Make a Statement: Best Practices for Marketing Your Finance Skills

May 24, 2019

Having the right finance qualifications isn’t necessarily enough to grab the attention of hiring managers. When you’re up against numerous other candidates with similar backgrounds, you have to put in the extra effort to standing out. Make a statement and get noticed by hiring managers throughout each step of the job search process – market your finance skills by following these best practices:

Craft an Online Brand

Hiring managers often like to perform a preliminary online screening of candidates, so be cognizant of this and give them something compelling to see. Craft an online brand, such as by hosting a financial blog or regularly posting industry-related commentary via social media. This will position you as a strong, authoritative voice and make… Learn More

Taking the Next Step in Your Accounting Career

March 29, 2019

Once you’ve successfully broken into the accounting field and gained valuable experience, you may start to wonder what’s next for your career. To advance professionally, you need to prioritize your goals and put in the effort to do what it takes to move upward, in addition to balancing your day-to-day obligations. Take the next step in your accounting career with these tips:

Audit Your Skills

Technology is the future of accounting, so if you want to move up in your career, ensure you have the necessary skills to adapt. From the growth in big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to blockchain technology, the way accounting firms do business will have to change due to demand from their…

The Unforeseen Costs of a Bad Hire

March 15, 2019

Making the wrong hiring decision isn’t just frustrating and stressful – it can have a major impact on your bottom line. Bad hires, whether they don’t have the necessary skill sets to perform the job or simply lack the right attitude or work ethic, can have a widespread negative influence you may not necessarily realize until it’s too late. Learn more about the unforeseen costs of a bad hire – and what you can do to prevent it:

The high costs associated with bad hires are expansive, and include:

Replacement Expenses
From the cost of recruiting for a new employee (such as agency fees and advertising costs) to the actual training of the new employee once hired, the…

How can you reduce employee financial stress? By introducing a financial wellness program

April 20, 2018

Finances are one of the top causes of stress among Canadians. And unfortunately, this stress follows many people into the workplace. When employees are stressed, it can cause anxiety and depression. These consequences can leave employees unable to focus on their work, unlikely to have the energy to take care of themselves (such as going to the gym), lower resiliency and make them more susceptible to illness. This one stress — money — can lead to reduced productivity at work, a decrease in overall workplace performance and higher employee health benefit claims.

This is not an issue that affects just a small number of Canadians. A national survey found that 42 per cent of Canadians rank money as their greatest…

Addressing Employee Survey Fatigue

April 20, 2018

Survey fatigue is becoming a real concern. Employee’s are tired of repeatedly taking surveys. This is an issue because survey fatigue can drastically reduce survey response rates as well the quality of responses. How can we tackle these issues though?

Provide an Incentive
Although they aren’t a requirement, incentives can add a lot of fun and increase employee engagement. Consider having a raffle for those that participate; perhaps giving a new piece of technology or tickets to a hockey game. Incentives are an effective way to motivate and engage employees.

Don’t Waste Time
Don’t ask questions that aren’t of any value. Beforehand, ensure that the question will allow employees to provide information that is beneficial. Even as an icebreaker, questions that are goofy or irrelevant…

Business Continuity: A Study of Current Practices

March 15, 2018

Who in your organization is responsible for Business Continuity Planning? Business Continuity is defined as “a plan that enables critical services to be continually delivered to clients after a disruptive event”

According to a recent survey conducted by Ellington Real Estate Ltd., 55% of Business Continuity Plan sponsors are in the Information Technology Department with 33% in Finance and 22% in Human Resources, with some organizations having more than one department sharing responsibility.

Ellington asked for responses to other key questions such as; Does your Organization have a Business Continuity Plan, Who was involved in designing the Plan and If asked, would your employees know how to implement the Plan?

For the full survey…

Is OHIP+ blazing the trail for a national pharmacare solution?

March 15, 2018

Last month’s federal budget came with an announcement of the formation of an advisory panel tasked with studying the feasibility of a national pharmacare plan while also studying the patchwork of systems currently available in some provinces.

Led by former Ontario Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins, the panel will also examine international models in an attempt to create broader access to prescription medication across the country. The panel will have until the end of 2019 to complete its study.

Why is this relevant? Because by now, it’s pretty well known that Ontario is one of the provinces with a patchwork system and covers the cost of more than 4,400 drug products for children…

How many recruiters should I engage on a search?

March 14, 2018

By Steve Rosen, PTC Recruiting

You have a role to fill; and you realize the value of outside help.  How many recruiters should you call?

When a role needs to be filled, a recruiter should provide an efficient, valuable service; one for which you feel you are receiving value for money.  Just like any other ‘agency’ or intermediary service – real estate, travel, etc.  – a recruiting firm should be a solution to your problem.

Clients sometimes feel that having multiple contingency-based recruiting firms providing candidates for their role is the way to go.  Why not?  You are only going to pay the one that you end up engaging; the others have all worked for…

Can I Please See the Bill? Understanding Broker Commissions

February 16, 2018

Imagine, as a business owner, you’re meeting a consultant for the first time. At this meeting you make friendly chit chat about the weather, your kids’ most recent hockey games or your weekend plans before getting down to business. A proposal is discussed, a plan is put in place, and then you shake hands and part ways.

Sound familiar? Probably, but there’s one major discussion point missing from this picture — and that’s the important part that revolves around cost. How much is this consultant charging to provide his or her services? Few people order off a menu in a restaurant without at least glancing at the cost, fewer people still buy a car or a house without care or…

Legalization of Marijuana and the Workplace

February 16, 2018

July 1, 2018 is the date that recreational marijuana will become legal across Canada. At one point this may have seemed so far away, but we are now in 2018 and only four months away.

The obligation to accommodate the use of medical marijuana arises under the Ontario Human Rights Code, which protects individuals in the workplace from discrimination on the basis of disability. As with other types of prescription medication, this includes accommodating a disabled employee’s prescribed medical marijuana use. This obligation does not extend to employees who use marijuana for recreational purposes.

An employer’s duty to accommodate an employee’s use of medical marijuana must be considered alongside to its obligation to maintain a safe workplace under Occupational Health and…