PROMOTION One team of Exeter's employee owned businesse Inside one With the number of employee-owned businesses on the increase Josie Hingston, assistant office manager at Exeter-based law fim Stephens Scown LLP explains what being a pioneer of employee ownership in the legal sector has meant for the firm- and for her personally, as one of the firm's employee ownership trustees follow Stephens Scown's lead. Employee ownership puts the firm's people at the heart of its basiness and all eligible employee owners enjoy an equal share of the firm's profits on a pro-rata basis. "Being an employee is fter years of imvestigation, planning and preparation, Siephens Scown introduced to employee ownership? "Iliked the fact that we were being brave and trying something new. It also felt good to know that our Board understood that providing the best service to our dients relied on everyone who works here feeling its employee ownership scheme, known as 'Scownership, three years ago, breaking free of the- traditional structures seen across quite a passive thing-being an employee owner, means you have a direct stake in the success of the the legal sector. Itwas not a straightforward task. As well as engaging and enthusing its own people, the ground- beeaking initiative needed approval from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) More than 300 businesses in the UK are now employee owned employing more than 200,000 people between them. The sector has seen 60% of its growth in the that their contribution mattered" Asa Trustee Josie acts as a link between her colleagues and Stephens Scown's Board and attends Heads of Office meetings, along with her fellow Trustees. Her favourite part of being a Trustee is the impact she can have on the business business," says Josie Hingston, assistant office manager in Exeter and one of the firm's employee ownership trustees Iwanted to become a trustees so that I could represent non legal teams and to show how everyone across the firm-both lawyers and enjoy geting involved with projects which aim to enhance our employee ownership culture. It is also great to meet with new people in business support roles- can get involved in our employee ownership scheme. No matter what role someone has, we're all part of the same team and have a part to joiners to the firm in our inductions And the best part about working for an employee-owned firm? "It helps remind me that we work with people that truly care about our opinions. Employee ownership means more than the profit share and shows that Stephens Scown is past seven years and continues to grow at more than 10 % a year. The employee owned sector contributes between E30bn and £40bn to the tUK play in the firm's success, she says. John Lewis is the most famous example of an employee owned business. How did Josie feel about her employer taking inspiration from them and making the move A BOLD MOVE Stephens Scown's bold move caused the legal sector across the UK to sit up and take note, with other law firms now beginning to investing in everyone who works here as an individual. Jose Hingston is Stephens Scown's assistant office manager in Exeter and a trustee of its employee ownership scheme. 01392 210700 solicitors@stephens-scown.co.uk www.stephens-scown.co.uk PROMOTION One team of Exeter's employee owned businesse Inside one With the number of employee-owned businesses on the increase Josie Hingston, assistant office manager at Exeter-based law fim Stephens Scown LLP explains what being a pioneer of employee ownership in the legal sector has meant for the firm- and for her personally, as one of the firm's employee ownership trustees follow Stephens Scown's lead. Employee ownership puts the firm's people at the heart of its basiness and all eligible employee owners enjoy an equal share of the firm's profits on a pro-rata basis. "Being an employee is fter years of imvestigation, planning and preparation, Siephens Scown introduced to employee ownership? "Iliked the fact that we were being brave and trying something new. It also felt good to know that our Board understood that providing the best service to our dients relied on everyone who works here feeling its employee ownership scheme, known as 'Scownership, three years ago, breaking free of the- traditional structures seen across quite a passive thing-being an employee owner, means you have a direct stake in the success of the the legal sector. Itwas not a straightforward task. As well as engaging and enthusing its own people, the ground- beeaking initiative needed approval from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) More than 300 businesses in the UK are now employee owned employing more than 200,000 people between them. The sector has seen 60% of its growth in the that their contribution mattered" Asa Trustee Josie acts as a link between her colleagues and Stephens Scown's Board and attends Heads of Office meetings, along with her fellow Trustees. Her favourite part of being a Trustee is the impact she can have on the business business," says Josie Hingston, assistant office manager in Exeter and one of the firm's employee ownership trustees Iwanted to become a trustees so that I could represent non legal teams and to show how everyone across the firm-both lawyers and enjoy geting involved with projects which aim to enhance our employee ownership culture. It is also great to meet with new people in business support roles- can get involved in our employee ownership scheme. No matter what role someone has, we're all part of the same team and have a part to joiners to the firm in our inductions And the best part about working for an employee-owned firm? "It helps remind me that we work with people that truly care about our opinions. Employee ownership means more than the profit share and shows that Stephens Scown is past seven years and continues to grow at more than 10 % a year. The employee owned sector contributes between E30bn and £40bn to the tUK play in the firm's success, she says. John Lewis is the most famous example of an employee owned business. How did Josie feel about her employer taking inspiration from them and making the move A BOLD MOVE Stephens Scown's bold move caused the legal sector across the UK to sit up and take note, with other law firms now beginning to investing in everyone who works here as an individual. Jose Hingston is Stephens Scown's assistant office manager in Exeter and a trustee of its employee ownership scheme. 01392 210700 solicitors@stephens-scown.co.uk www.stephens-scown.co.uk