Since Rubric transitioned to employee ownership in 2022, one event has been a fixture in our calendar: the EOA Annual Conference. Hosted by the Employee Ownership Association (EOA), this gathering is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on what employee ownership means to us and how far we’ve come—as well as learning from other businesses at different stages of their journey.
The conference took place at Telford International Centre on November 25-26, and among the 850+ delegates were two Rubric colleagues: Program Manager Alicja Weikop, and Zach Malpass, who alongside his role as Project Management Associate is the newly elected Employee Representative Trustee Director for Rubric’s Employee Ownership Trust (EOT).
With the theme of “Owning the Future”, and a range of vibrant talks and breakout sessions to choose from, the event provided plenty of food for thought, and our colleagues returned feeling inspired and energized.
Owning the Future: The power of employee voice
The conference theme of “owning the future” resonates with us at Rubric, as a forward-looking business where people take ownership for client success. Always at the forefront of industry developments, we embrace technology to help our clients work smarter—most recently, supporting them to reap the benefits of AI while mitigating the risks.
“Owning the future” is particularly meaningful for employee-owned businesses, because every employee has a stake in the business—giving them the power to shape its future. But for individuals to have an impact, they need to be engaged, listened to, and given opportunities to participate, with a safe space to share their views.
Zach comments:
“It’s important we help people understand their role in employee ownership and the difference they can make. We need to make sure everyone has the opportunity to speak up and be heard.”
Higher employee engagement is shown to increase productivity, reduce staff turnover, and improve results for clients. As part of Rubric’s leadership team, Alicja was interested to learn more about measuring engagement and strengthening employee voice:
“EOTs tend to have better employee engagement because people feel they have a stake and a say—but there’s even more we can do to bring this further on at Rubric.”
Bridging the generation gap
Owning the future also means investing in talent and nurturing the next generation of leaders. In an engaging keynote speech, intergenerational diversity expert Henry Rose Lee discussed how, in a multigenerational workforce, we can combine our strengths by building diverse teams and offering initiatives like mentoring and reverse mentoring. The talk also highlighted the need to consider how needs and preferences may differ across the generations, for example in the way we communicate or the benefits we value.
Zach notes that Rubric has a number of colleagues in the early stages of their careers:
“Joining Rubric as a new graduate is a great opportunity. Being employee-owned provides experience you might not get elsewhere, and you have the chance to really take ownership of your work and make a difference.”
Their fresh perspective is balanced by deep expertise within our IT and project management teams, and a culture of sharing knowledge and ideas. Alicja highlights our Assured AI solution as an example of successful collaboration:
“AI can seem like a magic solution for clients, but a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to achieve the results we need. We really need those experienced PMs and IT experts to make it happen.”
Sharing the learning
The EOA conference provides a rare opportunity to discover how other employee-owned companies operate.
A standout example was “Behind the Boardroom Door”, an interactive simulation of an EOT trust board meeting. It was fascinating to see how other trusts handle decision-making, and to learn that we share many of the same challenges. For example, effective governance is key to avoiding “role creep”, where trustees take on day-to-day operational responsibilities that should be managed by company directors.
Alicja believes Rubric manages this well, with clear lines of responsibility to avoid conflicts of interest:
“I was reassured that Rubric has very good governance in place, where the role of the management and the EOT trustees is clearly defined.”
It was also inspiring to hear from companies with a long history of employee ownership, such as department store John Lewis, where consistent culture and behaviors are evident from the boardroom right through to the shop floor.
And if you want to learn from the best, the UK Employee Ownership Awards are a good place to start. Celebrating the achievements of employee-owned companies—from successful transitions to lasting impacts—this recognition is something for Rubric to aspire to in the future.
Next steps for Rubric: “Have a stake, have a say”
It’s hard to pick one key takeaway from such a lively conference, but the message “Have a stake, have a say”—which was woven through the event—definitely struck a chord.
We’re proud to be employee-owned, and the conference reinforced that it’s the right strategic model for our business.
Rubric will continue to put people first: from developing solutions like Assured AI, which delivers smart automation with human-driven quality, to creating a workplace culture where people can truly thrive. Because the more engaged and empowered our colleagues feel, the better the experience they can offer our clients.
Employee ownership is a constant learning curve, and events like the EOA conference inspire us to keep evolving and improving. We’ll be looking at what more we can do to support our colleagues’ growth and wellbeing, make their voices heard, and measure our impact. Frequent and transparent communication will be key to helping everyone understand the benefits of being part of an employee-owned company, as well as the role they play in owning and shaping the future.
As Alicja concludes:
“We’re all pulling in the same direction, and every one of us can add value.”
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