Inside the Circle – May 7, 2024

Personal Support Worker (PSW) Day is approaching on May 19! To highlight this day, we’re asking you, our PSWs, to send us a short story about how you’ve made a difference for one of your clients.

Send your story and a photo of yourself to Mary at man@circleofcare.com by May 10. Thank you – we’re looking forward to showcasing your stories!

Join us for a workshop on Challenging Stigma in the Workplace hosted by Your Health Space. This important workshop will cover how to mitigate negative impacts of stigma and strategies to foster a stigma-free workplace.

Zoom Meeting Details:
May 15 from 12pm-2pm
Meeting ID: 897 9417 7253
Passcode: 933669

Circle of Care requires that all PSWs and Homemakers be certified with valid and current CPR training, and that employees be properly fitted for N95 masks.

Upcoming sessions for both CPR and mask fit are available. Appointments must be booked through our vendor, First Aid Care, and can be booked online here: https://firstaidcare.ca/circleofcare-firstaidcare-ca/ or by calling 905-272-9214.

Important reminders – please read:

• Please arrive at the training session 15 minutes before the class begins.
• After you have booked your appointment, please speak to your Service Coordinator if you need any scheduling arrangements and have clients that you will need to be booked off from to attend the CPR and/or mask fit training. Please try to book a date/time where you do not have client visits scheduled.
• Your schedule will be blocked as ‘unavailable’ for you to attend the session. You do not need to use your phone to sign into the training.
• You will be paid a total of 4 hours for the training (CPR) and 1 hour for mask fit – this will be added to your schedule 1-2 weeks after the session has been completed and you will receive payment. The code will appear on your paystub as ‘Miscellaneous’
• All bookings/cancellations must be managed through the online portal. You will receive a confirmation email/text notification and will also receive a session reminder.

To reduce transmission of infections, please continue these safety and infection control measures:

• Hand Hygiene: Practice regular and frequent handwashing.
• Health Check: Ensure you feel well and have no symptoms before starting your shift.
• 
Stay Home if Unwell: If you’re feeling unwell, stay home from work.
• COVID-19 Symptoms: If you have COVID-19 symptoms, stay home for 24-48 hours and take a rapid antigen test.
• Report Positive Test: Report to the office if you test positive for COVID-19.
• 
PPE Protocol: Wearing a mask for all client visits.
• 
Client Monitoring: Pay attention to how your clients are feeling, and report any new symptoms to your CSS. Wear additional PPE (gloves, eye protection, and isolation gown) if needed.

Don’t forget to check-out the ‘Beyond Silence’ app! This is a free and confidential mental health support program to our PSWs and Homemakers. Through the app, you can access resources to support your mental well-being, and you are able to speak with a trained Peer Support Provider. You can access the app on your Circle of Care work phone, and on your personal device.

ACCESS CODE: CCYP527J8

For more information about the program, please visit: https://psw.circleofcare.com/index.php/health-safety/wellness-at-work/

This week, May 6th to 12th, is Mental Health Week, and we’re celebrating with the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)! The theme is “Compassion connects us all.”

Compassion can make a real difference in your life and the lives of those around you. By showing kindness and understanding, you can create a more supportive workplace. It’s not just about being kind to others but also to yourself.

During Mental Health Week, CMHA is offering free workshops on various mental health topics. Visit https://cmhato.org/campaigns/mental-health-week/#workshops to learn more and register for a workshop that fits your schedule and interests.

CMHA also provides a toolkit with resources to explore the power of compassion, including a week-long journaling activity. Check it out at https://cmha.ca/mental-health-week/toolkits/.

To get involved in Mental Health Week, visit https://cmha.ca/mental-health-week/.

We invite you to submit your questions or feedback below. Please note that it may take us longer to provide some answers, so if you’ve asked a question that hasn’t been answered yet, we will get back to you in the coming weeks.

I’ve been working for Circle of Care for almost 5 years and I’m now a part time. I get 3 and 1 and half hrs a day. The most hours I get is 4 on a Thursday. And all you can say is contact your coordinator. We PSWs are tired of hearing that. Do something about it because everyday you’re hiring new PSWs.
Thank you for your feedback. Circle of Care continues to hire PSWs based on geographical needs as well as funder requirements for specific times and/or days. We do encourage you to share your specific concerns with the coordinator and your supervisor. Hours fluctuate depending on funder authorizations and changes to your clients services and hours may also be impacting your hours. We do encourage you to share your concerns with us via phone so that we can better analyze what is happening with your specific situation.

I have been working for Circle of Care for nearly 15 years. My hours have been scaled back to 18 hours a week. You say talk to my Coordinator. But what will she say? She says, oh I don’t have hours to give you. I have called those 2 people Alicia and Tariq. I leave messages. They do not get back to me. So what good are they?
Sorry to hear you are not getting a response. If you would like to escalate your specific concern further please contact Ricky Manchanda so we can understand why there have been gaps in you receiving a return phone call.

I spoke to my coordinator on several occasions about getting more hours but to no avail. I’ve worked for the company for 18 years. It seems as if no one cares; there are PSWs working fewer years than me who are getting so many hours. There are workers talking about all the hours they are getting, and some even have to refuse hours! Everyone should be treated fairly at Circle of Care.
We would be happy to review your availability and see if there are clients we can align into your schedule. When clients have specific preferences, we honour those requests and try to schedule staff that best meets their needs. There are many factors that contribute to the distribution of hours and we encourage you to share your specific concerns by calling your coordinator and supervisor directly.

Why don’t we have equality of hours? Some people have more hours and some PSWs have much less? WHY??? The coordinator should know all this. She gives all the hours to newly hired PSWs. This is not fair to those PSWs who have worked here for a long time.
We aim to schedule clients based on seniority, however, when clients have specific preferences we honour those if we have staff who can accommodate. Hours also fluctuate when there are changes to a client’s schedule, often which is outside the control of Circle of Care. We encourage you to call your coordinator directly so we can address your specific concerns.

I think a better option would be Sunlife or Great West because a majority of the packages offered by Global are unnecessary and inadequate. Through my research the previously mentioned companies have better packages and would greatly benefit our day to day scheduling if we moved to a different provider, (i.e., shoes, stockings, orthopedics, and plans that roll over).
Thank you for reaching out with this feedback and recommendation. We are continuing to pass along feedback regarding our current partnership with Global Benefits to our partners at SEIU during Labour Management Meetings, and will keep this feedback top of mind when bargaining for the new Collective Agreement.

Are we not allowed to work more than 40hrs a week? Some of my regular clients are not on my schedule. One client phoned me and asked why I wasn’t coming next week and said that the office told her I was on holiday. Recently one of my regular clients was out of my schedule again. I just hope that we keep our regular clients to prevent confusions.
Clients are scheduled within your stated availability and we cannot schedule staff over 44 hours. Please contact your coordinator directly to review what has happened to your regular clients.

If we provided full-time availability, then why aren’t we paid for the times when we have less than 30 hours on our schedules? So that it’s topped up to full-time pay?
Staff are paid for direct client visits only. If staff provide 40 hours of availability for example we try to schedule as many clients as we can during that time. Travel must also be reflected in your schedule and that is non-client time.

I recently had a sick day on May 1st, 2024 and I noticed that I was only being paid 7 out of 8 clients. It says nonchargeable sick paid 7- 14 ; non chargeable sick not paid 14:00-15:00. What’s going on? Your workers get sick and you just decide “oh let’s not pay her for one hour.” Is that how you care for your workers? I am not really happy right now. We don’t get 27 dollars per hour like our colleagues in the hospital and LTC. Do have a heart. When a worker is sick, she is really sick. I don’t feel a hundred percent still, but I still worked because you might not pay me if I get sick. I am really disappointed right now! Can someone explain what magic did you do to not pay me the rest of the hour?
Please contact the Payroll department directly with your concerns (payroll@circleofcare.com). The form you have filled out is anonymous, and therefore we cannot address your situation unless you reach out to Payroll directly