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Finding workers is one challenge, but keeping them is the second one. Worker satisfaction and engagement with the company are major components that impact employee retention. In today’s episode of Since Sliced Bread, listeners will hear from Alvarado Street Bakery, Petaluma, Calif., a 100% employee-owned bakery.

As a worker-owned co-op, employees who have chosen to become members get a vote in every aspect of how Alvarado Street Bakery is run. This helps them have a personal investment in the business and contributes to low employee turnover. 

“People are looking for a company that they can add value to and that shares common value with them,” said Dae Lee, director of marketing of Alvarado Street Bakery. “They don’t feel like a cog in the wheel but actually part of a valued employee who gets to make decisions. We’re fortunate in the way that we operate in that it’s what people are looking for more and more these days.”

Listen to the episode to find out more about how a worker-owned co-op operates, why there’s so little turnover, and how its principles could apply to any commercial bakery.

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