LaSiembra engages employee owners beyond nine to five duties
Opportunities to contribute build solidarity and range from governance to product tasting
Thursday May 29, 2008 -- Jason Thompson
Right from day one, employees at LaSiembra Co-operative are given plenty of opportunities to take part in the future growth and direction of the organization above and beyond their regular responsibilities.

Following a nine-month probationary period, new hires are able to become employee-owners and buy-in to the co-operative, which works with producers in developing countries to distribute Fair Trade Certified chocolate, cocoa and sugar products in Canada.

In addition to financially investing in the co-operative and participating in governance, employee owners can also vote and run for the board of directors as well as participate in key organizational decisions.

There are 18 employees at the co-operative, of which 16 are employee owners.

“It is understood that the more people who contribute in different ways, the more sustainable it is for the co-operative,” says Barry Ésau, chief marketing designer, employee-owner and member of the board of directors.

“It’s something that we want to do as owners of the business.”

Since sitting on the board of directors may not be everyone’s cup of tea, there are other opportunities for employee owners to support the work of the board.

These include sitting on several committees such as the tasting and new product development committees. The committee gives no regard to what position a committee member has within the co-operative and treats all voices equally.

“There is equal input in the process so when consensus comes out of that meeting, (everyone is) contributing equally to that final result,” Ésau explains.

Caitlin Peeling, sales and fair trade manager, employee-owner and member of the board of directors, says with the dynamic of having employee owners engaged in the co-operative at many levels can be a challenge but the results are worth it.

“You need to be working together for a common goal or you’ll inevitably butt heads,” Peeling says. “It basically creates a lot of solidarity.”

La Siembra’s commitment to organizational democracy has earned the co-operative a spot on the 2008 WorldBlu List of Most Democratic Workplaces, one of 25 organizations named to the second-annual list.

Is your organization engaging its employees in the pursuit of organizational democracy? To share your story, phone (800) 294-0051, ext. 25 or e-mail jason(at)axiomnews.ca.