Next month, Lois Kimbrough will be celebrating nine years with Peoples. As a Supervisor in our Customer Service Center, Lois manages a team of employees from different backgrounds, different walks of life. She appreciates Peoples’ commitment to diversity, and believes it’s an important part of the company’s success.
“I believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace is significant in fostering an effective and successful organization,” Lois says.
Specifically, Lois is interested in how focusing on diversity in hiring and encouraging a welcoming culture can give Peoples a more accurate view of our customers and more insight into their different situations.
“With a more diverse workforce, Peoples has access to a wider range of ideas, outlooks, and skills,” Lois explains. “By being inclusive, we’re bringing individuals from all walks of life together. This helps to both break barriers and bridges gaps between different groups, while teaching tolerance, empathy, and acceptance.”
For Lois, the concept of tolerance takes many forms when it comes to conversations about race.
“If I were to have an open conversation about race, I would remind people to be more mindful or not to be dismissive of the experiences of others,” she says.
“Not all racial discrimination is blatant, as it can come in many forms, such as micro-aggressions and systemic racism.”
In light of these challenges, Lois finds inspiration in the many African Americans who have helped to shape our country.
“I’m inspired by those who came before us, our ancestors,” Lois says. “The enslaved, Union Soldiers, sharecroppers, Jim Crow South inhabitants, Civil Rights Activists…all of these people suffered and sacrificed a great deal. Their tenacity, sheer will, and determination brought us life and afforded us the opportunities we have today.”
We’re grateful to have leaders like Lois here at Peoples, helping to push these conversations forward and encourage more people to welcome different perspectives.