Inside the Circle – September 9, 2025

This recording from the HR team’s Newcomers to Canada Lunch and Learn, provides information on how newcomers can access support, feel welcomed, and be successful in Canada.

At Circle of Care, we are here to support you. If you are new to Canada and struggling with your mental health, visit the Wellness at Work resource, where you can find free and low-cost mental health support.

Oasis Zoo Run

• When: September 13, 2025
• Road Closures: Meadowvale Rd. (Plug Hat Rd. to Sheppard Ave.), Plug Hat Rd. (Beare Rd. to Meadowvale Rd.), Old Finch Ave. (Reesor Rd. to Meadowvale Rd.)
• TTC Route Changes: None.

Under the Collective Agreement, you can join the Group RRSP Matching Program.

• Full-time employees can get up to $300 each year.
• Part-time employees can get up to $150 each year.

To join this program, you must have worked at Circle of Care for at least 12 months by December 31 of that year. Joining the program is voluntary (your choice).

If you’re interested in joining, please email Payroll at payroll@circleofcare.com.

Lifting and moving clients is hard on your body. If you do it the wrong way, you can get hurt. Whether you’re helping a client stand, sit, or transfer, following these 5 safety tips can make a big difference.

5 Tips to Keep You and Your Client Safe:

1. Keep your back and neck straight.
2. Use your core muscles for support.
3. Bend at your knees, not your back.
4. Hold the client close to your body.
5. Lift with your legs, not your back.

Do not lift more than you can handle safely. Ask someone for help to avoid hurting yourself or the client.

It is important to understand that there are 4 types of Workplace Violence:

• Client-related – Violence from clients, visitors, or their families.
• Worker-to-worker – Involves coworkers, including bullying or harassment.
• Personal – From someone you know personally, like an abusive partner harassing you at work.
• Criminal – From a stranger, like a thief.

If you experience any type of Workplace Violence, please ensure to report the incident to your Supervisor or Human Resources.

As a Perkopolis member, you can get special discounts on safe shoes that help prevent slips, trips, and falls.

For clear steps on how to get these discounts, click here. Remember, good footwear is an important way to protect your safety and health.

Sometimes it is hard to say how we feel. Maybe we don’t know the right words, or maybe someone’s criticism makes us feel hurt or defensive. “I language” can help. It is a way to share your feelings without blaming others. This makes communication more respectful and caring.

In this short video, you will learn what “I language” is, how to use it, and some easy tips to practice it in your daily conversations.

Has someone gone above and beyond at work? Give them a High Five!

The High Five program lets you publicly recognize staff members for their outstanding work. High Fives will be posted in your weekly Inside the Circle newsletter.

To give a high five, just click on the button below or use the link in the rotating banner on the Portal home page.

Please note: We do not accept anonymous submissions for this program. High Fives must be submitted by an individual person, whether they are a staff member or member of the community.

I am not getting 1300hrs to get full time status and it looks like Circle of Care doesn’t want to give me the hours. Some people don’t like it when you call them the same day to send them to a client, but I do like that. I want the hours.

Thank you for bringing this up. We really appreciate your openness and your willingness to take on same day assignments. Regarding the 1300 hours for full time status, we understand it’s frustrating to feel like you’re not getting the hours you’re aiming for. We want to be transparent: hours are influenced by multiple factors including client needs, staff availability, seniority,  cancellations, and sometimes staff preferences. That said, our goal is always to allocate hours fairly. Since you’re open to more work, we encourage you to bring your scheduling concerns directly to your service coordinator and/or your CSS, so they can take your preferences to your account. Your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed, and we want to support you as much as possible.

I live in an apartment building with Circle of Care clients. I asked my service coordinator to give me clients in the building but she said that she doesn’t cover the area. Then, I asked a fellow PSW, who has clients in the building, about her service coordinator and she said the same name of my service coordinator. Why doesn’t Circle of Care provide clients near the PSW’s residence? They mentioned during the hiring process and orientation that they will provide clients that are near the vicinity of my neighbourhood? But I’m provided with clients that are far from my house (about 40minutes to more than an hour travel by public transit). Would you please consider the hardships that PSWs have to go through just to reach the client’s home, especially during winter season, and give us clients near the vicinity of our neighbourhood?

Thank you for raising this. We understand your concern and appreciate your dedication, especially with long travel times. Service Coordinators assign clients based on the area you were hired for, which may not always match where you live. We do follow Circle of Care’s travel time policy to ensure assignments are fair and manageable. If you still have concerns, we encourage you to speak directly with your CSS for further support.

I have an availability from 7AM to 5PM but there some days I have 2 clients a day, and the first client is at 7AM and the other one at 4PM. This is really frustrating, and the time in between is wasted. I have talked to my Coordinator about it, and the reply I am given is that I should take those redundant hours window shopping. Seriously I have worked for the company for 2 years now but this has been one of the frustrating things!

Thank you for sharing this. Schedules are based on client needs, location, and PSW availability, which sometimes results in gaps despite our best efforts. That said, if you’re open to traveling to a nearby caseload, please let your Service Coordinator know, this may help us schedule you for more hours during the day. Please connect with your Coordinator to review your schedule, and we encourage you to speak with your CSS if the issue continues.

So many clients complain and attack us because Circle of Care doesn’t call them or tell them that there’s changes to their schedule or which PSW is coming to see them. I noticed Circle of Care has poor communication when it comes to these situations. How will you improve this? My coordinator and supervisor don’t do anything about this.

We understand how difficult it can be to provide care when clients are not informed of schedule changes, and we recognize the impact this can have on your ability to deliver services safely and effectively. Situations like these are not your fault, and your professionalism is appreciated. Please report this to your Service Coordinator and/or reach out to your CSS so we can review the matter and ensure better communication moving forward.

In situations where you feel that a client or their family is not treating you with respect, or if you feel that they are verbally (or physically) abusing you, you should reach out to your Client Services Supervisor (CSS) for support. Your CSS will investigate the situation and work with you and the client to resolve the situation.

You can also complete the anonymous Incident Report Form if you do not feel comfortable sharing your personal details.

During our PSW meetings you encouraged us to call the office. It doesn’t make sense at all because nobody wants to answer our calls. My Supervisor’s line and Coordinator’s line will always be going to voicemail.

We are sorry to hear that you are experiencing difficulty with reaching someone live. We strive to answer as many calls as possible but at times we experience significant call volume increases. Circle of Care has a Call Center that is the first point of contact for field staff and can help process many inquiries before involving the service coordination team. We encourage all field staff to contact the call center as we typically answer calls within 90 seconds. If there is an urgent issue that needs to be reported and you are unable to reach a call center representative, please contact your CSS to report the issue if it requires immediate attention.

If you feel that you have been kept on the phone for too long in an urgent or emergency situation, you may submit your phone number and date/time of the call for us to look into as well as the reason for your call.

I keep reporting about my hours but it remains the same. I don’t even get 20 hours a week, this is unacceptable. New hires are refusing hours because they have so many and I’m not getting enough hours.

Schedules are based on client needs, location, and PSW availability, which sometimes results in gaps despite our best efforts. That said, if you’re open to traveling to a nearby caseload, please let your Service Coordinator know, this may help us schedule you for more hours during the day. Please connect with your Coordinator to review your schedule, and we encourage you to speak with your CSS if the issue continues.

I have been working with Circle of Care for over 18 years and all of a sudden I am part-time because I didn’t get enough hours last year. 

Schedules are based on client needs, location, and PSW availability, which sometimes results in gaps despite our best efforts. That said, if you’re open to traveling to a nearby caseload, please let your Service Coordinator know, this may help us schedule you for more hours during the day. Please connect with your Coordinator to review your schedule, and we encourage you to speak with your CSS if the issue continues.

Have a question? Submit your questions or feedback anonymously below!

Please note that it may take us longer to provide some answers. If your question hasn’t been answered yet, we will get back to you as soon as we can.