Stephanie Quesnelle is a Senior Research Analyst and Project Lead
Why did you choose to participate in the Worker Owner transition team?
When I was hired in 2016, the initial conversations had just begun. I was very skeptical about the process, especially the principle of consensus building being used to run a company because it seemed very aspirational and unrealistic to have widespread consensus on business decisions. There are so many other experiences in life, like in marriage, where differences in risk tolerance, expectations of success, and process planning require sacrifices and deep empathy, and bringing those to the table for running a business didn’t seem feasible. At the time, I preferred the idea of just showing up and someone else handling the challenging aspects of ownership. I joined the process to learn more about worker ownership. As I stayed at D3, I realized that worker ownership is a natural transition for the type of leadership and collaboration that is integral to our workplace culture where bringing our different experiences to the table with empathy is our strength. So I chose to stay on the transition team and become an owner because I want to help steward D3 into the future.
Why is it important to you for D3 to operate cooperatively? And what about co-ops are important to you?
D3 is an incredibly unique workplace, even without worker ownership. However, with worker ownership, I am able to help preserve the values that make us focused on each employee as a human, and a culture that allows us to bring ourselves in our entirety (and sometimes a child or two) along for the day. Being a working mom of two, I am always grateful for the flexibility of our work day, the flexibility of our leave policies, and the ability to work around my responsibilities as a parent. As an owner, I have more credibility with other business leaders when discussing the long-term benefits of a flexible workplace such as employee retention. As an employee and an owner, I can also explain the benefits of the workplace environment that has allowed me to continue my career. My goal is to make a difference in the future so that my children don’t have to feel “incredibly lucky” to work in a place that respects their individuality.
What key takeaways do you have from your involvement with the D3 Worker Owner transition?
It’s possible to have five individuals with wildly different worldviews actually come to a consensus on everything required to own a company. Consensus was one of my biggest sticking points with becoming a worker owned company because it seemed impossible. Learning that giving my consent doesn’t necessarily mean “it’s my first choice” was important to this process. Consent means, “I believe this is a reasonable decision for the company given all the different factors we’re considering.” It allows us to take into consideration things that different people are concerned about and make sure the owners are all comfortable with the potential outcomes.
What are you most looking forward to as a worker owner in 2022?
I’m really looking forward to starting the onboarding process for some of our current employees who are eligible to start the curriculum for becoming a worker owner.
More about Stephanie
Prior to joining D3, Stephanie worked in a wide-range of analyst roles, including automotive marketing, the Department of Defense, think tanks, and academic research. At D3, Stephanie leads quantitative and qualitative research projects, helping organizations understand complicated data issues and providing resources for informed decision making. One of her greatest passions at D3 is providing data literacy support through AskD3, blog posts, and workshops. Stephanie has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and Political Science from Central Michigan University, with coursework at the Warsaw School of Economics and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University, focusing on public finance and policy analysis. She was a 2012 Fulbright Scholar at Gdansk University.