counsel

accountant

analyst

administrative assistant

Ontario Securities Commission

During the interview, I asked about opportunities for training and advancement, even lateral moves. I was told there were so many opportunities and that no one would remain in the entry level position I was being hired into. I am not certain if Pinnochio's nose grew or not. 

There is no opportunity for advancement unless you are considered to be a member of an inner circle. Management, especially in enforcement is toxic. One female manager continually downloads her responsibilities with the statement, hopefully I don't have to require anyone to do it. Everything is a shell game and then the rug gets pulled out from underneath staff.

To my knowledge some other groups at the OSC are similarly toxic. In this regard HR, the Commissioner, and her inner circle just stick their heads in the sand and tow management's line. It is really sad to see an organization that could be a leader in its culture and treatment of staff be such a pathetic next of cronyism, nepotism, and favoritism.

- No structure
- Very toxic
- Lack of communication, people are dumped into projects last minute and expected to execute 
- No work-life balance
- Becoming more & more inflexible - no wfh soon
- Execs can’t answer direct questions about the future - always wishy washy, as they know that their plans will disappoint people (hence, many colleagues are looking for other opportunities)
- Upper management is out of touch with employees/reality
- Unrealistic expectations 
- No promotions for years!
- Salary lower compared to the for-profit (I took a significant pay cut when accepting this offer knowing that government is likely to have work-life balance, well it is not the case)
- Very stressful (lack of communication, lack of ownership, passive aggressive behaviour, endless meetings and no time to do the work)

Poor leadership, terrible work culture.
Those coming from the private sector are often surprised to find that the OSC offers none of the same perks, but has the same expectations in terms of work hours, performance, etc. For example, there are lots of restrictions on meals and travel - you should not count on these being covered in any scenario. The OSC is stretched very thin from a staffing point of view, even though the volume it deals with is massive. For example, I have heard anecdotally that the work performed by a single full-time employee in one of its advisory branches would be performed by 6 employees at a financial institution. The OSC's physical premises need some TLC, and there's a serious shortage of space available for larger meetings.

There's a distinct hierarchy environment - if you're management or senior management you'll do well - get very high bonuses and salaries all over $100,000.  If you're deemed support staff, you'll be treated as such and never be given opportunities to advance to management.  This seriously impacts the culture and makes it impossible to believe or live the Values posted.  Colleagues are fabulous to work with and very supportive and helpful towards each other.   Human Resources is a mess and disrespected across the organization because of the acceptance and support of the hierarchy that's been created.

- worked in office services and was held back by other associate when I enquired about other work that I should of been shown
- enjoyed working with other associates
- enjoyed working with all aspects of position and wanted to learn more
- felt I did not belong due to age (inclusion in dept.)
- more I asked for (work) was denied to me
- was told I did not meet expectations which was understandable since no one would include me on day-to-day jobs

- High salaries in comparison to industry standards
- Room for growth and professional development 
- Teams are very clique-like and new hires may feel like you're in high-school again trying to fit 
- Little work-life balance and some members of management will remind you how lucky you are to work there
- Great pension matching plan
- DEI efforts are ongoing and have much room to grow in terms of reaching an ideal level of an inclusive environment 


What was once a thriving positive place to work this organization has over the last 5 years become an extremely toxic work environment, unfair work opportunities, promotions given to internal candidates without fair processes, uneven salaries amongst peers for same work and experience - many long term employees have quit over the last 5 years because of the toxic work environment and lack of opportunities for growth. 

Joined a few months back and it's amazing to work with the people around with such a depth of knowledge and experience. The work culture is great, there is flexibility to balance work and personal lives. Pretty decent hybrid work model.
The only downside is the salary and benefits. Not very competitive. Could be compromised if your goal is not just money.
I recommend OSC to all my professional colleagues. 

A plus, great working culture, the people are nice and welcoming. A plus, great work-life balance, a negative, 
 most of the time, not such to do will be a downside if you like fave paced or will be stuck doing the same thing for a while. A negative, slow to adopt change from the top, some jobs don't require in-office (like mine did) and can be fully remote, but they won't provide such options even if you live in another city.

Supportive manager, friendly and kind colleagues.  Allows working from home. An organization that I would love to work for another 50 years

Unlike for-profit organizations, excluding events held by volunteers and prizes donated by colleagues to support united way fundraising, close to zero office perks.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Counsel 3 salaries reported	$112,667 per year
Accountant 4 salaries reported	$96,250 per year
Analyst 3 salaries reported	$65,667 per year
Administrative assistant 3 salaries reported	$43,000 per year

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