How to Enter the Workforce After a Leave of Absence?

January 10, 2020

From taking care of family members to engaging in voluntary initiatives, there are many common situations that can make it necessary to take a leave of absence from the workforce. Once you’re ready to start working again, it can feel overwhelming to figure out how to land a job when you don’t have current work experience. The tips below can help you address gaps in employment and ensure a successful transition back into the workforce:

Tap Your Network – Or Get to Expanding It

The most effective way to ease back into the workforce is via professional connections. Since these contacts are already familiar with your previous work history,… Learn More

How committed should you be to a job offer?

November 06, 2019

By Elizabeth Connelly, Vice President

A while back, I worked with a senior-level candidate who signed a great job offer that even accommodated their vacation plans.  The hiring manager set them up in their system, prepared their desk and sent out an orientation package, excited about this new addition to the team.  The day before the start date we received an email from the candidate saying that the location of the company wasn’t ideal and they were no longer interested in the position.  Meanwhile they accepted another job proposition.

With the unemployment rate in Canada being at its all-time low, multiple offers are the reality of a candidate driven market where jobs are a plenty.  When you accept an… Learn More

Smart Staffing Series: Accommodating In-Demand Employee Benefits

September 03, 2019

Attracting (and most importantly, retaining) top talent isn’t simply a matter of “upload a posting and wait for the applications to roll in.” The most skilled professionals have their pick of options, so to get them to consider you as a potential employer, your benefits package must be appealing. A common assumption is that a high salary is most important, but that’s not necessarily the case – in fact, more than half of employees surveyed stated they would be somewhat likely to take a job with a lower compensation offer in exchange for better benefits. Learn more about the most in-demand employee benefits to help you accommodate top talent: 

Work-Life Balance  

Benefits that aid employees in maintaining work-life… Learn More

Smart Staffing Series: Employing a Multigenerational Workforce

July 15, 2019

Continuing PTC’s “Smart Staffing” blogging series, in which we aim to provide you the insider knowledge that can help you build and manage your team most effectively, there is a timely issue that many managers are facing and not necessarily prepared for: managing various generations within your company. As average retirement ages are pushed back, there are growing numbers of older workers in the workforce, while the youngest generation is now entering the workforce, meaning you may find yourself managing four different generations at once. Learn more about the best practices for employing a multigenerational workforce:

Baby Boomers – Born between 1946 – 1964

• Preferred training methods… Learn More

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Protecting Your Employee Rights: Understanding Workplace Standards

June 27, 2019

Knowledge is power, so being cognizant of your employee rights is a crucial measure to protect yourself against getting taken advantage of by unscrupulous employers. Understand your rights as an employee – learn more about the workplace standards employers are required to adhere to under Canadian federal and provincial regulations:

Protection Against Discrimination 

Under the Employment Equity Act, all employees in Canada have the right to not be denied employment or benefits due to discrimination against being in historically disadvantaged minorities, such as “women, Aboriginal peoples, persons with disabilities and members of visible minorities.” This legislature also “requires special measures and the accommodation of differences,” so if there are… Learn More

Smart Staffing Series: Understanding and Meeting Your Candidates’ Expectations

June 21, 2019

Continuing with our “Smart Staffing Series,” in which PTC aims to help you make the most informed choices for your talent acquisition strategy, a crucial factor to keep top of mind is the overall quality of the candidate experience. How candidates feel they are treated through their interactions with your company can not only influence whether top talent accepts your offers, but also impact your organization’s reputation among other prospects and even your client or customer base. Understand and meet your candidates’ expectations with these tips to keep in mind throughout the hiring process:

Before:

Simple Application Process

Once they are under consideration, candidates will put in the work; however, they may pass on applying… Learn More

How to Differentiate Yourself Through Personal Branding

June 11, 2019

Professional growth is about more than what you can do – it’s about how you are seen by those who are influential in your career. Whether you want to get in the running for a promotion or attract more clients, you have to make it crystal clear who you are and what sets you apart from others in your same line of work. The way to stand out is by marketing yourself via developing a personal brand, or actively cultivating a perception of yourself among others. Differentiate yourself through personal branding with these tips:

Develop Your Message

First things first: Before you can build a personal… Learn More

Smart Staffing Series: Identifying Your Candidate Marketplace

June 07, 2019

After evaluating the cost of a bad hire, PTC is proud to introduce a series of articles dedicated to helping you make “Smart Staffing” decisions. This first topic helps to identify your potential candidate market. In order to attract the candidates that are the best overall fit, from technical expertise to soft skills to likelihood of long-term commitment and success, you have to clarify who precisely you should be targeting with your recruitment efforts. Learn more about the practical steps to take for effectively identifying your candidate marketplace:

Get a Clear Picture of Current Candidate-to-Job Ratio

You have to truly understand the current state of the demand you’re dealing with to… Learn More

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…