Three years on: what I'm still learning about employee ownership

Three years ago, Zoonou became employee-owned. At the time, I don't think I fully understood what that would mean. Like a lot of people, I understood the mechanics of employee ownership. I knew we'd all have a stake in the future of the company and that we'd be working towards a shared goal. But I don't think I appreciated how much it would influence the way we think, make decisions and support one another.

Five years ago, I joined Zoonou because of its culture. Last year, I became one of our Trustee Directors. Having experienced employee ownership from both perspectives, one thing has become really clear to me. Employee ownership isn't something you switch on overnight. It's something you build. That feels particularly fitting given this year's Employee Ownership Day theme: Owning It.

For me, "owning it" isn't really about ownership in the legal sense anymore. It's about taking responsibility. Sometimes that's putting your hand up with a new idea. Sometimes it's challenging the way we've always done something. Or it's simply recognising that the success of the company isn't somebody else's responsibility - it's all of ours.

There isn't a perfect blueprint

One of the biggest things I've learnt over the last three years is that becoming employee-owned doesn't come with an instruction manual. Like many companies, we looked at what other employee-owned organisations were doing and introduced some of those ideas ourselves. One of those was setting up an Employee Council.

Some genuinely brilliant things came from it. Our volunteer days, for example, were introduced because people wanted more opportunities to make a positive impact outside of their day jobs.

But if I'm honest, not everything worked as we'd expected.

Over time, engagement with the council reduced. We could have carried on because it felt like the "right" thing for an employee-owned company to have, but instead we asked ourselves a different question. Is it still the best way for our people to have a voice?

As a Trustee Director, I actually think that's one of the strengths of employee ownership. It gives us permission to question ourselves. Rather than following someone else's model, we're trying to create something that genuinely reflects Zoonou, our people and the way we work.

We're still learning, and I think that's okay.

Ownership isn't always the big moments

Working in sales, I spend a lot of time talking to our clients about culture. People often ask whether becoming employee-owned has changed us. The answer is yes - but probably not in the dramatic way people imagine.

The biggest changes have happened in lots of small moments.

This year, at our summer away day, every department shared more about what they do and the challenges they solve. It reminded me just how much expertise exists across the company and how easy it is to underestimate what happens outside your own role. The more we understand one another's work, the better we work together.

Employee Ownership Day itself was another good reminder of that. We celebrated colleagues through peer-nominated awards, recognising the people who are quietly owning it every day.

I was also incredibly proud to see Ashleigh shortlisted for Employee Owner of the Year at the UK Employee Ownership Awards. While the nomination recognised one person, I think it reflected something much bigger about the culture we're continuing to build together.

The same applies to our volunteer days. Whether that's helping with local beach cleans or restoring a pond at Ratton School, those opportunities came directly from employee feedback and demonstrate that ownership doesn't stop when we log off for the day.

Still building

One of the projects I'm most excited about this year is our Company Charter. Last year, we worked together to create our Client Charter, defining the promises we make to the organisations we work with. Now we're turning that same thinking inwards.

Our Company Charter is about defining the commitments we make to one another as colleagues and co-owners. It won't be written by a handful of people in a meeting room - it'll be shaped by the people who live our culture every day. That feels like a pretty good reflection of employee ownership itself.

Next year, Zoonou celebrates its twentieth anniversary! When I think about the next chapter, I don't think about employee ownership as something we've achieved. I think about it as something we're still shaping.

We've learnt a huge amount over the last three years. Some things have worked brilliantly. Others have taught us valuable lessons. Through all of it, we've continued to listen, adapt and improve together.

For me, that's what "Owning It" really means.

Not having all the answers but being willing to take responsibility for finding them together.

Zoonou is a UK-based digital QA and software testing company. We’re a B Corp and 100% employee owned helping organisations improve the quality, reliability, and confidence of their digital products and services.