Pauline Paulson officially retires on July 5.

A fixture of North Shore Bank’s Human Resources department for over two decades, AVP Pauline Paulson has served as our HRIS and benefits administrator since 1998. It’s been a great ride — as detailed in our 2015 post marking Pauline’s 20th anniversary with the bank — but she’s finally ready to say adieu and retire on July 5. From here on out, as she told us two years ago, Pauline “won’t have to answer to an alarm clock.”

Her colleagues in HR said: “Pauline has been such an integral part of the HR team over the years. You could always count on her benefits expertise to get the right information. With many software conversions under her belt, she also became our HR system guru with all her product knowledge. Whenever we had system questions, she was our go-to person for getting the answer. Thanks, Pauline! We’ll miss you around here. Best wishes to you and enjoy your new chapter of life.”

How did you get your start at North Shore Bank?
I started out as an HR generalist, which is the background I came from. That meant I assisted with hiring, payroll, benefits, and “other duties as assigned.” I’ve always been a member of the HR team. Someone once told me — and I believe it’s true — that once you work in HR, you don’t go anywhere else.

What’s your favorite of all the changes that have taken place in your work since you started?
When I came to North Shore Bank, Windows 3.1 was our operating system. Prior to that, I had very little exposure to computers. And today it’s impossible to image life without them. Technology has certainly improved our productivity, but at the same time has created additional pitfalls with security and privacy.

My least favorite change: SYSTEM CONVERSIONS!

What are your favorite memories from your career at North Shore?
A few years ago, Molly invited all of the HR staff to her home for a Christmas get-together. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much as I did that night.

If you hadn’t gone into banking, what other career path might you have taken?
Well, I don’t really think of my career as “banking,” but rather as human resources in a professional environment. But I’ve always loved growing things, so I might have pursued horticulture. And now I’ll be able to spend a lot more time enjoying my flower gardens!

What advice would you give someone just starting out in HR?
The one piece of advice I would give to someone starting out in HR is that there is very little black and white — only shades of gray.

What are your retirement plans?
For now, I just plan to enjoy our beautiful (short-lived) summer weather. My husband, Jeff, retired almost five years ago, so I expect that we’ll take some road trips from time to time. Mostly I’m just looking forward to every day being Saturday!