Articles - Workplace Development, Inc.

Hands-on ESOP Education at Software Solutions and Onex

Cathy Ivancic2021-08-27T16:22:53+00:00August 26, 2021|Articles, Building Business Literacy, Featured, Skills for ESOP Ownership|

Experience is a powerful teacher. You don’t get a driver’s license just by reading about how to drive a car; you must practice driving the car, too! That’s why understanding your ESOP doesn’t end with one-way communication of the plan rules. In Workplace Development’s ESOP Game, employee owners dive into a business simulation where they actually feel what it’s like to make tough business decisions because they make them. They see the impact of their decisions and what influences the stock value in their ESOP accounts over the course of several years. Software Solutions Inc. and Onex Inc. said the ESOP Game brought ESOP concepts to life for their employees.

Employee Owners Learn How They Grow Stock Value

Cathy Ivancic2021-08-26T10:46:21+00:00August 26, 2021|Articles, Building Business Literacy, Featured, Skills for ESOP Ownership|

Does everyday work really impact company stock value? Absolutely! But sometimes it is hard to see. That’s why MKSK, a planning, urban design and landscape architecture firm, sought a way to help its employee owners learn how everyday actions contribute to value during their annual meeting in 2021. MKSK became 100% employee-owned in September 2019. Workplace Development’s Power of One Dollar learning activity was the perfect fit to illustrate to new employee owners how everyday actions add up.

Employee ownership, done right, inspires confidence in the future

Cathy Ivancic2021-08-27T16:19:22+00:00July 20, 2021|Articles, Communicating ESOP Benefits|

“A tale of two economies.” That’s the story a recent study reveals about how ESOP participants see their financial stability compared to those who work at non-ESOP firms. The research conducted by John Zogby Strategies found fewer economic hardships reported by employees who work in ESOP companies compared to those who work in non-ESOP companies. Employee owners are more confident about their financial future.

Preserving Human Connections at Equity Engineering Group

Cathy Ivancic2021-04-01T02:10:58+00:00March 31, 2021|Articles, Communicating ESOP Benefits, Featured, Skills for ESOP Ownership|

“It looked like we were going to kick off a year of talking about our company's core beliefs," says Theresa Riley HR Director for Equity Engineering Group. And then, the pandemic hit. Any hope for face-to-face conversations were dashed. “We had a new reality in which employees would have to transition to nearly 100% remote work.”

Transforming Employees into “CEOs”

Jim Bado2021-04-01T01:39:20+00:00March 31, 2021|Articles, Communicating ESOP Benefits, Featured, New ESOPs|

Are you communicating and training effectively to make the most of being employee-owned? MyPath faced the challenge of educating more than 2,000 employee owners spread across two states in nine different companies about what it means to be an owner. The human services company’s innovative, successful solution: the creation of a Certified Employee Owner (CEO) education program.

Building Your Ownership Culture When Holding Meetings is a Challenge

Jim Bado2021-05-25T13:04:09+00:00November 22, 2020|Articles, Communicating ESOP Benefits, Featured, New ESOPs, Skills for ESOP ownership|

Since March, in-person ESOP meetings have been difficult to conduct. Given the current situation, here are two strategies ESOP companies have used successfully with Workplace Development’s help to engage employees as owners. Click here to read the full article.

ESOP Game Business Simulation Goes Virtual

Cathy Ivancic2021-03-10T21:32:41+00:00November 22, 2020|Articles, Building Business Literacy, Communicating ESOP Benefits, Featured, Skills for ESOP Ownership|

Expand business knowledge, learn about the ESOP, and have fun together. These were the goals when Delta Managed Solutions (DMS) scheduled the ESOP Game Business Simulation training. Click here to read the full article.

Fun, Games and ESOP Challenges: What’s up with that?

Cathy Ivancic2021-04-14T15:26:14+00:00August 17, 2020|Articles, Building Business Literacy, Communicating ESOP Benefits, ESOP Committee Development, Featured, Uncategorized|

Attend an employee-ownership conference and you’re bound to run into the ESOP zealots who want you to take part in a game or group activity. Even in this era of required social distancing, you may get roped into an interactive Teams event or a Zoom contest. What’s up with this? Click here to read the full article.

Make the Most of ESOP Month

Cathy Ivancic2021-03-10T21:32:56+00:00August 17, 2020|Articles, Communicating ESOP Benefits, ESOP Committee Development, Featured, New ESOPs|

October’s Employee-Ownership Month presents you with a great opportunity to make the most of your most valuable assets: employee owners. Because the coronavirus has made it difficult to hold in-person meetings, this is the time to utilize our virtual services to train employees about your ESOP’s benefits, build your ownership culture and communicate the value of employee ownership. Click here to read the full article.

ESOP Communications: Carpe Diem!

Cathy Ivancic2021-03-10T21:33:04+00:00July 20, 2020|Articles, Communicating ESOP Benefits, ESOP Committee Development, Featured, New ESOPs|

The coronavirus has disrupted American society, business operations and everyone’s personal lives in unimagined ways. This is when you need to seize the day and utilize the power of employee ownership to strengthen your company culture to engage employees as owners -- taking on new challenges with passion and a long-term perspective on business success. Here are five carpe diem keys. Click here to read the full article.