We asked 2019 EOA Conference panelists Make Architects to describe what it’s like to work for an 100% Employee Owned business.
Employee ownership has been a cornerstone of our practice since we were founded in 2004. We are 100% employee-owned and it is fundamental to the way we work and make business decisions. And it has created a very different kind of architectural practice – one that’s all about fairness.
From a pure business standpoint, employee ownership drives us to improve our performance and productivity. Nearly all profits are distributed to employees, usually twice a year, with only money for investment held back. All employees, also called Partners or Makers, no matter their pay grade, receives the same percentage of their salary as a bonus. This creates a culture in which people are personally invested in the success of the business.
If times are hard, we work together to ensure resilience of the practice. All belt-tightening is clearly communicated, and the finance team gives quarterly updates to the whole practice. There’s no smoke and mirrors.
Decisions are not made by one person in silo. One Maker had the idea for a travel lottery that gives everyone the potential opportunity to work in another studio for a week, with studios in Hong Kong, London and Sydney, it is a hugely popular initiative, thought of by a Maker and actioned by the practice to benefit the inter-studio connectivity and also boost morale.
To reinforce our own understanding of employee ownership and what it means to be a Maker, we recently introduced an in-house programme called The Make Way. This one-day workshop gives everyone here an opportunity to reflect on our culture and values. It’s a chance to shape an inclusive work environment and help create guiding principles for the practice as we continue to evolve.
Makers are in it together. We share a common purpose and language, and everyone is free to express themselves. Our employee-owned structure fosters a working environment with job security, low staff turnover and engaged, loyal employees. It also promotes design excellence, as we listen to a wide variety of ideas and points of view, ultimately leading to better places, spaces and buildings.
If you’d like the chance to hear more from the people at Make, why not join us at this years conference? Make will be participating in the Unlisted, SME & Start-Up Panel and the Unlisted, SME & Start-Up Breakaway session. Early Bird Tickets are on sale now via Eventbrite.
