accountant

I was hired as a temp in the sydney office due to their IT systems being in overhaul.  It was going to be initially 3 months of contract.  I only survived two.  Management were very nice but clueless as to what the line staff did.  Everything was fine for the first week or so until a high-ranking specialist from Melbourne came to the office to work on a project.  He was on the desk just next to mine.  He was friendly the first morning.  Then the trouble started.  He would steal my stationary and take my chair away.  He always came in early.  He would interrupt my work with questions.  He would follow me into the toilet repeatedly as though spying.  I asked him what was wrong but he smiled and changed the subject.  My direct supervisor and other managers were always in meetings at this time.  The final straw was one morning finding my desk cleared out and this Melbourne specialist telling me he needed my desk for a visiting project officer.  The office happened to be completely full with no spaces spare, despite my searching all available locations.
It broke me.  The job itself was fast paced, a little stressful but interesting.  This one man, who seemed more powerful than anybody else despite being on interstate assignment for short duration, slowly but surely ruined my will to go on with all his dirty little tricks.
I sat in the kitchen space deflated and shed some tears.  I got up and left the building after giving my badge to the security desk downstairs.  Many people were shocked at my leaving.  I lost friends there.  As a temp I understood I had no power to do anything due to the circumstances I found myself in.  It was my dream to work for the ato hopefully on a permanent basis.  Now I could never go back, even if they paid me a salary of 50 million a year.  I had a breakdown and couldn´t work for months after this happened to me.  The work dates I have given are approximate.

   Worked as an ATO customer support specialist through a consulting company (Probe). The site had been recently set up when I started, as they were ramping up for JobKeeper (Hired July 2020).
   As a result, much of the management were fairly new to this particular job, and there were no established cliques among the regular employees. Everyone I worked with there made an effort to get along and be helpful. Team leaders worked on weaknesses without threatening or demeaning the team members involved, and also recommended them for other duties where they showed promise.
   As a newer facility there were a number of changes made over the first few months due to workload, improving efficiency and such. They were always communicated to us beforehand, and responsibility was taken by management rather than any resulting issues being blamed on employees.
   The pay was on the low side of reasonable for permanent part time, but there were some benefits (as well as holidays and sick pay, the building and equipment were more than fit for purpose).
   After a while I was offered WFH, and other than a few minor hiccups was very pleased with how it turned out. Were it not for a few issues entirely unrelated to Probe, I would happily still be there. 

I’ve only just started at ato, after 8 years of trying I’m finally in and I have to say it’s rewarding, I enjoy going to work, if ever I’m stuck and I need help it’s always available, I’ve noticed even those with experience can approach anybody for what may seem to be a trivial issue but has been respectfully directed, I come from blue collar work so it’s probably the norm in regards to office work but I appreciate the good work done here, the culture is good, amidst the political chaos that’s happening right now I’ve not been approached nor overheard conversations about it, I’m praised when I do good work and genuinely cared for and corrected when I’ve done something wrong and I’ve witnessed it with seasoned veterans as well, overall I can’t fault working here. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Flexibility and learning opportunities 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
If you don’t attend your task in detail 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Beautiful, most of the experience staffs are willing to buddy you and guide you through until you in your feet 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Information accessible and paperwork throughout the day

I am currently an EA to 2 Assistant commissioners within the ATO.  My day is always busy as they have 2 different working styles, I have to adapt to them daily.  

Whilst looking after 2 AC's I am also, responsible for the Admin work of 30 staff members within the 2 branches. 

The hardest part of the job - keeping everyone happy

Enjoyable part of the job - gaining recognition from my SES saying to me that I am doing a great job.

What is the best part of working at the company?
None nothing about it was good it was horrible 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Everything is horrible and stressful 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Horrible nothing is good about working in that environment 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Horrible everything is horrible

Great people 
Laidback culture 
Opportunities to move around and get diverse experience 
Good work life balance 
Supportive of working from home arrangements 
One of the better paying departments 

Can be difficult to get promoted 
Standard slow paced, old ways of working, and red tape can hinder innovation and creativity 
Too many processes causing inefficiency 



It was a good job, culture changes over time, very political (fed government agency), very full on. Would appeal to the more dedicated professional rather than someone looking for work life balance in its truest sense (lot of lip service but actuality is very different and can vary from team to team in actual application).

Currently work in large business line. Senior Management is more interested in playing politics than doing their work, blaming everyone else for the poor performance. Team leaders under their control  do not have HR or tax technical capabilities. Always offloading us poor staff onto other areas for help. If you want a rewarding career, stay away. 

It was the first entry as a clerk in the ATO.  I had to lerarn micro fish. The staff are very friendly and so down to earth. The job is very simple.  the management are so awesome and easy to get along with.  Overall it was a very good start.

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