A Day in the Life of a Blueporter: Spotlight on Director, Human Resources, Kaitlyn Thibeault

Our newly-minted “Day in the Life” blog series highlights the various roles and functions Blueport employees serve to deliver best-in-class services to our clients. This month we turn the spotlight on Kaitlyn Thibeault, Director, Human Resources.

Core Responsibilities

Kaitlyn’s role encompasses both internal and external HR functions. Internally, Kaitlyn is responsible for employee relations, benefits management, compensation, and employee engagement. Her external duties of staffing and recruiting are equally important – hiring the future Blueporters, individuals who are talented, driven, high-quality producers and team-players.

Building the Future of Blueport: People and Skills That Drive Success for Retail Furniture Clients

As a highly-specialized technology and services company servicing the unique needs of the retail furniture industry, Kaitlyn ensures Blueport Commerce holds to high recruiting standards. “When hiring, we look for people who possess intellectual curiosity and will make agile employees,” says Kaitlyn. “Employees with curiosity and passion about their field or the industry is what’s constantly pushing Blueport forward to be the best-in-class technology and service provider for our clients.”

Having experience in retail is a bonus (and these days, with retail experience usually comes ecommerce experience). But that’s just half of it. Being a good cultural fit is a huge factor, too. “A big part of my job is making sure we continue to be the great and flexible work place we’ve earned the reputation of. With that said, having a sense of humor, being flexible and being a good corporate citizen are all important traits of the Blueport team. We offer perks like 100% paid healthcare, paid gym membership, ample vacation time, snacks and a dog-friendly work environment. All of these factors create a comfortable, open work atmosphere which encourages collaboration, communication and team work.”

What You Do Here Will Matter

We have a saying here at Blueport, one that Kaitlyn stands by: What you do here will matter. “Every employee is a crucial contributor to the success of our company and driving successful business results for our clients.” On the same token, Kaitlyn’s employee engagement and company-culture goals are such that employees are rewarded for their hard work and have fun. “Our team works hard, but at the end of the day, still have the energy to stick around to socialize at events like Wednesday Game Night (both of the board and video variety), pub-style trivia or our monthly company outing.”

Proudest Moment at Blueport

Instead of pointing to one particular moment, Kaitlyn says she takes pride in the quality standards and quick ramp-up time of new hires. “I’m proud of how quickly and deeply new hires are able to understand the big picture of what Blueport does and how each individual role contributes to success for our clients,” says Kaitlyn. “It’s attributable to the very inquisitive and intelligent culture here and high level of transparency. That makes me proud every day!” Beyond her own recruiting efforts, Kaitlyn adds that some of the best recruiters we have at Blueport aren’t recruiters by trade, but ones who are simply passionate about the company. Most of our successful hires in 2014 were employee referrals.

Inspirational Office Item

The “Panic Room” – Blueport’s aptly named tiny, bank vault-like conference room, is Kaitlyn’s “desk away from her actual desk” when she needs quiet space to take phone interviews.

Want to learn more about what we do at Blueport? Check out last month’s “Day in the Life” post featuring Catalog Content Specialist, Andrew Palmacci. And learn more about the various roles and functions Blueport employees play to deliver best-in-class services to our clients as well as our culture.