Inside Life at Bain and Gray
Thinking of joining an employee-owned company? We recently made the transition ourselves, and it’s already transforming how we work, collaborate, and celebrate success. We sat down with Tara, our Employee-Owner Council Chair, to answer the big questions about what employee ownership really means.
Q: What exactly is an employee-owned business?
Tara: In short, it means the employees collectively own the company. At Bain and Gray, that ownership gives every team member a stake in the business and a voice in how it’s run. It’s not just a title - it’s a model that encourages transparency, collaboration, and shared success.
Q: What’s changed day-to-day?
Tara: Quite a lot! We now have an Employee-Owner Council, colleagues elected to represent the voice of the company. We meet monthly to discuss business operations and new ideas, and we even have our own budget to invest back into the workplace, there is a lot of financial visibility.
Some of our funded initiatives include:
- Community perks like a high-quality coffee machine and “Thirsty Thursday” socials to build connection.
- Seasonal fun, such as Christmas activities and small weekly motivators to keep energy high.
Q: You’ve mentioned “financial visibility.” What does that look like?
Tara: Every week, the entire team meets to review key financials, such as income, costs, and performance against targets. We can see exactly how the business is doing and, crucially, how our own work contributes to that success.
This level of openness means we all know what we’ve helped generate and how it feeds into end-of-year bonuses. When we hit our goals, we share directly in the results. It turns financial performance into something collective and motivating rather than mysterious.
Q: How else does employee ownership benefit the team?
Tara: Transparency and inclusion are huge. Knowing the numbers keeps everyone engaged and focused. We’ve also tailored benefits to our workforce - enabling our team’s voices to drive real change.
Q: What qualified you to be Chair?
Tara: I spent two days in intensive training with experts, including a consultant who’s worked with John Lewis and Lush, both well-known employee-owned companies. We also heard from alumni of other employee-owned firms, attended workshops, and took part in Q&A sessions to learn the nuts and bolts of making the shift.
Q: Why should someone consider working at an employee-owned company like Bain and Gray?
Tara: Because you genuinely have a say. Your ideas matter, and your effort directly influences your reward. It’s empowering and creates a culture where people stay, grow, and feel valued.
Join Our Team
We’re looking for an additional Senior Consultant to be part of this exciting new chapter. If you’d like to work in a dynamic, employee-owned recruitment agency, apply here.
