Core Idea - The concept of employee ownership is being promoted as a means to enhance worker engagement and retention while allowing employees to build wealth, addressing issues such as high quit rates and low job satisfaction in the workforce [3][4][15]. Employee Ownership Model - Employee ownership is structured to provide workers with stock or options without requiring them to invest out of pocket, aiming to offer a year’s worth of income as a benefit [5][8]. - The model involves placing a block of ownership in a trust, which is liquidated upon a company sale or IPO, allowing employees to receive cash or tradable stock [6][11]. Case Study: Ingersoll Rand - Ingersoll Rand serves as a case study where employee ownership transformed the company culture, increasing stock ownership from 86 senior executives to 20,000 employees, resulting in workers earning approximately $1 billion and reducing the quit rate by 90% [7][19]. Challenges and Transparency - Implementing employee ownership is complex, requiring education on business operations and financial transparency to ensure employees understand their contributions and the value of their ownership [16][12]. - Regular updates on company performance and valuations are provided to employees to maintain transparency and engagement [12][13]. Policy and Future Aspirations - The initiative aims to modernize existing policies like the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to encourage broader participation in employee ownership, with aspirations to expand this model to more companies and workers [20][21]. - There is bipartisan support for the idea of employee ownership, indicating a potential for policy changes that could incentivize companies to adopt this model [19][20].