This is a list of notable employee-owned companies by country. These are companies totally or significantly owned (directly or indirectly) by their employees. [1]
Employee ownership takes different forms and one form may predominate in a particular country. For example, in the U.S. over 5,700 of the roughly 6,400 employee-owned companies have an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). [2] An ESOP is an employee-owner method that provides a company's workforce with an ownership interest in the company. In an ESOP, companies provide their employees with stock ownership, often at no up-front cost to the employees. ESOP shares, however, are part of employees' remuneration for work performed. Shares are allocated to employees and may be held in an ESOP trust until the employee retires or leaves the company. The shares are then sold.
Worker cooperatives are another form of employee ownership wherein workers are exclusive owners and managers of the firm, with one vote per employee in democratic decision-making.
A cooperative is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise". Cooperatives are democratically controlled by their members, with each member having one vote in electing the board of directors. They differ from collectives in that they are generally built from the bottom-up, rather than the top-down. Cooperatives may include:
Glanbia plc is an Irish multinational nutrition company that owns several consumer brands that produce lifestyle products such as food supplements. Glanbia is headquartered in Kilkenny, Ireland with over 5,534 employees in over 30 countries around the world. Glanbia’s consumer brands and ingredients are sold or distributed in over 130 countries. North America is the company’s largest market, and it also has a presence in Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and Latin America. Glanbia's primary listing is on Euronext Dublin. Glanbia comprises three divisions: Glanbia Nutritionals, Glanbia Performance Nutrition and Joint Ventures.
A worker cooperative is a cooperative owned and self-managed by its workers. This control may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision-making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which management is elected by every worker-owner who each have one vote. Worker cooperatives may also be referred to as labor-managed firms.
Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company. US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Employee Share Purchase Plans are common, wherein deductions are made from an employee's salary to purchase shares over time. In Australia it is common to have all employee plans that provide employees with $1,000 worth of shares on a tax free basis. Such plans may be selective or all-employee plans. Selective plans are typically only made available to senior executives. All-employee plans offer participation to all employees.
The United States Federation of Worker Cooperatives (USFWC) is the national grassroots membership organization representing worker cooperatives and democratic workplaces. Its mission is to build a thriving ecosystem for worker-owned and controlled businesses and to empower their cooperative leaders to power movements for racial justice and economic democracy. USFWC was founded in 2004 by few core co-op members in collaboration with co-op developers, scholars, community organizers, and supporters from the wider co-op sector.
An agricultural cooperative, also known as a farmers' co-op, is a producer cooperative in which farmers pool their resources in certain areas of activities.
Clover Industries Limited is a branded foods and beverages group that used to be listed on the main board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The company was delisted after a takeover by Milco, led by the Central Bottling Company from Israel.
Dairy Farmers of America Inc. (DFA) is a national milk marketing cooperative in the United States. DFA markets members' raw milk and sells milk and derivative products to wholesale buyers both domestically and abroad. Net sales in 2016 were $13.5 billion, representing about 22 percent of raw milk production in the United States.
Cooperativeeconomics is a field of economics that incorporates cooperative studies and political economy toward the study and management of cooperatives.
The Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (KCMMF), known by its trade name Milma, is a state government cooperative society established in 1980 headquartered in Thiruvananthapuram. It is an India state government cooperative owned by the Ministry of Cooperation, Government of Kerala. KCMMF is a Federation of three Regional Milk Unions: the ERCMPU, TRCMPU and MRCMPU.
The South Korean National Agricultural Cooperative Federation was established in 1961 to enhance the social and economic status of its membership and to promote a balanced development of the national economy. Its role is divided into three areas: marketing and supply, banking and insurance, and extension services.
The Odisha State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation also known as OMFED is a state government cooperative under the ownership of Ministry of Cooperation, Government of Odisha. It is situated at Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Odisha. It is an apex level Milk Producers' Federation in Odisha registered under Cooperative Society Act – 1962. Omfed was established based on AMUL pattern under operation flood-II of National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), for promoting, production, procurement, processing and marketing of milk & milk products initially in undivided districts of Puri, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Keonjhar.
Economics of participation is an umbrella term spanning the economic analysis of worker cooperatives, labor-managed firms, profit sharing, gain sharing, employee ownership, employee stock ownership plans, works councils, codetermination, and other mechanisms which employees use to participate in their firm's decision making and financial results.
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) in the United States is a defined contribution plan, a form of retirement plan as defined by 4975(e)(7)of IRS codes, which became a qualified retirement plan in 1974. It is one of the methods of employee participation in corporate ownership.
The cooperative movement in India plays a crucial role in the agricultural sector, banking and housing. The history of cooperatives in India is more than a hundred years old. Cooperatives developed very rapidly after Indian independence. According to an estimate, more than half a million cooperative societies are active in the country. Many cooperative societies, particularly in rural areas, increase political participation and are used as a stepping stone by aspiring politicians.
In the United States, there is a widespread practice of employee stock ownership. It began with industrial companies and today is particularly common in the technology sector but also companies in other industries, such as Whole Foods and Starbucks.
