For Existing Worker Cooperatives

Information coming soon

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Resources for Existing Worker Coops

Self-Direction and Employee Ownership: Working Paper

Author(s): 
Ownership Associates, Inc.
Year: 
1998
The initial draft of this paper was written in response to a request for research on the relationship between self-direction in the workplace, employee ownership, and organizational outcomes. It outlines three aspects of shared decision-making: autonomy, participation, and influence. It then explores the relationship between two of those aspects (autonomy and participation) and a series of productivity-related cultural norms, including ownership identity.

Employee-Ownership Briefing Paper 7.2

Author(s): 
Ownership Associates, Inc.
Year: 
2003
One key rationale for the creation of ESOP law in 1974 was to share wealth with the workers who helped create wealth. Today, many companies use the wealth sharing aspect of their ESOPs as an effective retention and recruitment tool. But just how effective a means of distributing wealth are ESOPs? Two studies, one conducted in Washington State and one in Massachusetts, have looked at the wealth consequences of ESOPs.

Employee-Ownership Briefing Paper 1.3

Author(s): 
Ownership Associates, Inc.
Year: 
2003
In the 28 years since Congress established Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), over 10,000 U.S. companies have adopted and maintained ESOPs—dozens of studies have evaluated the effects of ESOP on company performance. After reviewing the research literature, Dr. Douglas Kruse concluded: “25 years of research shows that employee ownership often leads to higher-performing workplaces and better compensation and work lives for employees.” Study 1 (below) indicates that this “ownership effect” averages 2 to 3% per year on a variety of measures.

Worker Cooperative Chart of Accounts (COA) Sample

Year: 
2022

Whenever a business makes a transaction, whether it’s purchasing equipment, taking out a loan, or paying a utility bill, it should be tracked and recorded in a chart of accounts (COA). Doing so helps keep finances organized and supports sharing financial information with worker-owners. To help worker cooperatives track transactions properly Wholehearted Bookkeeping has developed chart of accounts samples for LLCs and corporations.

State of the Sector Report 2023

State of the Sector Report 2023
Author(s): 
Democracy at Work Institute | US Federation of Worker Co-ops
Year: 
2023

Covering two years of business progress, the 2021 Worker Cooperative State of the Sector is a report on worker-owned and democratic workplaces in the United States. This report is a co-production of Democracy at Work Institute and the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. The report draws upon the latest developments in the field and deepens our understanding of the sector.