The different government forms you need to file can leave your head spinning! This article breaks down the difference between an ROE and a T4.
Record of Employment (ROE)
You file this form when you leave a job for good, or for a period of time. This form is very important because it is the document that determines whether or not you are eligible for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits.
The ROE documents the amount of hours you worked in the last 52 weeks prior to applying for EI. You must have worked at least 420 hours to be eligible for EI regular benefits.
Your employer is responsible to issue your ROE within 5 days of your last day.
T4
You file this form every year that you work, even if you worked only a couple of days during the year.
Any employers that you had throughout the year should provide your T4 by February of the following year. For example, you should be receiving your 2019 T4 by February 2020.
Your annual T4 provides information that determines if you paid enough EI, CPP, and taxes according to how much money you made that year.
This form is used to file your taxes every year, but don’t worry, if you don’t have it, your pay stubs can be used to calculate your annual income.
How do your mental models influence your behaviour at work?
If 2019 was a tough year for you, don’t worry, a new decade is here! No matter the challenges of last year, we’re here to share with you the recipe for happiness and satisfaction in 2020. In this post, we hope to shed light on the subconscious mind and how it dictates your luck through mental models.
The New Year or birthdays are a great time to reset your thinking because it provides a memorable timeline to help you measure your progress. Whether you know it or not, you practice mental models in your everyday life.
What are mental models?
Mental models are a collection of thoughts that make up your subconscious attitude.
Over the years and unbeknownst to you, your mind has been creating mental models as a result of your childhood experiences and your perceptions as an adult. Subconsciously, your mind uses the mental models it created to anticipate the results of an event or decision, and also to reason and explain your choices, good or bad.
Let’s look at some examples of mental models. Do any of the following phrases sound familiar to you?
▸ I can’t” ▸ “Why speak up? It won’t make a difference” ▸ “If I want something done right I have to do it myself” ▸ “I don’t care” ▸ “I have no time” ▸ “What’s the point?”
Can you think of a time when your mental models influenced a decision you made in the workplace?
Examples of mental models in the workplace sound like this…
▸ “Seniority rules” ▸ “We can’t be all things to all people” ▸ “Don’t rock the boat” ▸ “Who do they think we are” ▸ “We don’t have the resources” ▸ “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”
But how do mental models influence luck?
The Law of Attraction is the theory that you attract positivity into your life by having a positive outlook on life. The premise is that you can think or speak something into existence. Sounds like hocus pocus right?
There’s a psychological explanation to this theory. Most people understand this theory to work with the following formula:
A leads to B, where “A” represents your “positive” thoughts and “B” represents your reward
However, the Law of Attraction has much to do with you mental models. The law works under the belief that positive mental models allow your brain to recognize when good things are happening to you in life. In other words, your brain’s “radar” is turned on to see opportunities and possibilities as “luck”.
So it’s not that you “attact” something that wasn’t there before, it’s that your mind attributes a positive emotion (gratitude) to a particular event or experience that is happening to you anyway. When you reset your brain’s mental models, this creates a self-feeding cycle of proof for you that good things do happen to you, no matter the size or significance of event or experience.
Examples of positive mental models are:
▸ “I can do it” ▸ “People are fundamentally good” ▸ “We all have our bad days”
Mental models impact behaviour and can either help us achieve our goals or block us from achieving them. Don’t feel bad if some of your mental models need some rethinking- they live in our subconscious where they lurk until we shed a spotlight on them.
How can we change our mental models?
The first step is simply to be aware of your thoughts. Next time you come across a challenge, identify the problem in order to plan a solution.
Planning and organization is the best way to overcome things that scare us. Once you have a plan in order, put it into action and observe the results for future reference. This in turn will recalibrate your brain’s mental models.
Self reflection
When good things happen to you, do you see them as a blessing, or just dumb luck?
Do I include tips when calculating CPP and EI deductions?
There are 2 types of tips.
Controlled
Direct
Controlled tips
Controlled tips are mandatory to the client. For example, spa parties may include a mandatory 18% gratuity that is included in the bill. If you include or “control” the tip amount in the final bill, then these tips must be included in the insurable earnings (wages + VAC pay + tips + commission). Anything considered “insurable earnings” must be accounted for when calculating the EI and CPP deductions.
Direct tips
Direct tips are out of your control. A client may or may not tip you or your service providers. Only the client is in control of the amount of tip they choose to leave. You as the employer are simply passing the tip from the hands of the client to the hands of your service provider. Direct tips are NOT considered insurable hours and are therefore not included when calculating EI and CPP deductions.
The declaration of tips is the responsibility of the tip reciever when filing their personal taxes.
Writing a resume is difficult when you lack work experience or the training required to do a specific job. However, even when you have experience and/or training, putting the words down on paper can still prove a challenging task.
We recommend breaking down your resume-writing into two components:
Prep Day
Typing Day
Prep Day
What is your job goal? Have you narrowed this down to the industry? The particular employer? The more research you do, the better your resume will look.
Now that you’ve thought about your goal, allow yourself some time to think about the skills you think you need to have for your goal. For example, if you want to work at a “ABC Salon and Spa” as a receptionist, ask yourself, “what skills does that receptionist need to have?”
A good receptionist has a friendly demeanour and a welcoming smile
A good receptionist knows about services and products sold
A good receptionist is able to answer questions from clients
A good receptionist needs to work well with people
A good receptionist knows basic math
A good receptionist is able to use point of sales and booking systems
A good receptionist has good phone manners
A good receptionist ensures the clean maintenance of the facility
A good receptionist supports the team
Now that you’ve thought about the skills you would need for that particular position, ask yourself, “what skills do I have that relate?”
Don’t focus so much on your duties at your previous job, as much as the skills you applied there.
If you have little to no work experience, think about skills you may use on your free time. What are your hobbies? Do they include particular skills?
Now that we have a list of your skills to pick from for later, our second task is to think about the personality traits required for your goal.
For example, a good receptionist has the following traits:
A good receptionist is friendly
A good receptionist is punctual
A good receptionist is organized
A good receptionist is intuitive
A good receptionist is research-oriented
Now that you’ve thought about the traits you would need for that particular position, ask yourself, “what traits do I have that relate?”
Typing Day
Now that you have well-though-out ideas, organizing them into a resume will be a breeze!
Types of Resumes
Chronological resume- your best bet if you have sufficient experience and the training required for your objective
Functional resume- an excellent choice for those with little to no work experience
Combo resume- best for those with skills from another industry not related to your job goal
Visit our job bank for beauty industry jobs. It is Alberta Beauty Industry- focused and contains up-to-date job listings in Alberta.
Post your resume in our Resume Bank.
Our resume bank allows you to upload your information for Alberta beauty industry employers to view. We respect your privacy and confidentiality, employers must have a verified account to view your resume.
We will help you with your career goals, including your resume! Call to book an appointment with our Career and Employment Consultant to discuss your career path.
Are you interested in a beauty industry job but lack the requirements? ESG offers short training courses to help you reach your goals one step at a time.
With ESG, you can custom-design your beauty career by taking the courses you are interested in. If you are joining the beauty industry, we recommend starting off with esthetics basics like Manicures and Pedicures or Waxing and Tinting.
PLUS! Be on the look-out. We’re bringing back our resume bank 🤗
You’ll be able to post your resume to help employers find you!
Are you interested in this job but lack the requirements? ESG
offers short
training courses to help you reach your goals one step at a
time.
With ESG, you can custom-design your beauty career by taking
the courses you are interested in. If you are joining the beauty industry, we
recommend starting off with esthetics basics like Manicures
and Pedicures or Waxing
and Tinting.
