Dallan Guzinski
Friends and fellow members of the employee ownership community, I have an important and personal update for you: Today is my final day working for the National Center for Employee Ownership after more than ten years with this wonderful organization.
Dallan Guzinski
Every year we release the Employee Ownership 100, the 100 largest companies that are majority-owned by their employees. Many are 100% employee-owned.
Dallan Guzinski
The NCEO's 2022 Fall ESOP Forum is back in person this year, taking place in St. Louis, MO, on September 26-28. We are once again excited to bring everything we have learned over the past few years in the virtual space and continue to build on all the great work employee-owners have done to stay connected and engaged. If you and your colleagues would like to get a head start on networking and ESOP education before the Fall Forum, join the NCEO's Communications Committee Crash Course this summer, where you will join a series of sessions focused on ESOP education, employee engagement, and networking with fellow employee-owners across the country!
Dallan Guzinski
The NCEO's Annual 2022 Employee Ownership Conference is finally back and in-person this year, taking place in Seattle, WA, on April 25-28, and we have all been eager to connect with the employee ownership community once again in a shared space. We have learned quite a bit about networking over the past two years, and many have managed to adjust and evolve their outreach and communications with colleagues in new and exciting ways despite the limitations of a virtual world. This year, we're excited to bring everything we've learned and build on all the great work employee-owners have done to stay connected and engaged. If you and your colleagues would like to get a head start on networking and ESOP education before the conference, join the NCEO's Communications Committee Crash Course this March, where you will join other employee-owners in a series of sessions focused on ESOP education, employee engagement, and networking with fellow employee ownership across the country!
Dallan Guzinski
The NCEO recently conducted an employee survey for a medium-sized ESOP company as part of its Ownership Culture Surveys Networking Program. In preparation for their upcoming initiatives, the company had also registered several employees for the NCEO's Communications Committee Crash Course. The company clearly wanted to make some important changes and do positive work on behalf of their fellow employee-owners. When assessing some of the themes in the employee feedback, we found that there was a strong desire among employees with fewer than two years of service for guidance or a formal way for them to receive mentorship and help while growing into their career.
Dallan Guzinski
You might be surprised by just how many employee-owned companies that use our Ownership Culture Survey are shocked when receiving employee feedback about their workplaces and ESOPs. Thankfully, all the companies we work with are eager to get that feedback because it gives them insights into the experiences of their fellow employee-owners. With the critical feedback and input they need, companies identify their strengths, but more importantly, they identify important aspects of company culture in need of improvement. Over the next few months, the NCEO will bring ESOP companies together for its first Ownership Culture Survey Networking program to collect feedback concerning employee attitudes and work collaboratively to build an effective action plan.
Dallan Guzinski
A former communications committee member at a mature ESOP company recently told me that her participation on their company's committee gave her the tools to apply for an open plan administration position at the company that she did not previously have the experience for. She noted that being in a position to educate and communicate technical information to her colleagues made her a better learner in the process, but that the learning never stops. Whether you're new to employee ownership or ESOP communications or you need a refresh, there's always more to be shared and ideas to be had when working with other employee-owners in all 50 states.
Dallan Guzinski
When employee-owned businesses openly share their best practices or approaches to employee engagement and communication, it’s not lost on those attending our conferences for the first time. Some of the best ideas or solutions attendees get from our conferences come directly from other employee-owners and ESOP companies. This networking and collaboration is a huge part of why so many employee-owned businesses thrive.
Dallan Guzinski
A number of companies have reported that their communications and the efforts of their employee-driven committees have actually increased and become more frequent throughout the pandemic. Committees are at the forefront of new education and employee engagement initiatives, and many committee members are doing all of this for the first time. Companies are looking for more ways to virtually connect with employees as well as other ESOP companies, and we are helping to foster these connections online once more this fall!
