Member surveys on employee ownership and the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeTo gather data about how employee-owned companies performed during the COVID-19 pandemic and whether employee ownership was a competitive advantage.Design/methodology/approachSurveys of members of the National Center for Employee Ownership.FindingsEmployee-owned companies were more likely to have positive than negative outcomes and many attribute part of their success to their employee ownership structure.Research limitations/implicationsData was from NCEO member companies and not a representative sample of employee-owned companies.Practical implicationsCompanies should consider employee ownership as a strategy; employee-owned companies should consider employee engagement efforts.Originality/valueThis includes the first data gathered specifically on employee-owned companies during the pandemic.