Highlights from this Week
- Feb 22 is Anti-Bullying Day
- Poll Question Regarding Networking Groups
- Welcome to our New Staff
- Ask Us Anything Q&A
News & Information
February 22 is Anti-Bullying Day
The act of bullying refers to when someone intentionally hurts someone they perceive as weaker than themselves. Bullying can cause a great deal of pain that lasts a long time and is repeated time and time again. It may even lead to depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Bullying happens in many ways, but some common forms of bullying are verbal bullying, physical bullying, social bullying, and cyberbullying. Bullying can also occur in the workplace.
What you can do:
- Get support. Speak to a colleague/friend/family member that will support you and work together to speak out against bullying and harassment.
- When someone is being bullied, in person or online, stand up for them so that they know that they don’t deserve to be bullied. Don’t encourage bullying by participating in bullying behaviour.
- Familiarize yourself with our anti-bullying policy, including the different types of bulling and how to recognize when someone might be suffering from bullying.
Question on Networking Groups
Circle of Care is looking into creating networking groups for Circle of Care staff that have common identities. This could include creating groups for those who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Colour), Russian-Speakers, or other identities. These groups will be staff-driven, meaning that if there is at least 4 people interested in forming a group, we will look at advertising it for more members. Please note that any groups formed will be open to both union and non-union staff, and that attendance for these groups is not mandatory, nor will it be paid. It is to help create community amongst people sharing similar identities or backgrounds.
Welcome to Circle of Care
We are pleased to welcome the following new PSWs and Homemakers to Circle of Care:
- Lina Ali
- Lusheida Henry
- Mark Anthony Matias
- Yami Patel
- Ranya Bernabe
- Jemmy Patel
- Birikti Weldegebriel
Ask Us Anything
With the cost of living so high, how is it that the average worker is only working 25 hours per week? I have gone 24 hours before and that lead me to be very unhappy. I am not even happy right now with my hours.
The schedule of each PSW is different, and full-time PSWs work on average at least 25 hours per week or more. If you are unhappy with the number of hours you are working each week, please discuss this with your service coordinator to see if more hours can be added to your schedule, and/or add more availability to your schedule by completing the availability request form on the PSW Portal. We want our PSWs to be satisfied with the number of hours that they are working.
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.