Oct 9, 2019
#meetFlexe Erin Hundtofte
#meetFlexe is an ongoing series profiling the individuals that make up the Flexe team. To learn more about Flexe, visit www.flexe.com/company.
What’s your role at Flexe?
I am the Benefits Analyst. I focus on handling employee benefits, managing the HR side of the payroll process, onboarding new employees, implementing policies, and streamlining processes in a way that’s scalable as FLEXE grows. In the long run, I have aspirations to get compensation and benefits certifications, and oversee Total Rewards for FLEXE.
What sets Flexe apart is our true desire to nurture and grow our employees to be leaders in the company’s future, and the view that employees are our greatest asset.
Why did you choose to work for Flexe?
While the tech industry is exciting and energizing overall, some companies are more focused on their bottom line and can lose sight of how important the employees are to a successful business in the long run. What sets Flexe apart is our true desire to nurture and grow our employees to be leaders in the company’s future, and the view that employees are our greatest asset. Because of our culture, I’m hopeful that Flexe will be my final employer for the next couple of decades until I’m ready to retire.
“Erin came in like a wizard. She illuminated the way to the areas of compliance we needed to implement and system issues hiding in the darkness. She has quickly become not only an incredible source for Total Rewards, but a true advocate for well-being at Flexe. There’s no one else we’d rather have on our team! ”
What excites you most about the logistics industry?
What I love about the Flexe model is that it really levels the playing field for companies of all sizes in a concrete and impactful way. This model has the potential to help every company compete — preventing some of the larger companies in the retail sphere from becoming true monopolies.
What makes being on your team at Flexe great?
What’s remarkable about our team is that all three of us have come to HR late in our respective careers, and each from very different backgrounds. That might be seen as a drawback by some companies, but Flexe has done a great job of recognizing the value that can come from making a career shift with eyes wide open, and drawing on the strengths of a diverse background to inform one’s perspective on their role in HR.
I also just love working with my team. In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve already received immense value from Deirdre’s direction and mentorship and it’s been amazing to see the vast variety of remarkable things that Jihee has accomplished in supporting and growing the culture and policies here at Flexe.
How do you make time for your family/loved ones?
My commute between Bremerton and Seattle averages about 4 hours per day, so I’m generally able to wrap up my company communications while I’m on the water. Once I get home, my attention fully belongs to my husband and our cats.
My husband, Ian, and I adore good food, so the best times that I spend with him often revolve around visiting new restaurants, or traveling to parts of the world-renowned for their cuisines. When the weather is favorable, we love to garden or take our kayaks out on Kitsap Lake, which is literally in our own backyard.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
After years of battling my weight, I was diagnosed with PCOS, and I’m at the tail end of a long journey of weight loss, starting at women’s size 24, and culminating with a couple of elective surgeries in 2018. I continue to “identify” as obese, and I am passionate about educating and helping others break down the stereotypes that are often associated with obesity. Because this is a passion of mine, I’m deliberately very open in talking about my whole journey, so if you have questions about my own experience, I’m happy to answer them.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
My favorite activity is one that I have limited access to these days, since I’m now in Bremerton, but I absolutely can’t get enough of flying in the wind tunnel at iFly in Tukwila. I always dreamed about flying without an airplane as a kid, so it’s pretty amazing to work with a coach to refine and advance my bodyflight skills and make that dream a reality.
I also sing with an incredible group of amateur singers as part of ChoralSounds Northwest community choir in Burien, and I’m fairly crafty — I created a crafting business to pay the bills during the 2008 recession. My specialties are baskets, jewelry, and other creations with enameled copper magnet wire or fine silver wire.
Find more #meetFlexe profiles here.
