Bigblue

After some time in Amazon and Rocket Internet, Clémence Baudrand, an e-commerce expert, shares with us her journey in logistics, a very male-dominated industry.&nbsp;Why are you proud to be part of the 50inTech community?Today, we are a technology company in the logistics space. It is difficult for us to attract female candidates, but we will continue to take steps to attract talent. Our three founders are men, but they are very open. They really want to understand what our challenges are as women in the workplace. No matter our background or whether we are a parent, or not.Also, the fact that Bigblue is willing to participate in a paid programme as 50InTech shows the strength of our commitment. We understand that we need help and support to address these issues and make our workspace more inclusive. The intention is really good. That's what made me feel comfortable when I joined Bigblue, I felt that it was a company that really cared about the needs of employees.&nbsp;How did you get into the technology industry?&nbsp;My first job was in tech. I decided I wanted to work in e-commerce because it was disruptive. It was 2011, I was in France and I was intrigued by how Amazon was disrupting the traditional retail industry. I went for interviews but didn't get the job on the first round. So instead I landed at one of Rocket Internet's e-commerce companies, Westwing Home &amp; Living. I didn't give up my ambition, after two years at Westwing I joined Amazon. I haven't left tech, since then and I never will, as it is a very fast-paced environment that is constantly innovatingWhat policies does your company have in place to support work-life balance and how has this impacted your life (as a manager and as an employee)?The company has a flexible working policy. We can work from home about two days a week, which is helpful. They are also very understanding and if there is a time of day when I need to leave the office early to look after my son, that is not a problem. The founders and my colleagues respect my working hours, which have to be adapted to my family's needs. I block out 5-7 pm each day in my diary to be with my family, and then I go back to work. This is not necessarily the case for everyone in our team.&nbsp;How do you prepare for the annual interview?&nbsp;We prepare the annual meeting throughout the year. We start by setting individual objectives in personal development sessions with our manager, which we then organise on a quarterly basis. These sessions are split into two ways. The first half focuses on medium and long-term career goals. The second half focuses on performance against our core values and individual performance objectives. We keep records of these sessions, one of its purposes is to help prepare for the annual review and to keep records of achievements: "These are all the things I did really well". “These are the things that you said I needed to improve on, or that we needed to improve, and I have improved on x,y,z”.&nbsp; What’s more, we have a very transparent salary scale with clear levelling guidelines. You can always know where you stand and what you need to do to get promoted.How does the company help managers support the mental health of their team?&nbsp;One of Bigblues' core values is 'We care’. We strive to make our colleagues successful and to support them in difficult times. At the moment this is dealt with informally, but we are discussing some solutions to address this and put formal guidelines in place. At the same time, we try to ensure a good work-life balance, treat everyone equally and communicate respectfully. But we want to go further. And one of the ways to do that would be through training, which is on the roadmap.How does your company help parents to adjust their working hours to fit in with their family responsibilities?We don't have clear guidelines yet, and it's very much based on trust. This is sometimes more effective than having formal rules. Because when it comes to parenting, one size does not fit all. At Bigblue, I feel like my needs are listened to: I remember a bi-weekly meeting that always took place between 5 and 7 pm. I explained that this was the worst time for me. They moved it without any problem and now it's at lunchtime.&nbsp;Can you give us an example of a manager who helped you to develop?Throughout my career, I have been lucky enough to have two female managers with whom I have built strong relationships. I could talk openly about my insecurities and, in some cases, imposter syndrome. And because they could relate to me and believe in my abilities, they helped me overcome these difficulties. They taught me the tactics to be the best I could be in my workplace, an environment originally built by men and for men. I realised that I had to express myself and be bold. The most important thing is that the key is not to do everything perfectly but to prioritise tasks with high added value or high visibility. I had a lot of trouble with this because most of these ideas went against the way I was brought up to act as a woman in society: "don't stand out and speak up too much", "don't share your victories too much", "everything must be done perfectly", etc.&nbsp;Can you give us some advice on how to become a more inclusive leader?I'm not perfect, but I try to make sure that everyone gets more or less equal airtime, to highlight and present their achievements or roadblockers. I also don't hesitate to call people out when I feel they have said something that is not inclusive. This is the fundamental principle of altruism. Finally, I regularly check the mood of my teams during individual meetings to take the pulse and open the floor if something is wrong.Finally, recruiting diverse profiles is very important. We know that companies with more diversity are more productive. I have seen how difficult this can be, especially when you are a start-up and nobody knows you. Managers should always try to find more ways to be inclusive and always ask themselves what they could do better.

"Diverse workplaces provide a more productive environment"

Team 50inTech