East Midlands employer Gusto Group has issued enterprise management incentives (EMI), or growth shares, to its 150 employees as it transitions to an employee ownership trust (EOT).
Gusto Group comprises several businesses in the manufacturing, construction and architecture sectors, including Gusto Construction, Rototek and Studio-G.
All of its employees have been allocated growth shares before the EOT transition on 31 March 2027. Over the next nine-to-12 months, any new starters will also receive shares.
The group’s staff will also have the opportunity to sit on the trust board to ensure representation and perspectives from all areas of the organisation.
The shares were issued last week leading up to Gusto Fest, its annual employee community celebration which took place on Saturday 21 June. They are aimed at building a legacy for those who will be creating future successes and provide employees with recognition.
The group is committed to achieving shared success, fostering a culture of entrepreneurship, and ensuring employees have a greater voice and involvement, and improved job security and financial stability.
Steff Wright, chairman of Gusto Group, said: “I wanted to find a way for the employees that have worked so hard to build Gusto Group to be the ones to benefit from its continued growth. Ultimately, we want employees to feel invested in and committed to our collective success, and by granting workers the opportunity to become shareholders, we hope to build a stronger sense of unity, motivation and accountability. By putting people at the forefront, we are not only investing in our future but also our people.
“Resolving disconnect has become part of our broader purpose as a business, as has ensuring that people feel invested in our collective success. The journey that we’ve been on has been to engage with and empower employees, and align our benefits to them. Our decision to issue growth shares and become employee-owned presented the ultimate alignment of benefit and responsibility to our employees. We can’t wait to go from strength to strength.”
