Inside the Circle – July 4, 2023

During the month of July, we will be running a Wellness Challenge focused on step count. Step count is the number of steps you take throughout the day. Pedometers and digital activity trackers (most of which are built into smartphones or smart watches) help you to count your steps. Most of us find easy ways to get steps in throughout the day, so we encourage you to participate in the Challenge by tracking your steps, having friendly competition with your colleagues, and see if you can win a prize! All employees are invited to track their weekly step count and enter your step count on weekly basis by clicking the button below.

*If you are having difficulties accessing the spreadsheet (you may need to access the spreadsheet using your personal mobile phone or device), please email Nasrin (nalam@circleofcare.com) with your step count for each week, and we will enter your steps on your behalf.

Prizes will be awarded to employees with the top 3 highest step counts:

1st place prize: 10,000 Applause Points ($100 value)
2nd place prize: 7500 Applause Points ($75 value)
3rd place prize: 5000 Applause Points ($50 value)
*Participation prize: $2500 Applause Points ($25 value)

*All employees who get at least 56,000 steps at the end of the challenge (equivalent to 2000 steps/day) will be entered in a draw to win the participation prize.

We will send out weekly reminders through Inside the Circle to enter your step count and we encourage you to enter your step count each week so you can see who the Challenge Leaders are!

Circle of Care has a Workplace Hazard Management Tool, which we update regularly and which goes over workplace hazards that you may face in your role.

For each workplace hazard, we have put together Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs) which go over how our employees can reduce the risk of these hazards and reduce chance of illness/injury. SOPs are posted to the Portal, and include information about how to prevent Slips, Trips, Falls, Musculoskeletal Disorders, Workplace Violence Prevention, and more. Our SOPs and Hazard Management Tool are reviewed by our Joint Health and Safety Committee.

All employees are encouraged to review and be familiar with these procedures:

In recent weeks, we have heard a lot about increased forest fires across the country, and have felt the impact of the smoke first-hand. Forest fire activity throughout the summer months is creating an environmental hazard, and it is important to be aware of this hazard and take precautions for your health and safety.

Wildfire smoke is made up of small particles and gasses, and when you breathe these in, they can cause irritation and inflammation. Breathing in smoke can also cause milder health issues such as burning/itchy eyes, sore throat, and runny nose, and more serious health issues such as chronic heart and lung diseases. Symptoms of smoke exposure include cough, sore throat, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, and health palpitations (racing heart).

With heavy wildfire smoke, everyone is at risk according to Health Canada, regardless of your age. The AQHI (Air Quality Health Index) is monitored and updated regularly, and Environment Canada publishes Air Quality information on weather apps for mobile phones, with weather alerts issued when AQHI reaches dangerous levels.

To reduce your risk:
• Limit outdoor activities
• Wear a close-fitting mask such as an N95 to reduce exposure when outdoors
• Make sure your doors and windows are closed to keep smoke out of your home

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 have been booked for September and December.

Appointments must be booked through our vendor, First Aid Care, and can be booked via phone by calling 905-272-9214, or book online by clicking the button below.

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.

We also encourage you to review our CPR Tips and Guidance below.

The ‘Your Wellness Newsletter’ is an employee resilience initiative that provides wellness information and resources across the NYTHP network. The newsletter highlights upcoming wellness events, challenges and activities.

To view the July newsletter, please visit:

Why can’t PSWs accept tips?

Any employee/volunteer of Circle of Care who has regular contact with clients must be conscious of the employee-client relationship and maintain a professional therapeutic relationship at all times. This means making sure that no boundaries are crossed between the client and employee. At no point in an employee-client relationship is an employee allowed to engage in inviting, accepting or offering gifts. If a client offers an employee a gift, the employee must not accept and report it to their Manager/Supervisor for further direction.

For more information about what a therapeutic boundary is you can visit or read our policy on Therapeutic Relationships: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Ey00c9RzYH_VDcx1nzqbBZfZLW1WEgve

Do we have to ask our coordinator for more hours? I think they should know already.

You do not need to ask your coordinator for additional hours within your availability. If you are willing to work outside of your availability, then you should let your coordinator know. If you have gap times between your clients, the Service Coordination team can see that and will assign client visits based on seniority, client preference, travel etc.

On June 19 we had our PSW team meeting in the afternoon, but I don’t see the 1.5 hrs pay on my schedule.

Please reach out to your supervisor directly regarding any unpaid hours.

What are the eligibility criteria for maternity leaves? How many weeks of maternity leave can we get?

To be eligible for Pregnancy leave, you must have started your employment with Circle of Care at least 13 weeks before the estimated date of delivery. You are required to give your Manager or Supervisor at least two weeks’ notice in writing before beginning a Pregnancy leave. This notice must indicate the date you intends to start your leave of absence and must be accompanied by a certificate from a medical practitioner stating the estimated date of birth.

Pregnant employees are eligible for up to 17 weeks of unpaid Pregnancy leave, in accordance with the Ontario Employment Standards Act. In addition to the 17 weeks of Pregnancy leave available to biological mothers, each new working parent is entitled to up to 61 weeks or 63 weeks of unpaid Parental leave to care for a newborn or newly adopted child. We have a full Pregnancy and Parental Leave policy, which you can read here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ChrO62hLEK8rTtoyQyd4gL5FqxKasMBp/view

It was mentioned in Inside the Circle that as per a new policy, new hires will only need to wait six (6) months before requesting any changes to their availability. I want to know that whether this will be applicable for current employees or is this only for new employees? Will it be possible for me to change my availability? I joined in December 2022.

Yes, this policy change is applicable to current employees as well! You will be able to submit a request to change your availability, now that 6 months has passed since you started with Circle of Care. The Availability Change Request form is here: https://psw.circleofcare.com/index.php/availability-form/

If your new availability is approved, it may take at least 2 weeks before it is reflected in your schedule. This time period will allow your Service Coordinator to transition any high risk clients to avoid disruption in client’s care.

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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.