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• I have worked here going on 10 years. This used to be a much better place to work. I will say that they are excellent with work/life balance. However, some leaders have no training with mental health, and it has been an issue when I suffered some issues several years back.
  
  There are management development programs, which basically eliminate you from moving up the ladder, unless you make it into these programs, which in most people's opinions, are heavily coached to assist certain people to get in.
  
  The new programs are all regional. This is decent on the outset, however the local management no longer pushed to make anyone a permanent employee. This itself is a poor practice as with well over 40 term employees, there is a little bit of a competitive attitude, which is fine when it is on the up and up, however there has been some attempts at character assassination. Yes, it occurs frequently.
  
  The pay is ok. The union at the national level doesn't really understand the term negotiation. They will not give anything up and are not interested in hearing anything outside of the established rhetoric.
  
  Office gossip is rampant. This also exists at the management level, which I believe is why it is tolerated at the lower levels as well. Additionally, there are issues with some team leaders and management, and the conflict is exceptionally clear to anybody that is around. it is a horrible environment when this is happening near where you sit.
  
  There is a great deal of overt favoritism. Some floors have noise issues, and some signs were erected, which did nothing but belittle adults. But the person who actually headed up the "sign project" is one of the worst for visiting with everyone.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 7 April 2016 by Rater #19 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 25 4

• I worked here for many years. It blows my mind how unqualified some staff are, especially auditors and appeals. One of my co-workers worked in appeals and hod only ever completed 3 accounting courses. CRA treats Canadians very wrong in a lot of cases and causes a lot of disruption to people's lives.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 15 September 2014 by Rater #18 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• I've been with CRA for over 25 years and the reason I wanted to work for CRA were for the benefits and family life balance. I used to love and really cared for this organization.
  Today, all benefits are being eliminated one by one but our salaries remain low and CRA is no longer allowing telework. Why would anyone want to work for CRA today? CRA is no longer the employer of choice!
  
  I am disillusioned with CRA.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 6 July 2014 by Rater #16 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• Like any employer, CRA is not perfect. However, they are years ahead of the rest of the general public service in terms of management development, performance management and work ethic. Those who work there, including myself, take pride in their work.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 22 November 2012 by Rater #15 | Comments (1) | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 45 104

• I personally worked for the CRA for several years and got laid off. It was an amazing job, a positive atmosphere, and I was lucky to gained the skills that I gained. The only negative thing that I could say is that if you are working on a contract it's highly stressful because you can get laid off at any time. Other then that it is a very good organization with good people, good management, and room to advance. The pay is very high and you are lucky if you get the chance to work there. To anyone who is still working there and is posting whiny, negative comments...appreciate your high paying job and suck it up, because you are lucky to even have a job in the government in this economy.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 31 October 2012 by Rater #14 | Comments (2) | Flag as inappropriate

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• Not to work hard!
   

  Posted on 29 October 2012 by Rater #14 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 40 36

• The place would be utterly laughable were it not wasting your life. What a f$#king waste of taxpayers money. The place is like a social experiment gone awry. Its completely retarded from the top to the bottom. Ive been there for years. The place is in dire need of chemo if you know what I mean. Do not waste your time or your education at the CRA in Newfoundland.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 15 October 2012 by Rater #6 | Comments (3) | Flag as inappropriate

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• Brainless place to work. So much waste of taxpayers money.  

  Posted on 28 September 2012 by Rater #13 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 80 30

• I have a certain love/hate relationship with the CRA. I spent the first couple years of my career there and got my professional designations paid for. The pay is decent, hours are flexible, you can take a ton of time off. It really does not take a lot of effort to outshine most of the monkeys there, but you'll stagnate very quickly.
  
  Your intelligence is insulted everyday as you're fed the corporate mantra from head quarters, or the region, or whatever higher authority. The corporate values are rammed down your throat at all times and expected of you but never reciprocated. There's all kinds of layers of management and most really don't do a whole lot to add to the bottom line. Any management above the team leader level is atrocious and disconnected from their staff, they are there to manage budgets above all and maybe be a glorified babysitter on the side. What's expected of you as an employee is extremely unclear and not communicated until it's too late. There is very limited advancement, there's a good chance you'll be stuck in a job you outgrew for a long period of time.
  
  The education budget has been cut, this was the only benefit that kept me there for this long but I'm free now. You can get 25% of your education covered if you're willing to go before a committee and beg for it.
  
  If you're young, mildly ambitious and want to learn a few things, stay far away. The only way I'd be happy here is if I was willing to lobotomize and castrate myself.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 9 August 2012 by Rater #12 | Comments (3) | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 55 35

• I loved working for CRA! They have a wonderful work/life balance and, although there is a lot of bureaucracy, you really can't expect anything else since it IS the federal gov't afterall! If you go in understanding that then the politics won't bother you. There is a lot of room for advancement based on your skills and competency and if you're really good, they will do whatever they can to keep you. If I'd not moved to AB I would still be at the Surrey Tax Centre. Best benefits and time off I've ever seen!   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 17 March 2012 by Rater #4 | Comments (5) | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 45 112

• -people are generally nice to work with - professional and strive to do a good job in preserving the tax base
  -Exceptional worklife/balance - can usually plan workload so few intense periods of activity, very flexible in booking leave on short notice
  -37.5 hour work week and any overtime is paid at 1.5 (seldom)
  -Flexible work schedule allows additional days off during the month
  -4 to 5 weeks vacation (depending upon years of service) can be taken any time of the year
  -Generous defined benefits pension plan (2% per year of service calculated on the average of the best 5 years to a maximum of 70%)
  -Lots of opportunities to experience other jobs if you demonstrate desire and competence - up to the employee to apply. Other opportunities include: Appeals, Litigation, Criminal investigation, Electronic Commerce, Scientific Research, International Tax Audit, Tax Avoidance, Technical Advisor/Trainer.
  -Lots of professional development courses offered   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 11 February 2012 by Rater #11 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 25 74

• Management has no leadership ability and got their positions by throwing everyone else under the bus. Competitions to advance do not screen in the brightest, best workers only those who do well at multiple-choice exams. A Competency-based system rewards good writers and not those who are great at their jobs.
  Recommended only because of the pay, hours and benefit package. Worklife is not fun it is a grind and 90% of the workforce needs to retire. There is no reward for doing well, you get paid the same as the slackers in your position. Anything worthwhile to look forward to above basic pay has been taken away- no recognition awards & no social activities.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 3 December 2011 by Rater #3 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• CRA is a great place if you are brain dead or willing to participate in those objectionable practices required to get promoted. The bad behaviors get promoted those willing to work hard or think outside the box get punished or brow beaten into submission!
  
  As more than 50% of the experienced workforce (along with 99% of the knowledge base) will be moving on within the next 5 years many advancement oppurtunities if you are willing to lie, cheat and sell yourself in a manner that is acceptable only to senior CRA management (after all that is how they attained their lofty status, most could not survive in the private sector, so that is what they demand of others)!
  
  An indication of how CRA is as an employer you just have to see how many of the gifted have left CRA, middle career, to work for public accounting firms or law firms in order to battle against CRA.
  
  No support is provided by management at any level.
  
  So if looking for a exciting and challenging long term career, look else where.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 25 July 2011 by Rater #5 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• CRA is the place to work for the following groups of people:
  Women - maternity leave, parental leave, family related leave
  Elders - slow pace, light workload, great pension
  People still studying part-time - full tuition reimbursement for professional designation
  
  CRA is NOT the place to work for the following reasons:
  No excitement because everyone is half-dead, bureaucracy, rules and procedures, cookie-cutter work expected to be produced, few young people and no social life, restricted career path in the tax field, hard to move up through competitions, unwanted by private companies...
  
  Dig your own grave if you decide to work here, real talented and ambitious people go somewhere else.
    read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 15 July 2011 by Rater #10 | Comments (2) | Flag as inappropriate

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• If you are a student beware of the CRA. The payroll department at the CRA is very outdated. Therefore if you as a student need to take a day or so off work (if you are working part time) to study for an exam or prepare a paper, the internal payroll systems of the CRA cannot handle the change. What happened to me is that 4 months after I stopped working for the CRA as a student I got a bill for over a thousand dollars. When I contacted them and raised the issue they told me it was less. So the CRA has no idea of what is in fact owed and they couldn't explain to me how they got their figures. Therefore if you as a student work for the CRA beware if you take any time off, even if you get your manager's permission and fill in all the right forms you may get a big wopping bill after your stop working for them. Their systems are so ineffective they can't keep track of what the correct hours are. So watch out for the CRA. This is your warning and please take it to heart. This has happened to many, many students who have worked for the CRA.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 24 November 2010 by Rater #9 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 107 32

• If you can get used to the bureaucracy, you'll do fine. I enjoyed my summer term there - not only did it help pay for my tuition, but my co-workers were great to work with. I can still remember my boss who gave me all the encouragement I needed and who saw my potential to grow, which she allowed me to do.
  
  Of course, this peeved some of my co-workers but I still remember her saying "do you honestly expect X to stay put? He's showing some initiative to learn new things so we're going to teach him new things so he can help the team."
  
    read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 15 October 2010 by Rater #8 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• CRA was a wonderful experience for me. Management was very forthright and approachable. My team leader was very accommodating to my schedule since I both worked there and went to university full time. The pay isn't that great but that's what you get working as a civil servant (and they are very upfront with that fact). However, their pension plan and benefits are second to none. The only drawback is the bureaucracy; if you can move from being a contract employee to a permanent full-time employee, you pretty much have a job for life. Given the opportunity, I'd definitely return.   read complete rating Hide complete rating

  Posted on 7 July 2010 by Rater #1 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• cra is great !  

  Posted on 11 February 2010 by Rater #7 | Add Comment | Flag as inappropriate

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• It's all about public service. Sometimes they forget about their employees in the interest of the client.
   

  Posted on 3 April 2009 by Rater #2 | Comments (1) | Flag as inappropriate

  Was this review helpful? 48 17