This past Friday, GSE held their first ever baseball game! This was a great opportunity to meet new staff, and to socialize outside of the workplace. This family friendly event brought together Staff, and Partners from both offices for some fun in the sun, followed by a tasty BBQ dinner! Congratulations Team 2 on your win! Thanks to the Social Committee for putting on such a great event!
Sometimes accounting is a walk in the (ball) park!
Name: Allison
Position: Co-op Student (1st term)
Why did you choose GSE: I chose GSE because of the supportive team environment, as well as the Buddy/Mentor program. I was also drawn in by the fact that I would be exposed to many different types of engagements, including Notice to Readers (NTRs), Reviews and Audits; this is very useful not only for my future schooling, but also in helping decide what I will want to do for a future career.
What is a typical day like for you: I will usually start the day out by checking my e-mails. After that, I will get to work on any files that I have on my plate, whether they are NTR, audit or review engagements. Typically, I will spend my day agreeing account balances to supporting paperwork and adjusting them as necessary, as well as preparing financial statements and corporate tax returns. If I have a question, I will reach out to either the manager on the file or my mentor, and we will have a quick discussion through Teams (video call or messages since I am working remotely), then I will get back to work on the file.
What type of work do you find most enjoyable: The type of work I find the most enjoyable is expense testing in an audit engagement. I enjoy data entry, which is required to make sure it is clear which expenses are being tested by agreeing the appropriate expense account, date, vendor, invoice/cheque number and amount. I also enjoy the task of agreeing the invoice amounts and making sure the company’s controls are being used properly. Sometimes there are cases when the control isn’t working, or the invoice does not match, and this requires additional testing, which can be a fun scavenger hunt.
What type of work do you find most challenging: The most challenging thing for me are the corporate tax returns. While I enjoy doing them since I appreciate a challenge, there are many different schedules and rules to know. This can make the process quite tedious to make sure that you have everything entered correctly, and I often have questions, but through some searching around I can usually figure out what needs to be done. When I am unable to figure out the problem on my own, the manager on the file or my mentor can help me out and explain it to me for future reference.
What is one thing you have learnt that you think would be useful for someone looking to join GSE to know:
I have learned that no question is a stupid question when it comes to working on a file. Especially if you are starting with no real accounting work experience, everyone is happy to help you out to make sure that things are done properly, and you can do it on your own the next time you come across the situation. Even if you feel like you should know the answer, or it has been explained to you before, it is better to ask if you are unsure to avoid confusion and more work later.
Graham Scott Enns is currently looking to hire for a number of key positions, including, Intermediate Accountant, Senior Accountant, and Tax Manager. We are also looking for an Accounting Co-Op student to join our ever-growing team of professionals.
We are a mid-sized public accounting firm, and one of the largest accounting firms in Elgin County! As such, we are able to provide a wide variety of work experiences across a number of different sectors. Our clients range from agriculture to manufacturing, and from not-for-profit organizations to owner-managed businesses, which allows our staff to gain experience in many different industries.
Graham Scott Enns is an approved CPA Ontario training office, and is part of the Pre-Approved Program (PAP) for the CPA Ontario Practical Experience Reporting Tool (PERT). We have an official Training and Development curriculum to encourage on-going training and to meet your annual CPA Ontario CPD requirements. We also pride ourselves in our formal Mentor program to help support your personal and professional development as you continue to advance in your career. Staff also get ample face-to-face time with the Firm’s Partners, as well as Managers, who are all working to help you meet your career goals.
Work-life balance is something we value at Graham Scott Enns, and we encourage all staff to take time to rest and recharge. We have a paid overtime policy for the first 6 months of the year when the workload is heavier, and we have reduced hours over the last 6 months of the year when the workload is lighter, including an option for half-day Fridays, or even Friday’s off! There is also a Flex-time policy, and post-COVID, there will likely be some remote working options available.
If you are looking for a career change and are looking for an opportunity to grow personally and professionally, we would love to hear from you! Come join our growing team of hard-working professionals. Please apply to the Firm’s HR Manager at awoods@grahamscottenns.com and take a look at our Career Page for more information about working at GSE!
As of April 8, 2021 there has been no extension to the personal income tax filing deadline of April 30, 2021 (or June 15, 2021 for self-employed individuals). We at GSE are here to assist you in the completion of your tax returns and offer a variety of contactless options in order to facilitate the safe preparation of your returns. If you would like to learn more about these options, please contact a member of our team to determine an option that works best for your personal circumstances.
GSE would like to celebrate the success of a hard-working colleague! Bill Luyks, CPA, CA, who is a partner in our Aylmer office, has been recognized by Jackson McCully as an Outstanding Brock Co-op Supervisor!
Jackson has been a co-op with GSE for all of his co-op terms and has nominated Bill for providing him with a great co-op experience over this time. Bill is a helpful mentor, who supports staff with their career goals by providing them with opportunities to learn and develop new skills. Bill is well known for taking time out of his busy schedule to discuss workload, provide feedback, and catch up on personal news.
Bill’s strong mentorship and support have helped to reinforce Jackson’s goal of becoming a Chartered Professional Accountant as well as his successful transition into public accounting.
We wish to congratulate Bill and all other recipients on this well-deserved award!
Check out all of the recipients here: Co-op Recognition and Awards – Co-op, Career and Experiential Education (brocku.ca)
Last up in our series of announcements, Graham Scott Enns LLP would like to recognize the promotion of Angel Schaap to Manager effective January 1, 2021!
Angel joined GSE in 2016, bringing with her several years of solid work experience in public accounting which she has been able to successfully apply to the great work she does for all clients that she services. Her promotion to Manager will give her an opportunity to apply her knowledge and skills to some of the larger clients that the Aylmer office services.
“Angel strives to get to know her clients, connect with them, and understand their business, in order to give the highest quality service possible. Although Angel has several large clients in the manufacturing sector, she also services various other areas including not-for-profits, owner managed companies, personal tax returns and some agricultural based clients. Angel very much enjoys learning and is always there to support our other staff when needed. We appreciate Angel’s hard work and dedication, and we welcome her to the Aylmer management group. Congratulations Angel!”
Mike Stover, CPA, CA
Partner
We want to congratulate Angel on this exciting new opportunity and wish her the best of luck in her new role as Manager! Congratulations Angel!
As part of our series of exciting announcements, Graham Scott Enns LLP would like to announce the promotion of Derek Biggar, CPA, CA to the role of Manager effective January 1, 2021!
Derek has been with GSE since he was a co-op student in 2014 and has shown tremendous growth over the past 7 years since his start with GSE. The Partners and staff are excited to acknowledge how far Derek has come and welcome him to the Aylmer Management Team!
“Derek’s knowledgeable and reliable nature is greatly appreciated by our clients. He provides professional service to a variety of our clients across various industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, not-for-profit, smaller owner-managed businesses, and personal taxation. Within our Firm, Derek is a valued contributor to our Training & Development and Assurance committees, and is a supportive mentor to junior staff members. Derek is a great addition to our Aylmer management team. Well done Derek!”
Megan Siemens, CPA, CA
Partner
We wish to congratulate Derek on this exciting new stage of his career, and we encourage everyone to take this opportunity to celebrate Derek’s accomplishments! Congratulations Derek!
Over the next few days, we would like to announce some exciting new updates to the Graham Scott Enns LLP team!
We want to start off by recognizing the promotion of our newest Senior Manager, Mike Helder, CPA, CA, effective January 1, 2021. Mike has worked at GSE since 2010 and was promoted to Manager in 2016. His new role as a Senior Manager is a clear example of Mike’s hard work and dedication to the growth and development of the Firm. The Partners and staff of GSE are proud to recognize Mike’s accomplishments over the years and are excited for his progression into this new role within the Firm.
“Mike’s well-rounded knowledge and experience allow him to serve clients across a variety of industries. He is particularly interested in agriculture, but also serves many other owner-managed businesses including those in the manufacturing and service industries along with organizations in the not-for profit sector. Within our firm, Mike has grown to become a key member of the Aylmer management team; actively involved in scheduling, training, and all other facets of the business. He truly is irreplaceable. Congratulations on your promotion Mike! Keep up the great work!”
Bill Luyks, CPA, CA
Partner
We wish to congratulate Mike on this exciting new opportunity and wish him the best of luck as he takes on this new role! Congratulations Mike!
By Jennifer Buchanan, CPA, CA
Over the past year, our firm and our clients have learned a lot about conducting virtual engagements. We have prepared electronic files for internal purposes for several years, and even prior to the pandemic had begun transmitting documents electronically in a safe and secure manner with those clients who desired it. However, it was an adjustment to work with all our clients in an entirely virtual environment. Many clients adopted and continue to adopt our secure portal (Login to your GSE Portal) as a method of transporting documents to and from the firm, including the ability to execute documents using DocuSign in a secure manner. We have the full capability to provide final client deliverables electronically but are also happy to continue to provide paper deliverables where desired in a safe manner.
In 2020, we also introduced video conference software to our communications mix allowing us to meet with our clients in a safe manner. It is hard to predict what the future holds, but we are ready and prepared to serve our clients virtually and wanted to share some of the things we have learned.
Two-way, year-round communication has always been important to the client service we provide. During the pandemic, we kept in close contact with our clients as they faced new struggles, opportunities, and interpreted the details of the many new COVID-19 related subsidies and grants. We encourage our clients to reach out throughout the year – we would love to know how things are going for you and if there is any way we can help, we will!
We try our best to provide timely information to our clients – we utilize our blog and social media to share important updates, such as new government funding and changes to CRA deadlines. We also reach out specifically to clients in advance of year-end to identify the who/what/when/how of year-end engagements.
Prior to the pandemic, our Firm was already utilizing a secure Portal to allow clients to upload documents, and in 2020 we had many more sign-up to use this resource. The Portal is more secure than unencrypted email document exchange and allows for files to be shared in an organized and timely manner.
When face-to-face meetings are not recommended due to Public Health guidelines, we are ready with video conferencing capabilities. With the video conference facilities in place, we enjoyed being able to see our clients and share documents on-screen, but also look forward to doing so in person.
We understand that not all our clients have the technology or interest to fully embrace virtual interactions. As Public Health measures have allowed, we have been able to offer secure physical drop-boxes at our offices and have been able to welcome clients into our meeting rooms. We will continue to try our best to meet the needs of our clients while following the recommendations from Public Health.
For the safety of both our clients and our firm members, each engagement is carefully planned to ensure we meet client needs and deadlines, while working within Public Health guidelines. This takes careful planning to ensure clients are aware of document requirements and physical documents arrive in time. We aim to reach out in advance of our engagements to determine preferences and make the needed preparations.
For the safety of both our clients and firm members we have implemented many initiatives including:
COVID-19 has presented many logistic challenges for all industries. We have worked with clients to design alternative procedures to complete work historically performed in-person. We use new and exciting technology to share our screens, and have clients share their screens to help facilitate discussions. We recognize the importance of understanding client needs and limitations and working together on solutions – the new way of doing things may be better and we are open to that discussion!
If you have questions about how your upcoming year-end engagement will be prepared in our current operating environment, please reach out to your Engagement Partner or Engagement Manager.
We will continue to post operating updates on our blog and social media.
One day we will happily offer a warm handshake and cup of coffee – until then know that we are prepared to help and have many ways of continuing to serve our clients.
