Tamara Harries works for JSG Professional Services ULC, Johnson Services Group’s Canadian entity. Tamara is our Canadian Administrator and has worked for JSG for almost four years. We had the opportunity to sit down with Tamara and learn more about her impressive career as a payroll professional. Here is what she had to say.
Tell us a little about your career and how you ended up working for JSG.
I started working for CDI Professional Services in January 1998 as a Payroll Administrator. Our office was in Oakville, Ontario, very close to where our office is now. At CDI, I worked with many people who now work for JSG Professional Services, including Greg Thullner who was the VP of the Montreal office. At CDI, I was responsible for payroll and billing activities for all of our offices in Canada. When I was at CDI, we provided staffing services primarily in aerospace, oil & gas, and engineering.
When Greg and the rest of the team formed the Canadian division of Johnson Service Group, I joined the team in July 2015 as the Canadian Administrator. I am responsible for payroll services, as well as other back office duties. When JSG Professional Services was first formed, I worked closely with our corporate office as sort of a liaison between them and our operations in Canada. The rules here in Canada are different than the States, and rules and regulations can even differ between provinces.
You’ve worked in the Staffing Industry for over twenty years. What has changed over the years?
One thing that I have noticed throughout the years is the popularity of staffing services. More and more staffing firms are popping up and more employers are relying on contractors to fill their positions. Technology has also revolutionized how we work. Back when I first started working, we used to fax over payroll to another office for processing, all of which was done manually. Now we have different systems and software that have really streamlined our payroll and recruiting processes. We have much better tools for recruiting and tracking and everything is more user-friendly. All of the web-based applications we have at our disposal has definitely made our industry more efficient.
What’s your favorite part about your job here at JSG?
My favorite part about working for JSG is the people. I have had the opportunity to build great internal and external relationships. Like I said before, I’ve been working with some of the great people like Greg Thullner, Jason Landa, Kim Getty, Juan Buitrago, and Amanda Monaco for years. All five of us worked together at CDI and we now have the opportunity to work together here at JSG. We are like a big family!
I also enjoy working closely with our contractors. I have had the privilege to work with some of the same contracts for over a decade. We have developed close connections with many of our contractors and they feel more like friendships than working relationships. To me, this isn’t just a job that I clock in and out of every day. At JSG, I have become invested in my job. I want to see the business grow as well as see our contractors grow into their new positions.
What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
Outside of work, I enjoy reading, hiking, and traveling. I try and travel down to Disney World once or twice a year.
[av_button label=’Connect with Tamara on LinkedIn’ link=’manually,https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamara-harries-cpm-56a37b20/’ link_target=’_blank’ size=’large’ position=’center’ label_display=” icon_select=’yes’ icon=’ue80c’ font=’entypo-fontello’ color=’theme-color’ custom_bg=’#444444′ custom_font=’#ffffff’ av_uid=’av-2ebrby’ custom_class=” admin_preview_bg=”]
