Bricks #3174

This is an example-building tool, not professional advice.

Employee Ownership Ireland provides this tool as a general guide to help businesses explore possible EOT governance and employee engagement structures.

The examples generated are illustrative only. They are not intended to provide legal, tax, financial or professional governance advice, and should not be treated as a recommended structure for any particular business.

Every Employee Ownership Trust is different. Your arrangements should reflect your Trust Deed, Articles, company structure, workforce and applicable legal and tax requirements.

Before establishing or changing formal EOT governance arrangements, you should take appropriate professional advice.

Employee Ownership Ireland does not accept responsibility for decisions made on the basis of the output generated by this tool.

How many employees are in the business?

This helps us generate a proportionate example structure.

Under 50 employees A relatively small workforce. 50–249 employees A medium-sized workforce. 250–999 employees A larger workforce which may benefit from more structured representation. 1,000+ employees A large organisation where layered representation may be useful.

How is your workforce spread geographically?

Think about where people are based rather than your legal company structure.

Mostly one location Most employees work from the same site or area. A small number of locations For example, two to four offices, branches or sites. Several locations Employees are spread across a number of sites or regions. Different countries or jurisdictions The workforce operates across more than one country.

How varied is your workforce?

Consider departments, job types, shifts and working environments.

Fairly similar Most employees have similar roles or working arrangements. A mix of teams and roles There are several departments or different types of work. Very varied For example, office, operational, field, shift or remote workers.

Do employees already have a formal way to share their views?

Yes, and it works well For example, an established employee forum or representative group. We have some existing channels For example, surveys, staff meetings or informal representatives. Not really We would like the EOT structure to help create this.

How easy is it for employees to communicate with senior leadership?

Very easy Leadership is accessible and employees regularly interact with them. It varies Some employees have good access while others have less. More difficult Size, geography or structure can create distance.

What would you like your employee voice structure to achieve?

Choose the option that feels closest. Your arrangements can support more than one aim.

Better communication Help information move between employees and the EOT. Stronger employee voice Create a clear route for employee ideas, views and feedback. More employee involvement Help employees participate more actively in employee ownership. A combination of these Create a broader employee ownership engagement structure.

How formal would you like the employee voice structure to be?

Keep it simple Use existing meetings and communication wherever possible. A clear but flexible structure Create defined roles without unnecessary layers. A more structured model Formal representation, meetings and defined feedback routes.

Your example EOT governance model

Based on your answers, this is one possible structure you could explore.

This is an illustrative example, not a recommendation.

This output is intended to help start a discussion about possible governance and employee voice arrangements. It should not be treated as legal, tax, financial or governance advice.Your final arrangements should reflect your Trust Deed, Articles, company structure and professional advice.

Example Trustee Board

Employee Trustee approach

Example Employee Forum

How employee voice could flow

Possible feedback channels

Possible meeting rhythm

Key principles to consider

Trustees understand and fulfil their fiduciary responsibilities.
Employee Trustees exercise independent judgement as trustees.
Employees have a clear way to share views, ideas and feedback.
Relevant employee themes can reach the Trustee Board.
Information flows back to employees where appropriate.
The roles of the Trustee Board, Company Board and Employee Forum remain clear.
The structure can be reviewed as the business develops.

Keep the structure proportionate.
There is no single governance or employee voice model that will suit every employee-owned business. The formal responsibilities of trustees should follow the Trust's governing documents. Employee engagement arrangements can then reflect how your people actually work and communicate.

Build an Example EOT Governance Model