For some business owners, giving employees a stake in the company can lessen fears of going bankrupt or having to sell to another company. Known as employee stock-ownership plans, workers buy part of all of a business and are able to cash in their shares when they retire. Critics say that the plans encourage owners looking to spread risks or increase retirement savings to push costs onto workers. Supporters say that the businesses have lower turnover and employees are more invested in the company.
See "Founders Cash Out, but Do Workers Gain?", Angus Loten, The Wall Street Journal, April 17, 2013