From HR: Top Workplace survey yields feedback
For the seventh time, North Shore Bank has the honor of being named to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s list of southeast Wisconsin’s Top Workplaces. Thank you to everyone who contributed by taking the Top Workplaces survey. This recognition is important for us, as it helps us attract and retain top talent. (Plus, it just makes for a better overall work environment!)

We take the time to read through all of the comments on every year’s survey — we take the good with the not so good, the praise along with suggestions on how to do better. Molly Schissler shares and responds to a few noteworthy comments — read more and see how our 2019 performance compares to last year’s here!

Benefits U: Save money this summer
Believe it or not, eventually it will be summertime. As we near the halfway point of the calendar year, Cindy Lohrey is pleased to share some great benefits, tax, and savings reminders and recommendations that you might want to think about before heading out on vacation. Check them out here!

See photos from another successful Shredding Day

North Shore Bank’s 13th annual free Community Shredding Day on May 4 attracted a lot of people looking to safely and securely destroy sensitive documents. Above, at Northland, personal banker Kelly Kading and district manager Kerri Collins got busy disposing of sensitive materials. Take a look at our roundup of more photos here!

Kudos: Laura DeBruin saves the day

“It’s not often that I personally receive a letter from a customer raving about one of our employees, and this letter was really something,” notes human resources and compliance SVP Molly Schissler. The CEO of Big Shoes Network Inc. wrote her, district manager Cristen Baumann, and Shorewood branch manager Shannon Weber to let them know that Shorewood universal banker Laura DeBruin’s outstanding service was the deciding factor in the customer keeping their business and personal banking accounts with North Shore Bank.

“The letter included a detailed history (back to 1990!) of their business with us and described how, in April, Laura took the time to ‘personally investigate the situation and call me … the next day,'” Molly says. The letter continued:

Laura noticed, took the initiative to respond positively, took concrete action, communicated immediately and followed through to resolve the issue. Bottom line, there is no way we would have continued as a North Shore Bank business client had she not acted.

“So, way to go, Laura! I was happy to be included by receiving this letter of recognition,” Molly says. “Thank you for your daily contributions!” Above are Laura and Shannon, who gave her a gift card to favorite local restaurant Blue’s Egg. •••

Promotions for April 2019
The following employees were promoted in April:

• Danielle Agnello was promoted from Teller Supervisor at Oak Creek to Video Teller.
• Maria Escobedo was promoted from Teller Supervisor at Westgate to Personal Banker at Kenosha Main.
• Emily Johnson was promoted from Teller to Universal Banker at Sister Bay.
• Anne Kagerah was promoted from Branch Manager I at Sussex to Branch Manager II at Pewaukee.
• Kate Kretschmar was promoted from Teller Supervisor at Northside to Training Specialist in Human Resources.

Leave a comment to congratulate them!

New Hires for May 9
It’s always exciting to add new members to our team. Here are some of the fresh faces at North Shore Bank.

AVP direct leasing sales manager Jason McKinney is originally from the Detroit, Michigan area, but has lived in southeast Wisconsin for 15 years. His last job was at GE Capital, working on their healthcare equipment financing team. “I spent most my teen years living and traveling in the former Soviet Union — Belarus, Russia, Poland, etc.,” Jason says. “My parents would travel around starting churches and working in orphanages. When we weren’t living overseas, my whole family would travel through the U.S., where my parents would give presentations about our mission work and raise money. I traveled with them from the time I was around 10 years old until I left for college, and my parents continued on for another 10 years.” •••

North Shore Shape Up: A little nature reduces stress
Here’s another one for the “That Makes Sense” file. Cleveland Clinic Wellness notes research showing that getting outside and into nature is a good remedy for stress:

In the study, city dwellers who spent 20 to 30 minutes in a place that made them feel close to nature at least three times a week had significant drops in levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Along with practices like yoga and meditation, regular doses of nature may help to counteract the harmful effects of stress.

The clinic notes that you don’t even need to get deep into the woods to enjoy the benefits. “City gardens, urban parks, and even tree-lined streets” will also do the trick. •••

Upcoming Events
The New Berlin Junior Women’s Club Plant Sale takes place Thursday, May 9, through Saturday, May 11, in the parking lot of our branch there. Find a great gift for Mother’s Day! More upcoming events here.

Internal Job Postings •••

Closing TODAY

• Teller, Muskego, part time (20 hrs/wk). Pay grade: N02. Referral bonus: $300.

Closing Monday, May 13

• Personal Banker, Westgate, full time (40 hrs/wk). Pay grade: N05. Referral bonus: $500.

Ongoing

• Video Teller and Video Teller Supervisor, Brookfield Square, full (40 hrs/wk) or part time (20). Pay grade: N03. Referral bonus: $400.

For complete information regarding internal job postings, application procedures, and our referral program, click on the Job Postings tile found on the home page in Ask Seymour.