Inside the Circle – November 21, 2023

We’ve got some important news to share with you. In the next few weeks, Dayforce will be rolling out a password reset for everyone who hasn’t changed their password in the last 90 days. When Dayforce prompts you, it’ll be a quick and easy password change. Just type in your new password, confirm it, and voila! From then on, you’ll be logging in with your new password.

Below, you’ll find instructions on how to change your password:

The Credit Council Society is hosting free webinars on financial topics that may interest you. Below, you will see a list of upcoming webinars. If you are interested in attending any of the webinars, you can register at:  https://nomoredebts.org/financial-education/financial-workshops-webinars/webinar-schedule

• Ending the Financial Feud: Relationships & Money – December 2, 12-1pm Participants will learn about each other’s money values, triggers and goals, to work together to create a manageable and tension-less plan.
• Making Cent$ of Money Budgeting 101 – December 2, 1-2pm Participants will learn the 7 steps to budgeting which will help them take control of their finances and give them peace of mind.
• Cautious Consumerism: Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft & Fraud – December 5, 5-6pm Participants will learn ways to avoid the most common scams and frauds in Canada and what to do if they become a victim of identity theft.
• The Truth About Credit: Info on Canadian Credit Reports, Ratings & Scores – December 5, 6-7pm Myths around credit, facts around credit reports, credit ratings, & credit scores alongside strategies on how to protect or repair credit.

Your safety is our top priority at Circle of Care!  Our Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) has identified that the risk level for workplace violence and harassment is at a ‘medium’ level for our community employees. To tackle this, they’ve rolled out an annual training and communication campaign on this important topic.

Now, here’s where you come in! We’ve got an engaging e-learning course on Workplace Violence and Harassment waiting for you on Dayforce. It’s not just training; it’s an investment in your safety and growth. We’re counting on each one of you to dive into this mandatory e-learning module and emerge with a deeper understanding by December 31, 2023.

And here’s the cherry on top – complete the mandatory e-learning, and you’ll score yourself 30 minutes of paid training time, which will be paid out in January. Your safety matters, and so does your time!

Let’s champion a safe and supportive work environment together. Ready to dive in? Let’s do this!

Ever wondered what “Responsive Behaviour” really means? It’s a term that folks with dementia, mental health challenges, substance use issues, or other neurological disorders prefer to use. It describes how their actions, words and gestures are a response to something important in their environment (Alzheimer Society of Ontario, 2014).

Dementia and Responsive Behaviours

Now, let’s zoom in on Dementia and Responsive Behaviours:

• Our brain helps us talk, decide to act, and make sense of the world.
• Any changes in behaviour could signal damage to the brain.
• When we talk about someone’s responsive behaviours, we mean their actions, words, or gestures in response to negative, frustrating, or confusing things in their environment.
• These behaviour shifts can be a challenge for the person with dementia and those around them.

To help you understand why a person is behaving a certain way, remember that:

• All behaviour has a reason.
• Behaviour is usually a response to something.
• Behaviours are complex.
• Ask yourself if the behaviour is truly a problem or risk. If not, does anything need fixing?

So, there you have it – a glimpse into the world of responsive behaviours. Stay curious and compassionate!

Don’t forget to log your conquered daily challenges to get a shot at winning 2,500 Applause points! Let’s make November the month of wellness wins!

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.

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I suggest that the IT team install the TTC Tracker app to the PSW phones, because we are currently using our own data to check real time bus arrivals. This would be very helpful to us.

Thank you for this wonderful suggestion. We have shared this with our IT team, and they are in the process of looking into the app and determining if it meets our privacy requirements for work devices. If approved, the team will add the app to the PSW phones. Thanks again for suggesting such a great idea!

Please change the Smart Guard brand gloves because it’s easily torn and water seeps in.  The Tuff brand are more convenient and a better product.  Please use Tuff Brand gloves for our supplies. 
Thank you for your suggestion.  We use a combination of SmartGuard and Tuff brand gloves (Boxes come in quantities of either 250 or 100 gloves).  If you find that you received a box of defected/faulty gloves, please return it to our PPE Supplies team.   Inform the team of the issue so they can follow up with our suppliers, and  they will give you a new box of gloves.

Suggested pick-up area near Lawrence Avenue West or Jane Street & Willson Avenue.   This area is near Etobicoke.

Thank you for the suggestion.  Like you, a few other employees also suggested adding UPS locations for PPE pick up.   We are currently running a survey to gather more feedback.  You will notice that a flyer will be circulated in the PPE bags with a link to the survey.  We also have a laptop and flyer at our reception area for PSWs to fill out when they are in the office.   The survey will be available until December and once we review the results, we can look into additional UPS locations for PPE pick up.

Please keep an eye on the call centre.  We work in the community and collaborate with the call centre for assistance.  It is an issue at night and on weekends, when it takes 20-30 minutes for us to wait for assistance. 
Thank you for this feedback. We are currently reviewing our call volumes and peak call times and aligning our internal staff to better support our field staff. Our average call answer rate is around 96% and we continue to monitor trends in the queues.

Please do schedule PSW for overnight shifts, so that everyone can work.  A mother like me care for young kids during the day time.

Thank you for sharing this with us. We do not often provide overnight shifts, as this is not a common time for clients to receive service. Most clients receive service between 7am-11pm.

Is there a faster way for PSWs to get a hold of someone in the office in case of emergency?  We have to wait so long to get through to the line.

Thank you for this feedback. We are currently reviewing our call volumes and peak call times and aligning our internal staff to better support our field staff. Our average call answer rate is around 96% and we continue to monitor trends in the queues.

Give more hours for those who are asking for it.  To be happy and love the work.

Thank you for your feedback.  As we are a unionized work environment, we do have to schedule clients on the basis of seniority. We also have fluctuations in clients services and authorized hours. Some clients go to hospital, put their services on hold for a variety of reasons, move outside of our catchment area, have a reduction in hours or are discharged from our services.  This can have an impact on PSW schedules, as our volumes from our funders are not guaranteed.  We continue to try and accept as many new clients as possible.