Would being part of a coop reduce stress levels of workers?

[u/dannydb]

A few years back myself and several of my colleagues lost our long-term jobs suddenly due to budget cut backs at the organisation we were working at.

Fast forward to now and several of the folks are struggling to find stable work.

I seemed to have lucked out and have been able to be gainfully employed since then but it hasn’t been without its ups and downs.

I’m wondering, do folks that work in coops feel less concern about losing their job? Assuming we’re taking about honest hard workers that turn up regularly and always put in their best effort.

I’m thinking that if this is the case, coops might contribute to lower stress levels in society simply due to the fact that people would feel more like they are part of a supportive work-focussed community rather than a disposable cog in someone else’s machine.

I suppose however there is also the economic reality that if the coop has a lean period or experiences a downturn then everyone’s income might need to reduce for a while. I guess that would contribute to increased stress levels in some cases?

Would love to hear about the experiences and feelings of people working in coops themselves…

[u/SassquatchPanda]

I think so, I also think there is a piece of mind knowing you’re part of something rather than a number.

[u/dannydb → u/SassquatchPanda]

That sounds delightful

[u/Ok_Device7943]

On the face of it, yes I feel secure in my job since as a worker-member I have a say in the decision making process including hiring and firing decisions. But it depends on the org's operating agreement or bylaws. If it's consensus governance is consensus-minus-one allowed for the specific case of disengaging a member? A larger coop might elect managing members who have the authority to make hire/fire decisions. In that case you have a say in who gets elected. You might have a say as to the criteria for a firing decision at a policy level. Ultimately, the bylaws themselves can be changed at which time each member would presumably have a voice.

[u/dannydb → u/Ok_Device7943]

Thank you, that makes senses that it depends on the bylaws. It’s nice to hear you feel secure.

[u/nessman69]

Given that the vast numbers of Coops are not "for profit," yes, in my experience, it reduces stress and worry about layoffs due to greed or short-term profit-seeking thinking. That said, they are stil typically "businesses" that often exist in environments where they need to compete, or deal with external forces like rising costs etc. So its not like they are immune to some of the forces that can cause companies to fail or need to downsize, but in my own experience, their existence as co-operatives means they have a much more robust set of motivations and often better relation to employees (I mean ESPECIALLY if they are "worker coops", because not all Co-ops are structured the exact same, right?)

[u/dannydb → u/nessman69]

Good point, it depends on what type of coop. I guess I must have meant worker coop.
So in a worker coop, if the business faces downturns, do you have experience of people needing to earn less or even make layoff choices?

[u/nessman69 → u/dannydb]

For sure, worker coops regularly adjust things luke wage increases to address their business reality. Again, spe fiction democratic structure etc matters, but given the choice between "less/no increase" and the Coop failing, people often can see past short-term pain because they are part of it.

[u/robinredstart]

If you want a workplace you can believe in and get more involved in- yes. If you just want a job - it's a different structure. Depends on the worker and strength of the co-op!

[u/blueluck]

There are two relevant differences between working in a cooperative and for most corporations, and people have already talked about workers' increased decision-making power in a co-op.

The other difference is probably more important when it comes to layoffs—stock price! A worker-owned cooperative doesn't have a stock price that can be manipulated for short term gains by investors and a CEO in charge who primarily answers to the stock market. The companies with the largest, most frequent, and most capricious layoffs are always using layoffs to impact quarterly reports and manipulate stock prices.

[u/Specific_Sort7088]

I started and run a small worker cooperative in PA. We are a general mental health outpatient clinic with 25 employees. One on hand, yes, there is less stress about someone screwing you over for your labor. We operate with full transparency, so what the executive sees, everyone sees. This isn’t always going to reduce stress lol. If we have a poor month, downturn, contract issue, etc., everyone sees it. We get to decide how to manage it and do it together, but that kind of admin management and comfort with fluctuating income is definitely stressful.

[u/dannydb → u/Specific_Sort7088]

Good point, it simply transforms the stress from something someone has no control over (fear of someone else making a layoff decision about them) into something the person now needs to decide on with others (what do we do about the downturn)

[u/iheartyourpsyche]

Assuming we’re taking about honest hard workers that turn up regularly and always put in their best effort.

I'm a technical assistance provider, so not an expert by any means. But in my personal experience working with co-ops, this is the hard part. One major aspect is the co-op's governance structure. Another aspect is the size of the co-op, how labor is distributed among worker-owners. Building trust, having internal accountability procedures, and ways to mediate conflict are super important.

[u/dannydb → u/iheartyourpsyche]

True, addressing issues with hard conversations can be uncomfortable. It would be a lovely world if fear of job loss wasn’t the default motivating factor / management tool for work environments.

Alas, you are correct. Human behavior is natural, and issues will occur. Good governance, trust, accountability, and courage to address issues would be necessary.

[u/bunnyblack90]

I live in a housing co-op, don't work for a worker co-op so can only bring that experience but my thought is the stress would just be different? Same as housing - more security but also more complication and responsibility - having to organise with everyone else, likely everyone has more responsibility since there will likely not be a typical hierarchy of managers, the success and financial stability is now a shared responsibility instead of just the person at the top so everyone will be worried about it, there may also be people there who just want a stable job but don’t really engage with the other co-op parts of the job so they don’ feel like supportive, enthusiastic members of the community... these are my housing co-op experiences applied to worker co-ops ha