As I sit here staring at an empty page, it feels almost impossible to write an article about Tracey and her upcoming retirement. The impact she has had is immeasurable and trying to find the words to capture that will be hard – but I will try my best to do it justice.

After 12 years, this April will mark the end of Tracey’s time at Jacksons and the beginning of a new chapter: retirement! We want to take a moment to look back at her time here, but her retirement marks the end of her entire working life, so it feels important to go back to the very start of her career.

Education and Early Career

After leaving school, Tracey attended sixth form and completed a course in Office Studies (yes, that was an actual course) which included clerical skills like typing and shorthand. She has since admitted that she never once used shorthand after college!

She was somewhat led to pick Office Studies by her dad, who deemed this the more sensible choice. She wanted to be a vet but did not get the grades she needed, and her dad also dissuaded her from being a nanny – so Office Studies it was!

Midland Bank (HSBC) Career

Despite not loving her course, it led her to do a week of work experience at HSBC, known then as Midland Bank. She impressed her boss so much that week (we aren’t surprised) that she was offered a job on the spot. Deciding it was too good an opportunity to miss, Tracey left her college course and got stuck into the world of work.

She started in a junior role, learning all the fundamentals of banking from the ground up, and in those early days she spent a lot of her time manually processing cheques.

It was during her time at the bank that she met and first worked with our very own Paul Jackson, or as she calls him, PJ. That marked the beginning of a wonderful working relationship and friendship that has lasted nearly 40 years.

Tracey worked up to the role of Clerical Manager at the St Ives Branch, and in the last five to six years, she worked in Business Banking, which the thoroughly enjoyed.

After returning from maternity leave after having her son Matt, she sought out a part time position, but this was not available in the Business Banking department. This meant she returned to Personal Banking.

After working in the Business Banking, Tracey had noticed a big culture shift in Personal Banking. What had once been very customer service focused, was now aggressively sales-driven and target-focused. If you have had the pleasure of meeting our Trace, you would know this is not her vibe at all.

Career Shift Into More People-Focused Roles

After deciding the culture was too different, Tracey left HSBC after 20 years there. She knew she cared about people and wanted to work in a role that catered to that. This led her to her role as a receptionist at a doctor’s surgery in Penzance.

She loved the job, but when work expectations felt too unreasonable and therefore led to a less than ideal working environment, she then moved to a temporary role at Devon and Cornwall Housing.

Compared to the work she had been previously doing, Tracey found this not stimulating enough, and with some slight job insecurity due to the company-wide restructuring happening at the time, she decided to seek another opportunity.

Joining Jacksons

So, how did she start with us? Well, Paul Jackson had left HSBC and joined Jacksons at this point, but Tracey and Paul remained firm friends. When visiting the Jacksons office to drop off a present for Paul’s son in October 2014, Pete Matthew (who Tracey knew well through family connections) quickly nabbed her for a chat!

Tracey was given a tour of the office – which she said was very strange and made her wonder if something was going on – before Pete eventually turned to her and offered her the role of Adviser Support. Excited to work for a company she knew was successful and had a bright future ahead, she accepted and started in November in 2014.

Evolution at Jacksons

Initially, Tracey’s responsibilities involved processing paperwork, preparing detailed meeting schedules (“Those took all of my time!”) and adapting to the company’s growth and changing needs. Tracey is the first to say the job is very different now than when she started!

When chatting with her ahead of writing this article, I asked Tracey what has changed at Jacksons, to which she simply said, “Everything.” She said that what was once a formal and serious atmosphere has now turned into a relaxed, fun and flexible environment the shift in focus from purely financial performance to a more holistic approach centred on the clients’ wellbeing, which she loved.

Reflections on Working at Jacksons and Retirement

Anyone who knows Tracey can attest to the fact that she feels things deeply – even mentioning the word retirement at the moment will make her cry (both happy tears and sad ones – she said that’s because of how much she’ll miss us). So, I was slightly hesitant to ask her to reflect on her time at Jacksons for fear of opening the floodgates! I’m so glad I did though, because as you’re about to read, she had some lovely things to say.

When I asked what caused her to stay at Jacksons for so long, she barely let me finish the sentence before she said, “The people!” She said the caring nature of leadership from Pete and Sharon and the supportive ‘work family’ environment make working at Jacksons so lovely.

She has changed dramatically during her time at Jacksons, and when I asked her of anything she was particularly proud of, she said her resilience when working through Covid-19 came to mind.

Looking ahead to retirement, Tracey is so excited to have free time to pursue her passions for gardening, walking, being outdoors and spending more quality time with her family.

The decision to retire was difficult, but she feels very strongly that she is ready for this new chapter, and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

Our Thoughts

So that’s Tracey’s story. I hope you can feel how much love Tracey has for Jacksons and our clients, because it pours out of her every day at work. But we can’t end the article there without some thoughts from us!

Trace is affectionately known as the ‘Office Mum,’ by the Jacksons team, because she is that warm, matriarchal figure that we can turn to when we need to. She is such a joyous, calm and dedicated soul and we all feel honoured to have worked alongside her.

Trace gets all credit for the sheer volume of plants in the office too. Originally, she was allowed to go and buy three plants, but after years of sneaking them in, the Hub is now a green haven, and we all feel calmer for it. We promise to keep them alive Tracey!

It’s not just Tracey who gets emotional when the topic of her retirement comes up, we all do. We are going to miss her smiling face, her conversations about her love of donkeys, and her generosity – there is nothing she wouldn’t do for you.

So, Trace, we are going to miss you so much, but we are so proud of you for taking this next step. We can’t wait to see what you get up to, and you better pop into the office from time to time!