In this blog, Tara Williams, HR Director at Whiteoaks, explores:
- Why employee ownership is defined by culture and behaviour, not paperwork
- Why employee voice and visibility make the difference between symbolic and meaningful ownership
- How an employee-owned business can translate into a better day-to-day experience for clients
Employee ownership has grown rapidly in the UK over the past decade. The latest available numbers indicate there were approximately 2,470 employee-owned businesses in 2025. That represents a 1640% growth in total business count since 2014, when the current legislation was introduced.
These figures are a sign of just how successful the approach has been – but spending two days at the Employee Ownership Association (EOA) Annual Conference was a timely reminder that the model only works for businesses if they embed it in their working culture.
The sessions and conversations I took part in reinforced a simple point. Employee ownership is not something you “have” because a legal structure exists. It is something a business ‘does’ every day, through the way people behave, communicate and make decisions.
Whiteoaks became employee-owned in 2021, and we have seen the benefits in increased engagement and shared accountability, but the conference pushed me to think even harder about what “good” looks like in practice and what clients feel when an employee-owned culture is working well.
Employee ownership is lived day-to-day
The strongest employee-owned businesses I encountered at the event had a shared sense of responsibility that was obvious the moment you spoke to people.
Employees understood how the organisation was performing and what success looked like. They were confident talking about priorities and trade-offs. They took responsibility because they genuinely felt like owners, not just employees with a different label.
That mindset matters for clients. When the people doing the work feel responsible for the long-term health of the business, you tend to see more care in the detail, more consistency in delivery, and more honesty when something needs to change.
No two employee-owned businesses look the same
Another theme that came through clearly was flexibility.
There is no single template for employee ownership. Some organisations build their approach around commercial awareness and education. Others put wellbeing and inclusion at the centre. Many prioritise innovation and continuous improvement.
That variety is a strength because it pushes organisations to be authentic. Employee ownership needs to match the values, operating style and people inside the business. When it feels bolted on, clients can tell but when it feels genuine, it turns into a real advantage.
Employee voice is key
If I had to pick one phrase that came up more than any other during the conference, it was “employee voice.”
The most impressive organisations weren’t treating employee voice as a slogan. They had practical ways for people to contribute ideas and influence decisions. Just as importantly, they could point to examples where listening led to action.
Visibility was another word that was mentioned repeatedly. In the strongest cultures, employee ownership was hard to miss. It showed up in inductions and in the stories people told about what ownership means in real terms.
That stuck with me because it’s easy for any organisation to assume people “just know” what employee ownership means. The conference was a reminder that it needs to be actively communicated and reinforced if you want it to stay meaningful.
What clients experience when employee ownership is working well
B2B organisations do not choose a PR agency purely because of its ownership model. They choose a team they can trust to deliver measurable business and PR outcomes, with a clear understanding of the pressures they are under.
Employee ownership can support that in practical ways.
A long-term mindset
When employees feel responsible for the future of the business, the work is less about getting through tasks and more about building strong relationships over time.
Stability and continuity
Lower turnover is not a nice-to-have. It affects momentum and knowledge. Continuity means fewer resets and more space to focus on delivery.
Better problem-solving
Empowered teams tend to raise issues sooner and challenge assumptions when something is not working. That strengthens partnerships, especially when business and campaign priorities shift.
More open communication
Many employee-owned organisations lean into transparency because trust inside the business matters. When that works internally, it often carries through into client communication too.
Employee ownership does not replace the basics. Work undertaken on behalf of clients still needs clear processes, strong leadership and proper measurement. Ownership simply increases the expectation that those foundations are taken seriously, because everyone has a stake in doing things properly.
How it connects to Whiteoaks and the way we work
Whiteoaks is an employee-owned B2B tech PR agency, and we work in a way that puts accountability front and centre. Our Performance PR approach is built around fixed fees for fixed outcomes. That model only works when the whole team feels responsible for the result, not just completing activity. Employee ownership supports that, because the quality of the work and the long-term health of the business are closely linked.
The conference left me feeling proud of our team and full of ideas on how we keep employee ownership visible and how we keep employee voice active, so the culture stays strong in ways our clients will notice in day-to-day working.
After all, employee ownership deserves celebration, and it also deserves focus.
For clients, the payoff is a partner that is invested in getting it right and delivering work people stand behind.
If you want extra context on the principles behind our approach, our earlier blog on employee-ownership and the Whiteoaks ethos offers just that. And if you’re weighing up PR partners and want to learn more about how we combine our Performance PR approach with the power of employee ownership, get in touch with us.
