coordinator

manager

specialist

marketing specialist

customer service representative

CPA Ontario

Honestly,

I get it. You need a job and CPA posts wonderful ads that entice you to work for them. RUN! DON'T APPLY!

You are expected to work yourself thin and not complain. No one appreciates your work or will say a simple thank you. Everyone is out for themselves and blame is spread like wildfire. The workplace culture is rather toxic. I don't say that lightly. CPA has a way about making you feel like a failure at life. You get stuck in a place you don't want to be. If you are not an accountant, you can expect to make far less even though in most positions there you don't need to have a designation.
 
If your manager was there before the merger then you are probably out of luck. Most "Managers" that come from legacy bodies are simply buying their time as they are hoping that CPA will buy them out. Sadly they won't. These people will probably be the first ones let go during the next round of changes. This means that the eager beavers who were never given the opportunity to be promoted internally will jump at the chance to have a manager title. It's actually really smart on CPA's part because they can offer that person maybe 1% more to do the same work as their manager (with an added meeting or two).

You think you deserve a salary increase? That's not going to happen. The yearly performance review has been designed so that large increases are not given out. I was told by the manager that as I got an increase the previous year, it was suggested that I shouldn't get one during the next round. When I went to seek clarification of this, no one would meet with me or put anything in writing.

Do yourself a favour, and research thoroughly before agreeing to work here. The employees all generally have lunch from 11-2 so stop by the building and ask them their true opinions. Most will tell you to run for the hills.

Was led to believe this would be a great company to work for to further my career. Unfortunately, during my time opportunities were limited due to unfair hiring practices, as close friends and acquaintances to senior management always seemed to kick out, despite not being as qualified or competent to other internal applicants. Essentially, if you're component at your current position and needed, you'll be held back with an empty promise of something better, which never materialized until you out in a resignation letter. Work/life balance sounds great in their employee handbook, but somehow they manage to shun those who use part of their vacation package. 
Support network is lacking as I had never met one member of the senior leadership team in all my years of employment. We would be fortunate to have them grace on stage to claim their wins and openness to all. 
Glad I left, but my heart goes out to those still looking to escape.

The type of work expected of someone of my position is, indeed, understandable. My problems lay not with the work I perform (although there could be some said about that) but with the company's turnover rate. Not only would I say a large fraction of their staff is made up of contract employees, but rather, that they do not promote advancement internally. Instead of hiring someone full time, they would keep extending contracts over and over again at random intervals between a week and a few months. Many employees believe that this is because they merely do not want to pay for benefits. Considering the amount of work and dedication some contract people have for this company - it is a shame to see that they would rather hire someone new and have to train them, then hire full time a contract employee who is already familiar with the work.

This company would rather extend your contract over and over again than hire someone full time and pay for benefits. They boast about advancing your position in the company but would rather hire externally than internally. For the amount of work that you do, the cons heavily outweigh the pros. I would NOT recommend working here unless you want to start out in the office atmosphere. Procedures and processes are always up in the air - nothing is ever finalized and there's a lot of back and forth between departments The only thing keeping me to this job were my coworkers who understood the struggle and tried to make the best of it. I would summarize this company in two words: Unorganized & Cheap.

Worked at the CPAO before, during and after its merge with CMAO and CGAO. Hated every day of my life. Autonomy was non existent. It was very hard to get your message passed across the board or make people listen when offering any improvements to the processes. All communications with Gods on higher floors had to be done only through your manager or via inter-office mail. Are you kidding me? Brought me back into dinosaur age. A lot of micromanagement. 
Best part of the job was half-day Fridays in the summer but those don't exist anymore. After the merge, a lot of benefits were taken away, lots of employees got fired. Not sure if anything changed for the better since then but doesn't sound like it from other reviews. Think twice before applying to this place.

High turnover replacing contract roles, resignations, moves and leaves of absence; too few permanent employees to do work that needs to be done and solidify processes. Helpful, supportive Call Centre, Member Services and Finance teams + management; HR VP needs serious people skills training. Beware of contradictory department  management messaging such as paying OT at start, then cut you off. Commonly zero to limited technical  skills in management on teams that need it to support the teams' technical roles. Ask the difficult questions before signing on. 


The largest challenge is trying to ask for help, it's not that I am afraid to ask questions or admit if I don't understand anything, from what I have experienced, when I have asked for help I have been met with hostility. 

Some of my peers are helpful but are not always around if I need support. The work environment is really not conducive to ongoing education or that which supports training staff.  

Management is fairly hands off.

Managers range from engaged to not interested- basically putting in time until they retire ( and very open about it ) . Other staff are responsible for training you so that can vary to the quality of training. If you are trained by someone like I was that spent more time on their phone looking for another job meh not so great .Tons  of contract staff which probably explains the lack of engagement. They string you along with we may hire - then put you on a month to month contract . If you can find a decent full time job for the same money take it before you work for CPA.

It was hard work but it was always fun. The people were amazing - committed to making the profession the very best it could be. 

The atmosphere was one of working together toward a singular goal and although we may not always have agreed, we always had each others back.

We were empowered to make decisions and given creative latitude.

There were always politics, always people who would say "no" but at the end of each day we went home fulfilled and happy.

It was a place to learn and grow and be challenged and have fun ... all the things a workplace should be.

Very fair pay for the work I was doing as it was higher than what an employer typically pays for a customer service worker. Provided great management support for the employee. This was a great place to learn and grow professionally, as I was encouraged with constructive criticisms and positive reinforcement, growing my communication skills to the next level.

The organization also gave the most amazing company parties located at some of the best party venues in the city!


Top Job Titles	Average salary
Coordinator 1 salary reported	$59,650 per year
Manager 4 salaries reported	$99,500 per year
Specialist 6 salaries reported	$73,500 per year
Marketing specialist 1 salary reported	$74,600 per year
Customer service representative 1 salary reported	$47,700 per year

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