This resource tailors its advice and guidance to early-stage ESEs, is designed with a “newly-onboarded COO of an ESE” in mind, and incorporates an organizational change management lens on operations improvement
Explore by Stage:
Manage an ESE
Check out these resources that can help you manage the day-to-day work of running a successful ESE.
Welcome to the dynamic world of managing an Employment Social Enterprise (ESE), where each day presents intricate challenges and exciting opportunities. This phase of the journey requires a skillful approach to navigate through the complexities of day-to-day operations, scaling resources, and preserving the heart of your social mission.
Effective management is the linchpin that holds it all together. It means aligning your workforce, refining your processes, and optimizing your systems to meet the ever-evolving demands of running an ESE, all while ensuring that your organization’s unique social impact goals remain at the forefront of your operations.
As you steer your ESE towards success, adapting your strategies for leadership, communication, and stakeholder engagement is vital. These are the tools that will assist your ESE’s social impact while facilitating sustainable growth. It’s about leading with purpose, communicating your mission effectively, and engaging with stakeholders who share your commitment to making a difference.
Managing an ESE is a balancing act—a dance between the world of business and the realm of social impact. It’s a journey that demands resilience, innovation, and an unwavering dedication to your mission. But it’s also a journey that’s incredibly rewarding, as you witness the positive change your ESE brings to individuals and communities.
So, welcome to the world of managing an Employment Social Enterprise, where every challenge is an opportunity, and where your leadership will shape the future of your organization and the lives it touches. Together, we can continue to build a world where social good and sustainable growth go hand in hand. Get ready to lead, inspire, and make a lasting impact.
Resources For Your Journey
Organizational structure is the way an organization is set up to operate to carry out the mission. It's like a map that shows who does what and how the teams and functions of the organization work together.
REDF partnered with attorneys at Davis Wright Tremaine (DWT) to host a webinar highlighting the most important steps ESEs can take to stay in compliance with California employment laws. Understanding and complying with these laws is critical in preventing Labor Commissioner claims, class action claims, or PAGA (Private Attorney General Act) claims.
Participant worker feedback refers to the formal process of gathering and responding to feedback from social enterprise participant workers, with an emphasis on equity, ease of use for decision-making, review by leadership, and continuous improvement.
After reviewing this resource and implementing it their own contexts, ESEs will be better equipped to design an environment that prevents drop-offs and to understand the factors behind retention trends.
This resource details best practices for creating a supplemental document to your employee handbook that highlights the most relevant information for participant workers.
This guidebook was created as a sample for ESE Leaders to develop their Participant Employee Handbook. We generated a hypothetical ESE called “Stacks Ventures,” a youth job training program in the context of a coffeehouse.
This toolkit provides an overview of the purpose of the intake process, best practices for implementation, and a sample intake form that the ESE can customize to best fit its focus population.
The purpose of this resource is to support ESEs through the process of designing and implementing a survey of participant employees that evaluates participants’ experience, perception, and engagement.
Having orientation and onboarding enables employment social enterprises to establish common ground and provide transparency around culture, policies, and expectations (both program- and business-related