Inside the Circle – October 24, 2023

Let’s talk about those unexpected oops moments: slips and trips. They usually happen when something slippery messes up your contact with the ground or the floor you’re walking on. But guess what? You can totally dodge them!

Just keep these simple rules in mind:

• Stay Alert: Be like a detective in your surroundings. Keep an eye out for anything that looks slippery.
• Solid Ground: Make sure the path you’re treading on is in tip-top shape.
• Shoe Sense: Wear the right shoes for the job.
• Easy Does It: Don’t sprint when it’s a stroll-worthy moment.

Here’s a little bonus advice to stay slip, trip, and fall-free:

• Spill Patrol: If you see a spill or water puddle where you or your clients walk, clean it up right away!
• Slow and Steady: Take your time, and focus on where you’re heading.
• Step Right: Pick the perfect footwear for the weather and environment. Your shoes should be your sidekick, not a stumbling block.

Stay on your feet and in control – it’s all about those little steps!

Benefit from over 5000+ fantastic perks thanks to Perkopolis! There are deals on everything from shopping to travel and even attractions.

Get ready to shop till you drop with your favourite brands like Apple, Adidas, Samsung, WestJet, and Fairmont hotels. The best part? It’s super easy to get started!

• Register using the following link: Perkopolis Registration
• Type in your work email or even your personal one – your choice!
• Keep an eye on your inbox for an email from Perkopolis Customer Service. It’ll have a special link to complete your registration. If you used your personal email, your Member ID Code will be CC + y/[our employee ID# (like CC12345).

Here’s your reminder to download the ‘Beyond Silence’ app, your free and private mental health buddy, exclusively for our PSWs and Homemakers. With this app, you’ve gotresources to boost your mental well-being. Plus, you can chat with a pro – a trained Peer Support Provider.

You can download this app on your personal device, or check your work phone to see if it’s been downloaded there. Easy, right? So, go ahead and explore ‘Beyond Silence’ for a happier and healthier you!

ACCESS CODE: CCYP527J8

To ensure everyone’s well-being, it’s mandatory for all of you to have current and valid CPR training. Plus, you’ll need to be properly fitted for N95 masks.

Upcoming Training Sessions: We’ve got you covered with upcoming CPR and mask fit sessions. Booking is a breeze through our vendor, First Aid Care. You can reserve your spot online here [http://register.firstaidcare.ca/] or give them a call at 905-272-9214.

A Few Friendly Reminders:

• Arrive 15 minutes before the class starts.
• If you need to reschedule due to a conflict with client visits, speak with your Service Coordinator. Please try to book a date/time when you don’t have client visits scheduled.
• Your schedule will be marked as “unavailable” for you to attend the session. No need to use your phone to sign into the training.
• You’ll be paid for the training – 4 hours for CPR and 1 hour for mask fitting. Your payment will appear under ‘Miscellaneous’ on your paystub, around 1-2 weeks after you complete your session.
• For cancellations or changes, use the online portal. You’ll receive a confirmation email or text and a session reminder.

Your safety is our mission, and these training sessions are a big part of that. So, stay safe, and let’s keep providing the best care possible!

Guess what? It’s flu season, and we’ve got some simple advice for you and your family. For everyone 6 months or older (with rare exceptions), it’s time to get the flu shot – it’s like a shield against the flu bug!

Now, pay close attention if you’re in the high-risk category for serious flu troubles. For most folks, it’s best to roll up your sleeve and get the vaccine in September or October, just before flu season goes wild. If you miss that window, no worries, you can still get a shot later, and it’ll keep you safe during the peak flu season.

Here’s a special note for those of you who have children: sometimes they might need two doses of the flu vaccine. If that’s the case, then make sure they get that first dose ASAP because the second one should follow at least four weeks later.

Great news! You can grab your flu shot for free. Just visit your doctor, nurse practitioner, swing by a walk-in clinic or a community health center, or pop into a participating pharmacy like Shoppers Drug Mart. So, why wait? Stay flu-free!

We’ve got your back when it comes to safety! We’ve set up something called the Workplace Hazard Management Tool. This tool helps us keep an eye on all the things that could be hazardous in our workplace. For each of these potential hazards, we’ve got what we call “Safe Operating Procedures” (SOPs). They’re our guides on how to avoid these hazards and stay safe from getting sick or injured. You can find these SOPs on the PSW Portal.

We’d love for all of you to read these procedures and get to know them. Safety is a team effort, and knowing how to keep yourself and your colleagues safe is a big deal. So, let’s all be safety superheroes!

October is a special month – it’s Disability Employment Awareness Month!

Kai and Nasrin have prepared a fantastic presentation all about disability awareness and caring for individuals with disabilities. Excited to learn more? Just click on the video, and learn more about this important topic!

Positive Language – The words we choose can make a big difference in how we communicate with our clients. Instead of just saying “no,” which might sound like you don’t want to help, you can use positive language. For example, you could say, “I cannot do this for you at the moment because I have not received the appropriate training, but I can notify my CSS of your request so they can provide guidance to us.” This way, you’re not shutting down their request but showing your willingness to assist in a different way.

Finding the Closest Solution – Sometimes, you might not be able to fulfill a specific request, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find an alternative solution. You can say, “I cannot do [the requested task], but what I CAN do is…” and offer a different duty or solution that is more appropriate. This not only keeps the conversation positive but also shows your commitment to helping in any way you can.

Provide a Dedicated Explanation – If a task is not in the care plan, it’s essential to explain this to the client. Rather than just saying “no,” you can express your understanding of their situation. For instance, you could say, “I appreciate your request, Mr./Ms. [Client’s Name]. However, I need to follow the care plan and ensure your safety and well-being. I can imagine you are having a difficult time with this. I will get in contact with the CSS to confirm this duty for you.” This approach acknowledges their needs while also emphasizing the importance of safety and following established protocols.

By using positive language, finding alternative solutions, and providing dedicated explanations, you can maintain a supportive and helpful relationship with your clients, even when you can’t fulfill their exact request.

I’m a full-time PSW worker but I’m not getting full-time hours. Newly hired and part-time PSWs are getting more hours than full-time. If clients request me for visits, the coordinators will say I have a busy schedule, but in fact I’m only getting 3-5 clients a day. I used to have 8-10 clients before but not anymore.

If you are not receiving enough hours, and have already spoken with your coordinator, you should escalate this so an investigation can be done to see if there are hours available in a nearby caseload. You can connect with one of the Service Coordination Supervisors – Alicia Pelletier (ext.232) or Tariq Shafi (ext. 256).

We would like to remind you that the list of new hires that we publish is for all caseloads across our entire catchment area from Etobicoke to Scarborough, and our recruitment team hires for areas that are in need of more PSWs.

If a client requests you as their PSW and you have availability, then we make the switch for them. If this is not happening, you should escalate this for investigation. You can either reach out to Alicia (x232) or Tariq (x256). We are not trying to keep clients from having their preferred PSWs. If you are available to take the visits, we would like to assign you to these visits. It’s possible you have not updated your availability for the Service Coordinator to see. There may also be a lack of communication between you and the client, where the client is not willing to change their visit time to accommodate the time slots when you would be available.

I took an Uber ride going to my regular client to catch up as she is time specific due to her situation and condition. She was my fourth client, one extra added client before her which I understand as sometimes we have shortage in PSW in the area. But my question is are we able to request for a ride in case this happens?

If you did not have enough travel time, this is something that you should make sure to highlight to your Service Coordinator. Generally speaking, we don’t reimburse Ubers for PSWs. If you were tight on time to travel, you should call the office and explain the client is time sensitive so that we could arrange a taxi under Circle of Care’s account.

If I don’t work weekends, how do I make sure weekends aren’t counted in my holiday vacation?

You may see that “vacation” time is scheduled for weekends even if you do not normally work on weekends. This is because our scheduling system clears and blocks off the entire week so that no visits can be added to your schedule while you are on vacation. This will not impact the vacation time and vacation pay entitlements based on your length of service.

I’m a full-time employee, but I’m only getting 20-25 hours weekly with 6 days availability. Some part timers are getting more hours than me. I keep seeing the list of newly hired PSWs, but I’m a current staff member who isn’t getting enough hours. Isn’t that unfair? Even though clients request me, my coordinator refuses to add them to my schedule, and keeps lying that I’m not available.

We answered a similar question above. If you are not receiving enough hours, and have already spoken with your coordinator, you should escalate this so an investigation can be done to see if there are hours available in a nearby caseload. You can connect with one of the Service Coordination Supervisors – Alicia Pelletier (ext.232) or Tariq Shafi (ext. 256).

Would we be able to have Assertiveness training via Zoom? Thank you for the Zoom trainings provided by Circle of Care. I would like to see training or a facilitated discussion on “How to be assertive at work in a polite way.” I personally hear the same issues coming up from different PSWs related to their inability to be assertive.

We have passed along your feedback to our Learning & Development team. In the meantime, please be aware that our upcoming Workplace Violence Prevention training (which will come out in November) will touch on the topic of assertiveness.

We would like to also remind all of you that we do have a list of scripts available for you to use if you’re not sure how to address certain situations with clients or their families: https://psw.circleofcare.com/index.php/psw-scripts/

This is not a question, but I just wanted to say that I can’t access my Dayforce account, and calling IT is a waste of time because I are stuck for long time waiting on the phone.

We understand that it can be frustrating if you’re unable to log into Dayforce. Our company ID is “circleofcare” with no spaces and no capital letters. Your login will be your firstname.lastname (so if your name is Jasmin Singh, your username would be jasmin.singh). If you can’t remember your password, click on the “Can’t Access Your Account” button. From there, you’ll be able to reset your password. We hope this helps!

Why were the holiday groceries cards cancelled?

Thank you for your question.  As of September 1, 2022, we no longer mail out gift cards to our employees as we now use the “Applause” platform to celebrate Champions of Care Awards, service anniversaries, and special events/holidays. Applause is a points-based recognition and rewards program that allows employees to earn points and redeem them for items of their choice. If you have not already signed up for Applause or are unsure of how to activate your account, please contact our HR Department at HRDept@circleofcare.com.

We should get a pay increase. I feel that providing service in the community should mean getting paid more, especially since I take transit to go to clients. We would feel more appreciated. It’s been a long time with no increase.

Thank you for your suggestion. As an agency that receives government funding, we were restricted by government legislation- Bill 124.  This legislation stated that wage increases were limited to one percent per year for the duration of the collective agreement. As of late last year, Bill 124 was deemed unconstitutional so we will be discussing increases when we negotiate a new collective agreement in June 2024.

Spread hours either full or part time. Please consider to meet the hours especially for part time PSWS in Bathurst and Sheppard area.

Thank you for your suggestion. At the present time, our scheduling software does not allow us to easily view PSW availability status (full or part time). We are exploring a technology solution for this to make it easier for Service Coordinators  to view PSW’s availability versus their scheduled hours for the week. Our goal is to build this into the PSW utilization dashboard. Until a technology solution is found, the Operations team is exploring manual options to resolve this issue. In the meantime, if there are concerns about your schedules and if you should have the ability to take on more work, we ask that you please connect with your Service Coordinator (SC) or Client Service Supervisor (CSS) to alter them so that we can address your specific concerns in a timely manner.

Send PSWs to the nearest areas where they live. They can pick up more clients and they will not have to go too far.

Thank you for your suggestion. We always prioritize placing PSWs in caseloads that are closest to their homes. If there is a significant reduction in hours in that area, then we place the PSW is the next closest caseload that needs support. But they are always placed within the expected distance for travel that HR discusses with them (up to 1hr from home for the first client, up to 30 minutes travel for each client following). Anything outside of this range is discussed and agreed to with the PSW before their first day. We ask that you identify any specific concerns about travel time and your schedule to your Service Coordinator (SC) or Client Service Supervisor (CSS) so that we may work to address them.

I suggest we have a supply pick-up location at the UPS on 1881 Steeles West.

Thank you for your suggestion. The UPS store on 1881 Steeles West was actually our first choice. However, the owner of that store did not want to have his store used as a supply depot. We found another UPS store nearby at 1110 Finch Avenue West, Unit 40 (Finch & Dufferin). The store hours for that location are Monday to Friday 9:00am-6:40pm; Saturday 10:00am-3:00pm. Please note that the PPE supply bags will only be held for one week (7 days). If not picked up, it will be returned to the Head Office and you will then have to pick it up at 4211 Yonge Street, Suite 401.