The Rev Dr Dorothy Sanders Wells On How To Create More Inclusive Workplaces
An Interview With Rachel Kline
Consider expanding the ways and places in which you recruit if you need to broaden your talent pool; make certain to check in with colleges/universities, vocational schools, veterans administration centers, and even staffing agencies — as any may be sources of potential team members.
Creating inclusive workplaces is crucial for any organization that wants to get the most out of its talent. This means creating an environment where everyone feels like they belong, has equal opportunities, is empowered to do their best work, and feels comfortable making requests and contributing ideas. In this series, we asked prominent HR and business leaders about the steps they take to create more inclusive workplaces. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing The Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells.
The Rev. Dr. Dorothy Sanders Wells is Rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Germantown, Tennessee. Dorothy has recently celebrated her 11th year in ordained ministry. She was a practicing employee benefits attorney for 18 years prior to her ordination as a priest. She is a published author, and committed to justice and equity issues for all persons.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Before we drive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Prior to my ordination as an Episcopal priest, I was — for 18 years — an employee benefits attorney. My legal practice involved questions of inclusivity: how a company’s benefit plans might be tailored to provide a level of security for employees that made workplaces more attractive and competitive. As an Episcopal priest, and senior minister of a church, I continue to be concerned with issues of inclusivity: Our houses of worship are indeed to be welcoming and accessible spaces for all who enter.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
Funniest mistake? Probably discovering, as a young manager, that when team members are “set in their ways” of performing tasks, they’re not inclined to change, even if the new young manager suggests a far simpler (quicker!) and more effective way of getting the job done. I was astonished to learn that team members preferred to work harder than necessary after I identified an easier solution to some daily tasks that our team performed. Some folks immediately jumped aboard the train, but it took a couple of years for a few team members to realize they were actually working harder, not smarter! Looking back, I realize that, as a relative newcomer to the team, I probably hadn’t built enough trust at the time for everyone to believe that I might have offered a better solution!
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
My very first boss in employee benefits, Robert Burleigh, gave me the opportunity to learn the field in a regional consulting firm that he headed. I was armed with nothing more than a college degree, a strong work ethic and a willingness to learn. He took a chance on me, helped me learn the business, and got me out in front of clients. He helped me build not only solid skills, but also great confidence. When he wrote my recommendation for law school, he truly believed that I’d be an asset to the profession — and we continued to work together even after I began practicing law at a large local firm. I owe a great deal to his confidence in me.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I think that my favorite “life lesson quote” is this: Managers should never ask anything of their teams that they are not willing to do themselves. It’s been a mantra for me during the years that I have managed teams; it’s an attitude that requires managers to think twice about what they’re really willing to ask of others, and how assignments and projects are shaped. And, I think that the teams I’ve managed would all thank me for having that attitude.
Thinking back on your own career, what would you tell your younger self?
Work hard, and allow every job to teach you something you can carry with you. The skills and knowledge that I gained in every position I’ve held helped me grow as a highly-skilled legal practitioner and also as a leader of persons.
Let’s now move to the central part of our interview. What systems do you have to ensure your workplace is as inclusive as possible?
Inclusivity covers lots of questions for employers. We should necessarily concern ourselves with the ways in which we make our workplaces and spaces welcoming to persons of all races and ethnicities, of all abilities, of all socio-economic statuses. These questions are of particular concern to faith communities and clergy; our first and foremost goal should be ensuring that all persons are welcome — and that everyone entering our doors sees a community in which it is apparent that all are welcome.
Based on your experience and success, what are your top five tips for creating more inclusive workplaces? Please share a story or an example for each.
1 . How are hiring policies devised and implemented? Inclusivity requires intentionality; it won’t happen accidentally.
2 . Consider expanding the ways and places in which you recruit if you need to broaden your talent pool; make certain to check in with colleges/universities, vocational schools, veterans administration centers, and even staffing agencies — as any may be sources of potential team members.
3 . How accessible is your workplace? Actually spending a few weeks in a wheelchair made me reconsider ways in which we could improve upon an already inclusive campus — and better communicate all campus accommodations. That will be a focus for us in the coming year.
4 . Ask questions of persons beyond the workplace, to help understand blind spots and obvious questions that you might overlook.
5 . Do not underestimate the value of mature workers, who bring a wealth of experience to the table.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen businesses make while trying to become more inclusive? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
I have a personal bias against trying to fill specific positions with particular demographics in order to gain inclusivity. I’d far rather cast a wide net and look across all open positions to identify diverse team members who truly “get” what we do and have a passion for our work. I’ve seen teams try to grow in diversity at the expense of finding team members who have the true gifts, passion and “fire” for work in a particular setting; the results are usually not good.
How do you measure the effectiveness of your DEI efforts?
Our true focus in the next year is campus accessibility. Actually spending a few weeks in a wheelchair with an ankle stress fracture made me reconsider how we overcome a few barriers in an already accessible campus — and better communicate all campus accommodations, from restrooms, to ways to serve in worship ministries. I learned quickly, with both the wheelchair and a knee scooter, that there were a few ways that we could improve our campus accessibility. That will be a focus for us in the coming year. That we’ve already included in our worship ministry team a person who relies on a mobility scooter is a first step — and we hope that a survey in which we’ve intentionally asked for feedback about our accommodations will help us address issues that we truly may have overlooked.
Are there other organizations you admire for their approach to DEI? Can you please explain why?
When I’m greeted at a local grocery store by persons who have a variety of abilities, my heart is warmed. At the end of the day, I think that all of us want to feel useful and having purpose. So when an employer offers jobs to persons who might be refused employment in other settings but who are perfectly capable of doing the jobs for which they’ve been hired, those employers are truly elevated in my book! (One person who works as a bagger at a local grocery store is one of the friendliest and most thoughtful employees I’ve ever encountered, in spite of some challenges she faces. I always try to share a bit of conversation with her when I visit that store!)
What do you do to address Proximity Bias? How do you ensure remote workers are treated the same as onsite workers and have equal access to opportunities?
Admittedly, it’s tough to work completely remotely when working for a faith community, where much of our ministry work relies upon in-person worship and fellowship experiences. Early in COVID, our Preschool classes were suspended, and all of our team worked remotely; our staff met via Zoom. Since we don’t have cubicles and shared workspaces (Everyone has an office.), we returned to in-person work earlier than many teams were safely able to do so, and could mask and distance well to ensure that sickness would not spread throughout the entire team. Now, of course, our Preschool has returned to full operation, and in-person worship and fellowship have returned (although we have added live-streaming for worship). Doing what we do well can allow for some planning and behind-the-scenes work to take place remotely, but as we prepare for worship and fellowship events, we really all do need to be onsite and working together.
We are very blessed to have some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have a private lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this.
Lunch with the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, the Most Reverend Michael Curry, would be AMAZING!
How can our readers further follow your work?
My published works can be found at https://muckrack.com/dorothy-wells.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
