letter from the editor
MONEY MATTERS VOLUME 31 / NUMBER 4 MAY/JUNE 2014
If you’re like me, talking finances has always had the ten-dency
to make you a little bit nervous. I’ve never been a
“numbers” person, but understanding money has been an
essential skill that I’ve longed to possess, in both person-al
and professional capacities. I will openly admit to feeling
sparks of jealousy toward those who can manipulate numbers
and dollar signs without even breaking a sweat.
As writer Melissa Campeau discovered, many HR profes-sionals
are in the same boat, and as a result, may get lost in
translation when sitting with the senior executive team. HR
needs to bridge that communications gap and improve its
own financial fluency. If this is a task that seems daunting,
don’t fret; there are a number of resources where profession-als
can pick up a little Accounting 101. All you need to learn
are basic finance skills to jump into conversations with col-leagues.
Adding that facet to your skillset will allow you to
better translate how HR fits into financial statements, which
can benefit you and your department overall. After putting to-gether
this issue of HR Professional, both Melissa and I were
feeling inspired to sign up for some extracurricular courses to
brush up on our own skills. To read Melissa’s article and find
out what HR professionals should know in particular about
dollars and cents, turn to page 20.
This May/June issue of HR Professional marks my fourth
issue as editor within a few short months. I sincerely hope you
find the contents informative, engaging and interesting, and
that you will continue to do so in the future. Thank you to all
members of the editorial advisory board as well as to sources
and writers who have participated in the pages.
Be sure to visit www.hrpatoday.ca to check out the digital
edition of this issue of HR Professional, as well as archived
issues and web exclusives. As always, feel free to reach out
anytime if you have thoughts, suggestions or are interested in
contributing to the magazine. I hope that Spring 2014 treats
you well. ■
Thanks for reading,
Jill Harris
P: 866-953-2182
E: jharris@lesterpublications.com
THE MAGAZINE OF
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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Editor: Jill Harris | Publisher: Sean Davis
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Michael Bach, Canadian Institute of
Diversity and Inclusion/Institut canadien
de la diversité et de l’inclusion
Mary Ann Baynton, Great-West Life Centre
for Mental Health in the Workplace
Christine Burych, StarlingBrook Corporation
Eric Cousineau, OCG Strategy &
Organizational Consulting
Joseph (Val) D’Sa, York Region
District School Board
Bonnie Flatt, Master Coaches
Mandy Hanlon, Oakbridges Labour
Relations Consulting Inc.
Jennifer Laidlaw, Ontario
Securities Commission
Norm Sabapathy, Cadillac Fairview
Dr. Parbudyal Singh, York University
Sandra Smith, North York General Hospital
Melissa Sonberg, Aimia
Christine Thomlinson, Rubin
Thomlinson LLP
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6 ❚ MAY/JUNE 2014 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL