Atomic’s transition to employee ownership: Achieving sustainable growth together.

At Atomic, we’ve always been committed to innovation – not just in the award-winning tech we build, but also in how we run our business. At the end of 2023, we took a bold and exciting step by transitioning to an employee ownership model. This decision reflects our belief that great businesses thrive when their people are truly invested in their success.

Here’s why we made the change, what we’ve learned so far, and how it’s already making a huge difference for our team and clients.

Why the change?

Since Atomic was founded in 1999, it has always been a people-centric organisation. Our business relies on our culture of collaboration, creativity and a shared drive for excellence. Early in 2023, as we were approaching our 25th anniversary, we started looking to the future and did a lot of thinking around what we wanted the company to become. We’d already achieved so much more than we’d expected and we realised that we’d only been able to do that through the hard work, dedication and teamwork of our people. We’ve got a special culture at Atomic and we decided we wanted to preserve that spirit for as long as possible. So we started looking at ways we could ensure Atomic continues to thrive, not just for the next 25 years but well beyond our 100th anniversary.

Creating such a lasting legacy is very rare, and often only happens in family owned businesses such as JCB, who we know very well. More often than not, successful businesses get acquired, merged or sold to new owners who have a different set of objectives and principles to those of the original founders. We have seen many examples where this has resulted in a detrimental impact on the culture and quite often the performance of the acquired business. As we reflected on reaching such a significant milestone, we wanted to set Atomic on a different path for the next stage of our journey.

Why employee ownership?

In order for a business to survive in the long run it needs to evolve, adapt and innovate to stay relevant in an ever changing world. No one knows our business better than the people who work here, and no one is more in tune with the latest trends in the tech industry than our people who are working with it every day. So as we looked to the future we recognised we needed to be developing and nurturing our leaders of tomorrow.

We also recognised the contribution that our employees make, and wanted to give something back to reward them for getting us to where we are today. The employee ownership model not only does this, but it also offers so much more…

1. Preserving our culture: Employee ownership ensures our values and ethos remain at the heart of the business.
2. Empowering our team: By giving everyone a direct share in Atomic’s success, we’re fostering a stronger sense of accountability and pride.
3. Attracting and retaining talent: We believe that ownership makes Atomic a more attractive place to work, helping us continue to attract the best talent in the industry.
4. Leadership pathways: This model creates real opportunities for the next generation of future leaders.
5. Client partnership focus: With employees personally invested in our success, our commitment to client satisfaction is stronger than ever.

By taking this approach we are making a bold statement that we value our independence and we want our success to be driven by our own people. I strongly believe that this will lead to sustainable growth in the long term.

The experience so far

While on the surface not a huge amount has changed, since transitioning to employee ownership there has been a palpable shift in mindset throughout the organisation and there is a real sense of collective responsibility. We’ve seen the team come together in remarkable ways, whether that’s by taking the initiative to make incremental improvements to our tooling and processes or banding together in the face of adversity and coming up with solutions that move the company forwards. 

Whenever we’ve hit a setback, the team has proactively worked together to own the problem and find a way. I’ve noticed this happening at all levels, whereas previously it would often fall on the directors to figure our way out of a crisis.

Our clients have fed back positively too… even before we announced the transition, several clients noticed Atomic teams going above and beyond to ensure their projects were not just delivered successfully but exceeded expectations. This is something we’ve always done at Atomic, but the difference now is that people do it without being asked to. It has just become the way we do things.

The new model has certainly proved to be a key differentiator in terms of recruitment, and we are now getting multiple high calibre candidates applying for every role. As we continue to grow this will become increasingly more valuable over time.

While it is too early to say for certain that our transition to employee ownership will give us the outcomes we are looking for in the long term, having completed our first year under the new model and achieved our best ever set of results, the early indications are definitely positive. 

Why this makes Atomic a great partner 

We believe the employee ownership model makes Atomic a truly unique company and a standout partner for clients for a number of reasons.

1. A thriving team culture: Ownership creates a sense of pride and unity, encouraging everyone to contribute their best ideas and efforts. Combined with our Deliver & Equip ethos, this ensures our clients get the highest level of service.
2. Long-term stability: Employee ownership secures Atomic’s independence and stability for the future, giving clients confidence in our ability to remain a trusted partner.
3. Enhanced client relationships: With every team member invested in success, our clients benefit from a proactive, motivated team that treats their projects as if they were our own.

Looking Ahead

The transition to employee ownership is more than a structural change – it’s a commitment to our team, our clients, and the future of Atomic. We’re already seeing the positive impact, and we’re excited about the opportunities this model will bring as we continue to grow.

Whether you’re looking for an innovative digital partner that’s here for the long haul, or a workplace that empowers its people, join Atomic on our ownership-driven journey to sustainable growth.

If you’d like to learn more about our journey or how we can help your business thrive, get in touch – we’d love to chat.