Life and Work with Paige Charbonneau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paige Charbonneau.

Paige, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up just north of New York City in Upper Nyack, NY; a diverse and inclusive, close-knit, artistic town tucked into the Hudson River Valley. I was the youngest of 3 children; my brother, Welles, and my sister, Honor, were both athletes and I was a ballet dancer. I trained very seriously with Russian coaches for many years and always envisioned that I would make dance my career. I knew, however, that it would be a struggle because I’m just barely 5’2″, a more… let’s call it “robust” build… and — while I felt I had an abundance of stage presence and grace, impressive strength and certainly better than average flexibility — I didn’t quite have the abilities of many of my true “star potential” cohorts (many of whom have since, I’m proud to say, made names for themselves in the ballet world!).

Nevertheless, I was determined to not go down the more “traditional” college path as laid out by siblings–who both were excellent students and played lacrosse at Boston College — and, while I kept up excellent grades, I didn’t think seriously about SATs or college applications while many of my responsible and motivated friends were consumed with these things in our Junior year at Nyack High School. Class of 2002, the Senior year started out just like any other… bright, beautiful September days until the fateful morning of September 11, 2001. My brother, Welles, was an equities trader on the 104th floor of World Trade Center, South Tower. My big brother, Welles Remy Crowther, lost his life that day, acted like a true hero in his final hours of life, and he is now better-known as “The Man in the Red Bandanna”. I encourage you to Google his name and share his story to keep his spirit alive.

That day changed my life in many ways; the pain, grief and life-long impact of his loss are obvious… but I seemed to have lost the ferocious drive I had to be a ballet dancer. It’s possible I realized, then, the value of family, friendships, community and yearned for those things more than a dance career but, either way, I lost track. I ended up enrolling as a Presidential Scholar at SUNY Purchase where I was somewhat in limbo between not feeling like I was receiving a challenging enough education but also not pushing myself hard enough toward a dance career. I had always told myself that if I didn’t dance, Boston College would be the place for me since both of my siblings had such an amazing experience there. I applied mid-way through my Freshman year of college and, when my acceptance letter came in the mail, my father yelled, “Hat trick!” I transferred into BC, Class of 2006, that Fall.

As I neared graduation, it was job hunting time. I planned to stay in the Boston area (because NYC was too intimidating and Boston was much more accessible, in my opinion). I found a 4-bedroom apartment in Brookline where I lived for 6 years and with a rotating selection of roommates totaling 22 people… talk about learning valuable life skills in communication, compromise, conflict resolution, approaching things with an open mind and a good sense of humor, and appreciating diversity and inclusion!

Thanks to professional networking and a few good friends, I accepted a job with Beacon Hill Staffing Group as a Marketing Coordinator. What a terrific place to work, learn and develop my career! I realized 4 years into it that marketing wasn’t inspiring for me and thought I’d be best-suited for a career in Human Resources; BHSG encouraged me to stick with them as I changed paths and I grew my career from an HR Representative to a Sr. HR/Benefits Specialist to a Manager of Benefits & Compliance, along the way becoming certified in my field with an alphabet after my name consisting of “PHR, SHRM-CP”. I proudly and thoughtfully established a country-wide network of friends, business partners and professional relationships along the way.

In November 2017, after 11 incredible years with BHSG in the staffing industry, I took a big leap into the start-up tech space, joining Aqueduct Technologies, a rapidly-growing, recognized and decorated Value Added Reseller (VAR) in Waltham. Aqueduct has recently been named — for the fourth, consecutive year — to Boston Business Journal’s renowned list of “Best Places to Work” and we’ll soon find out our ranking at the event in June!

I took a risk; I left a job and an employer where I was comfortable and happy to take on a leadership role as HR Manager where I would be fully responsible areas of Human Resources which were brand new to me. Such a scary and exciting challenge! I couldn’t pass it up and here I am… continuing to learn, push myself, take risks and expand my comfort zone all while trying to maintain professional strength in the areas I’d previously worked within. I’m trying to add more tools to my HR tool belt! Success in my field and expanding my areas of expertise motivates me; I love being a supportive, non-judgmental, helpful reference for our most valuable asset: our employees! HR suits me.

Layered on top of all of this career growth is my true self, my life outside of work. Job titles not listed on my resume include a daughter, sister, friend, casual athlete, wife, and partner, mother to two fur-babies and my most prized and celebrated title: Mommy to my beautiful 16-month-old son, Henry. Juggling all of these roles, simultaneously, in a country which doesn’t offer paid maternity and/or family bonding leave at the Federal level hasn’t been easy. It’s often exhausting, is sometimes overwhelming… but boy, oh boy, what a great life it is! To say I’ve been blessed with this life is an understatement, but I work hard, I care for others, and I deserve it.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No one has a completely smooth road; of course, mine hasn’t been, either, but I’m very lucky to have been well-supported by my family, friends, and employers along the way… that said, I offer them the same. I’m loyal, respectful and responsible; I give it, so I expect it in return.

Advice for other women:

1. Don’t be afraid to take risks and don’t say “Sorry” unless you mean it. One thing I have absolutely noticed is there is too much “Sorry” happening in workplaces and, more generally, in interactions when it isn’t warranted. I’m not sorry! Sorry is much more meaningful when we don’t overuse it (don’t “boy who cried wolf” the word Sorry). I hear it from men and women, but especially women. It’s a bad habit which needs to be broken; it is fostering low confidence among employees. It is not necessary to be sorry that you are busy in the workplace and it has taken you five minutes instead of one to respond to someone’s e-mail. Do not be sorry for that. It sets the wrong expectations for yourself and others and negatively adds to stressful work and personal environments and relationships. Be proud of the hard work that you ARE doing and the focus you ARE giving to that work. Build yourself up, seek empowerment and recognize the value you’re adding to the culture of an organization.

2. Protect your personal time; no one else is going to do that, you must do it for yourself. You can’t complain about not being able to disconnect or take time off from work if you make a habit of voluntarily checking your work e-mail, compulsively, all night and on weekends. My husband has helped me with this one, and it’s a work in progress, but he reminds me regularly to live in the moment. Things are actually happening in your life, even if you didn’t tell Facebook about it.

3. Before you press send on an e-mail, comb through it and remove the word “just”. It’s not powerful and you ARE powerful and important. “I’m just reaching out to…” “I was just hoping to get a few minutes of your time…” It’s an unnecessary, submissive word which sets the reader’s expectation that he or she is about to do you a favor when, really, we’re all doing our jobs.

4. Be loyal, humble and remain hungry. To your friends, your family and to your employers. You were hired for a reason; they know that you, intrinsically, want to do the best job you can do and they are expecting that from you. Give it to them and you will succeed.

Please tell us about your business.
I’m an HR Manager here at Aqueduct Technologies; in my past work, I’ve specialized in employee relations, benefits administration, compliance, and onboarding. Now, I’m most heavily focused on recruiting, onboarding and talent development… and we are hiring!

I think what sets me apart from others is my sense of humor and honesty; I’m also highly organized, responsive and not afraid to follow-up until I get an answer and/or the project is complete… I hold people accountable. There is, of course, a stigma associated with HR people and I’d like to think I’m very approachable, friendly and reasonable, while still maintaining professionalism and discretion, and handling serious situations with the respect they deserve.

Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
I’m not sure I have a good answer to this question. I think gender and sex have little to do with it; in my opinion, it’s really what happens at a more at a personal level — our individual passions, motivations, core values and life experiences — which can help us identify that for which we are best suited. Honorable mention, of course, for the people with whom we choose to surround ourselves who strongly influence and shape what we become. I don’t think it’s because I’m a woman that I’m a strong HR professional; I think it was those 22 roommates who groomed me for this field.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.aqueducttech.com/company/careers/
• Phone: 617-221-3573
• Email: pcharbonneau@aqueducttech.com
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paige-charbonneau-phr-shrm-cp/

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