Our Journey to Employee Ownership
Like many of our management team, Holly Englefield has worked her way up from starting as a carer in 2013. She is now the Operations Manager.
Our journey to Employee Ownership started in 2014 when Nightingales’ owners realised it created only winners.
In June 2014, Nightingales’ founders, Nick and Sarah Bruce, embarked on a revolutionary journey, transforming their business model into a beacon of employee empowerment and collective success. Their decision to share ownership with their colleagues wasn’t just a noble gesture, but a strategic move to elevate Nightingales to new heights.
Recognising the uniqueness of Nightingales’ values-driven care, they shunned the traditional exit strategy of selling to a third party, which could jeopardise the company’s ethos. Instead, they sought to preserve and nurture this unique culture by entrusting it to those who helped build it – the employees.
To make this transition equitable and meaningful, they innovated a unique employee ownership scheme. Rather than simply gifting shares, which might not be fully appreciated, employees earned their stake by meeting specific targets, fostering a culture of ‘working harder and smarter’. This led to employees being entitled to a significant portion of the company’s profits and having a say in its future.
This dynamic approach evolved, allowing individual employees to purchase Partner Shares at a substantial discount, deepening their investment in Nightingales’ success. This not only democratises ownership but aligns everyone’s interests, leading to a continuously increasing stake for employees in the company.
Nightingales operates with unprecedented transparency, embracing an open-book policy where all financial details, except individual salaries, are accessible to every employee. Furthermore, employee representatives participate in Management Board Meetings, ensuring their voices are heard in crucial decision-making processes.
At Nightingales, employee ownership is more than a policy; it’s a culture where everyone’s contribution is valued and rewarded. This model doesn’t just benefit the staff; it resonates through the entire company, enhancing the happiness and satisfaction of our clients. Nightingales stands as a testament to the power of shared ownership, where every employee plays a vital role in weaving the fabric of a compassionate, thriving community.