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Employee Ownership Association
Formation1979 (as Job Ownership Limited)
FounderRobert Oakeshott
TypeNon-profit membership organisation
PurposePromotion and support of employee ownership
HeadquartersUnited Kingdom
Websiteemployeeownership.co.uk

The Employee Ownership Association (EOA) is a United Kingdom–based non-profit membership and advocacy organisation that promotes and supports employee ownership in business. Founded in 1979 as Job Ownership Limited (JOL) by journalist and campaigner Robert Oakeshott, it adopted its current name in the mid-2000s.[1][2] The association provides information, networking and policy engagement for companies considering, or operating under, employee ownership models, including the Employee Ownership Trust (EOT) introduced in 2014.[3]

History

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JOL was established in 1979 by Robert Oakeshott to encourage employee ownership and worker co-operatives in the UK.[2] Companies House records show the organisation used the Job Ownership Limited name until December 2006, after which it operated as the Employee Ownership Association.[1]

From 2012 the UK Government undertook a programme of reforms following the independent Nuttall Review of Employee Ownership, which examined barriers to employee ownership and recommended actions to promote the model.[4] The Government’s formal response accepted the review’s recommendations and set up an implementation group.[5] In 2013, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg delivered the inaugural Robert Oakeshott Memorial Lecture outlining the Government’s plans to expand employee ownership.[6]

In 2014, Parliament enacted tax reliefs to promote EOT-based transitions (Finance Act 2014), including 100% capital gains tax relief for qualifying disposals and an income tax-free employee bonus (up to a capped amount).[3] Subsequent HMRC policy updates and consultations have adjusted the regime to support “genuine” employee ownership and address avoidance risks.[7][8]

Activities

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The EOA is a membership body funded and governed by its member companies and works with firms of all sizes, advisers, and policymakers.[9] It runs an annual conference and year-round events aimed at organisations considering or operating employee ownership models, and convenes the sector’s annual “EO Day” awareness campaign.[10]

The association engages with government consultations and parliamentary inquiries relating to employee ownership and corporate governance. For example, it has submitted written evidence to the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee.[11]

Research and evidence

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The EOA supports research on the impacts of employee ownership, including through the independent UK charity Ownership at Work (OAW). OAW’s 2023 People Powered Growth study (with analysis by WPI Economics and YouGov) reported that employee- and worker-owned businesses were on average 8–12% more productive (gross value added per employee) than comparable firms, alongside wider social and environmental benefits.[12][13]

Peer-reviewed scholarship has analysed the UK’s shift toward the trust model since 2014 and the role of the policy framework. Pendleton, Robinson and Nuttall (2023) trace the development of employee ownership and the emergence of EOTs as the dominant form,[14] while Pendleton and Robinson (2025) discuss why EOTs have grown rapidly.[15]

In 2025, HMRC published an Ipsos qualitative evaluation (Evaluation Report 795) on the EOT regime. Interviewees reported that CGT relief was a significant factor in choosing the model, and that EOT structures often formalised employee engagement and representation.[16]

Sector context

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Official policy interest in employee ownership was catalysed by the Nuttall Review and a complementary BIS evidence review published in 2012, which suggested employee-owned firms tend to have a longer-term focus and invest more in human capital, while noting challenges such as access to finance.[4][17]

The UK employee ownership sector has grown markedly since EOT tax reliefs were introduced. Mid-2025 estimates from the UK EO Business Register (maintained by the EOA and the White Rose Employee Ownership Centre) indicate around 2,470 employee-owned businesses employing roughly 335,000–358,000 people.[18][19] Media and professional analyses have reported the same order of magnitude.[20][21]

Notable company transitions frequently cite the EOT framework. In August 2025, UK toy retailer The Entertainer announced its transition to employee ownership via an EOT, attracting national business press coverage.[22]

Guidance and outreach

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The UK Government has published practical guidance for employees and companies considering employee ownership, including BIS’s Moving to employee ownership: a guide for employees and accompanying model documentation (2013).[23][24][25] Senior ministers have also used the annual Robert Oakeshott Memorial Lecture to set out policy developments affecting the sector.[6][26]

See also

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Employee ownership trust

Worker cooperative

National Center for Employee Ownership

References

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  1. ^ a b "Employee Ownership Association – previous company names". Companies House. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b Keen, Charles (3 August 2011). "Robert Oakeshott obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Finance Act 2014: Explanatory Notes (Part 4, Sch. 37: Employee-ownership trusts)". legislation.gov.uk. UK National Archives. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Nuttall review of employee ownership". GOV.UK. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Employee ownership, next steps: government response to the Nuttall review". GOV.UK. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Deputy Prime Minister speech on employee ownership: Robert Oakeshott Memorial Lecture". GOV.UK. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) and Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs): changes to the taxation rules". GOV.UK. HM Treasury/HMRC. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Taxation of Employee Ownership Trusts and Employee Benefit Trusts: summary of responses". GOV.UK. HMRC. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  9. ^ "Employee Ownership Association". Rutgers University, CLEO. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Events". Employee Ownership Association. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  11. ^ "Written evidence submitted by the Employee Ownership Association". UK Parliament Committees. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  12. ^ "People Powered Growth: The rapid and impactful rise of employee and worker ownership in the UK" (PDF). Ownership at Work. 2023. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  13. ^ "Who we are". Ownership at Work. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  14. ^ Pendleton, Andrew; Robinson, Andrew; Nuttall, Graeme (2023). "Employee ownership in the UK" (PDF). Journal of Participation and Employee Ownership. 6 (3): 194–216. doi:10.1108/JPEO-11-2022-0030. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  15. ^ Pendleton, Andrew; Robinson, Andrew (2025). "Employee ownership trusts: an employee ownership success story". International Review of Applied Economics. 39 (2–3): 241–260. doi:10.1080/02692171.2025.2475136. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Evaluation of Employee Ownership Trusts". GOV.UK. HMRC. 22 May 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  17. ^ "The employee ownership advantage: benefits and consequences". GOV.UK. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  18. ^ "EO Research & Insights – EO Sector Stats (UK EO Business Register)". Employee Ownership Association. July 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  19. ^ "EO Day 2025 – our views on the next 12 months for employee ownership". Geldards. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  20. ^ "Construction industry fastest-growing sector for employee ownership". RSM UK. 19 June 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  21. ^ "EO sector statistics". Independent Directors & Trustees. 20 June 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  22. ^ "The Entertainer moves to employee ownership". Personnel Today. 11 August 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Employee ownership: guide for employees". GOV.UK. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  24. ^ "Moving to employee ownership: guide for employees (PDF)" (PDF). GOV.UK. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  25. ^ "Moving to employee ownership: guidance on model documentation (PDF)" (PDF). GOV.UK. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  26. ^ "Francis Maude Oakeshott Memorial Lecture 2014". GOV.UK. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
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Official website

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