Contrary to popular belief, employee buyouts of troubled
companies actually represent only a small percentage of all
employee-owned companies-most employee ownership
plans are set up in profitable ongoing companies . Further,
employee-owned firms have an impressive record of job
creation, with an average annual employment gain three
times that of comparable conventional firms. Most of the
plans provide for substantial employee control over company
policy, giving employees full voting rights on their
shares . The average employee-owned firm has 630 employees,
all industries are represented, although there is
some concentration in both durable and nondurable goods
manufacturing .
These are conclusions from a recent survey conducted by
the National Center for Employee Ownership . Although
they are preliminary and must be regarded cautiously, they
seem to support the contention that employee ownership can
be a mechanism to