CareerVision - August 2009

• Career Transition

• Career Profile: Leslie Ann Bent, CA
• Twenty-Five Ways for Dealing with Workplace Stress
  
• Make It Happen Tipsheet: Influence
• Ask the Coach
• Featured Jobs

• Tips on Relocating Employees
• Conducting Effective Termination Meetings
• Performance Management Systems

• More Training Needed

Are you thinking of changing your career — or have you already made the decision that your next job will be doing something else? What if you don't even know what that "something else" is? And how do you know when is the right time to go?

Join Randall Craig, author of several career planning books including Personal Balance Sheet, as he answers these questions, and describes career strategies and the career planning process.

Click here to register for webinar

Dignitas International’s Finance Director, Leslie Ann Bent, had a dream in 1988 when she started articling at Montreal’s Ernst & Young.

“My dream then was to complete my CA designation, become bilingual and work abroad,” she says from her Toronto office. “As part of their exchange program, I went to Paris during the audit season. It was my first experience working completely in French — documenting audit files, doing risk and internal control assessments, speaking with clients and coaching staff.”

A couple of new studies have identified the alternative of switching to low stress jobs for workers who are overcome with the stresses of their current positions, particularly in this current economy. You could, perhaps, secure one of these low stress positions if you really want to make the career move, but a catch twenty-two may exist, as the switching of jobs, itself, potentially brings on different stresses while dealing with the challenges of a new job learning curve and the demands of retraining. If you have a high stress job and are determined to stick it out, right where you are, and ride the waves, you can fortify yourself, and lower at least some of your job's stress, by practicing smart stress reduction strategies.

Governments use regulation to influence how we each make decisions, either through tax policy or laws. Business uses money to change our behaviour, either through commission plans, bonuses, or advertising. But how do we, as individuals, change the attitudes and behaviour of those around us? The key is our influence over others. If we have it, we are far more likely to succeed, both at work and at home.

Q. Work has been relentless these past few months. Every day we get asked to do more with fewer resources and are being stretched beyond capacity. While we work above and beyond our usual output, it seems as if no one is being recognized or acknowledged for this extra effort. Is being acknowledged/recognized an unrealistic expectation — especially during a recession when we are fortunate to have a job? Any tips for how to cope in a thankless culture?

Featured Jobs

The job postings listed below are a sample of the 100+ postings on CA Source. To search all current CA Source postings, go to Search CA Jobs

1. Team Leader - Forensic/Investigative Accounting Department
   The Law Society of British Columbia
   Vancouver, British Columbia
   Link to Job Posting
    
2. Controller/Comptroller
   Victoria Gold Corp.
   Toronto, Ontario
   Link to Job Posting
    
3. Senior Staff Accountant
   Buset Sarvas Mozzon Chartered Accountants
   Thunder Bay, Ontario
   Link to Job Posting
    

Tips on Relocating Employees
~ Marc Belaiche, CA

There are several reasons an organization might want to relocate an employee, including promoting an internal employee to a more senior position or enticing a new employee who has unique skills.

This article will cover some tips to keep in mind if you decide to move an employee from one location to another.

Conducting Effective Termination Meetings
~ Daniel Wong

For those responsible for the management of a company’s human resources, terminating the employment of an individual can be one of the most difficult and unpleasant tasks.

When handled improperly, the termination meeting can not only result in claims and demands by the terminated employee but also possibly litigation for wrongful dismissal and related claims.

While each decision to terminate will attract its own unique combination of issues, the following principles should assist you in conducting effective termination meetings and reduce the risk of liability arising from the termination of an employee’s employment.

Performance Management Systems
~ Barbara Bowes

We often say that human resource management systems make organizations more effective. But simply creating systems and structures without making sure they work isn’t enough. It’s not my fault, but I’m truly embarrassed to confess that performance management is considered the worst managed of all human resource functions.

More Training Needed

More than three-quarters of Canadian respondents to a global survey believe their current skills will be outdated within five years and more than one-third believe training provided by their employers will not meet future career needs. The survey of almost 100,000 people in 34 countries – including more than 7,000 in Canada – also finds:

• 43 per cent of baby boomers (aged 48-65) say the training they receive is not sufficient.
• 82 per cent of Gen Xers (aged 30-47) say within the next five years their skills will need to be upgraded.
• 47 per cent of all respondents believe HR has not helped them achieve their employment goals.

Preferred training

Source: Kelly Global Workforce Index
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