand clients of each local branch of Rabobank, a leading Dutch institution and one of the world’s 25 largest banks, assemble to discuss business.
Unlike so many other chief executives, Cecil Ursprung will never be accused of losing sight of his shareholders. He sees them every day—in the parking lot, in the hallways, even on the factory floor.
Oswald Trippe & Co. will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year, but longevity isn’t what cofounder and chief executive officer Gary Trippe lists as his top accomplishment.
As government officials dawdled, Richard Zuschlag didn’t miss a beat. He sent his medics into flood-ravaged New Orleans, where they rescued more than 7,000 people.
Sell the company to your employees? It’s a great idea–both for you and for the business you’re leaving behind.
Why is this employee benefit plan so popular in the engineering industry?