DJS Research invited to share employee ownership story for potential EOA award – please vote for us!

6th July 2022 11:40

We're excited to share that we were asked to submit our story about our journey to employee ownership to the Employee Ownership Association to win a potential award!

The awards celebrate the stories of employee-owned businesses and the impact they are having on employees, the performance of the business, and on the wider economy and society.

EO success stories across four categories

We were asked to share our story in the 'Delivering Good Engagement' category. Other categories include: 'Delivering Good Governance', 'Delivering Good Leadership', and 'Outstanding EO Culture'.

The entries were submitted on the 24th June 2022, on EO DAY and voting is open until the 1st August. Winners will be featured at a celebration dinner at the EOA Conference in October!

If you'd like to vote for us we would really appreciate it.

Read more about it here

A bit about our journey (if you don’t already know!)

DJS Research became Employee-owned on its 20th anniversary in July 2021.

The company began its life in a garden shed as a one-man operation, set up by our Chairman, Danny Sims. Over the course of two decades it has evolved into a company which stands out as something a little different in the industry. At the end of last year, The Market Research Society ranked us 11th in the UK, for the fastest growing individual agencies and said we’re ‘One to Watch’.

Prior to becoming employee owned, our senior team immersed themselves in the world of employee ownership and strong foundations were set for the transition.

The intentions were communicated to the wider company, and the news was warmly received, with our staff feeling excited about the journey ahead. Twelve months on, our staff, now company 'partners', understand more about employee ownership and are more involved with the company than ever before; their voices being heard and already affecting change.

We listen through our MyDJS engagement surveys and through Employee Voice – a panel set up consisting of partners from each DJS team.

Following feedback which helped inform our stratgeic plan for the next two years, we have invested in 30 new staff members across all levels to support staff and have launched our new junior researcher programme. Our latest MyDJS survey revealed that our partners appreciate this, with 91% saying they believe DJS cares about their wellbeing.

Our latest MyDJS survey results also revealed that our partners are happier working at DJS more than ever before, with 99% saying they support our EO status and 92% saying they believe the company is headed in the right direction. The overwhelming majority (93%) also said they would recommend DJS Research as a good place to work.

Since becoming employee-owned we also wanted to give something back. Last year we were used as an example of employee ownership by the EOA, and were invited to speak at the 2021 EOA conference, and we've also had meetings with other companies who are considering transitioning to employee ownership themselves.

To find out more, please read the full story of our Employee Ownership journey

Watch our announcement video below: