Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit is a dedicated to educating small business owners about the possibilities, benefits, and challenges of transitioning to an employee ownership model.
There are over 200m SMEs with an owner who will be retiring in the next 10 years, many of which will never find a buyer for their business, forcing them to close their doors.
There is an alternative. This show will explore various the different forms of employee ownership and best practices for successful transitions.
Each episode features interviews with experts in employee ownership, business owners who have made the transition, and consultants who facilitate these changes.
Alternative Exit
Alternative Exit #50 | Live from the EOA, Exploring Insights with Dr Shelley Poole from WellingtonHR
Episode: Building Ownership Culture from Day One - Shelley Poole on HR in Employee-Owned Businesses
In this live episode from the EOA Conference in Telford, Andy talks with Shelley Poole, founder of Wellington HR, who started her business in 2019 with the intention from day one to grow it into an employee-owned business. She also conducted doctoral research on employee voice in EO organizations, making her uniquely positioned to bridge academic research and practical implementation.
Key Takeaways:
Wellington HR proves that employee ownership can work at micro scale - they're a team of six (soon to be seven). Shelley waited until the business was financially sound before transitioning, not because of a magic number of employees, but because she wanted to demonstrate that EO "isn't all scary" when you have money in the bank and stable operations.
The conversation reveals a powerful insight from Shelley's doctoral research: people need information, but they also need to understand that information to have intelligent contributions to make. Otherwise, employee voice stays superficial - "where should we go for the Christmas party?" - rather than meaningful strategic input.
At Wellington HR, they practice radical transparency: everyone knows everyone's salaries, the team looks at P&L statements, and they spent significant time educating the team on how to read financials. Shelley's research identified that barriers to voice often come from how information is shared and made available, not just whether it's shared at all.
Memorable Moments:
- Starting a business in 2019: "Great year to be starting a business just as we go into a pandemic"
- The horror story: "When did you find out you were becoming employee owned?" "On the day we transitioned"
- Why salary transparency and financial education matter before expecting meaningful voice
- How HR can lead by example: consulting employees on maternity policy rather than just announcing it
- The succession gap: new leaders thrown in the deep end when founders exit without preparation
- Robert Oakeshott's legacy of dividing not just profit but power and voice
Guest: Shelley Poole, Founder at Wellington HR
- LinkedIn: [Shelley's LinkedIn Profile - you'll need to add this]
- Company: [Wellington HR website - you'll need to add this]
- Resource: Shelley's doctoral thesis summary available via Wellington HR
Sponsor: This episode is brought to you by EOT Expert by Christian Welsom – providing technical expertise and compliance support for EOT transitions and ongoing governance. Learn more at eotexpert.co.uk