THERE was a day out in London and dining at the House of Commons for six employees of Worcester technology company Postcode Anywhere to mark their stake in the business.

The occasion was organised by the Employees Ownership Association as part of the Employee Ownership Day, devised to celebrate company employees having a say in the companies they work for.

Matthew Gregory, Cassy DeCap, Philippa Jaine, Craig Organ, James Sills and Laura Thorpe from the Diglis-based business were in the company of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Employee Ownership . They were chosen to represent Postcode Anywhere by a ballot system which excluded members of the senior management team. Chief executive Guy Mucklow explained :"I believe it is important that employees feel they have much more than a financial stake in the business’s future as they will also be helping to shape its corporate destiny. Business owners have a level of passion and commitment to their businesses which is hard to find in other types of enterprise. This connection to the business is why employee owned enterprises have faster growth rates and are more profitable than those which are not.

"It is one of the main reasons why Jamie Turner, my co-founder and I, have chosen to give a stake in Postcode Anywhere to all of our staff via an EMI scheme. I am delighted that our staff will be attending the dinner as it will give them a great opportunity to share experiences with their peers in the Employee Ownership Association.”

Developer James Sills added: “I think employee ownership is a wonderful concept as in effect, we as employees, have a say in Postcode Anywhere’s destiny as a growing business and ultimately its success. Of course it’s an incentive to work really hard but more than that it gives employees the opportunity to be consulted on key decisions.”