Inside the Circle – April 16, 2024

Circle of Care aims to create a Healthy Workplace where you feel valued, engaged, and can thrive. Your feedback on Healthy Lifestyles, Mental Health & Workplace Culture, and Organizational Supports is important. Please complete this anonymous survey by May 3.

Circle of Care has a policy to maintain a scent-free environment. Please do not wear, use, or apply fragrances at any Circle of Care location, during home visits, and at community programs.

Prohibited Fragrances: perfume, cologne, aftershave, scented sprays or lotions, room sprays or solids, and similar products.

The chemicals in scented products can pose health risks to others, particularly those with fragrance sensitivities, asthma, allergies, or other medical conditions.

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.

You are entitled to annual vacation under the Collective Agreement. Your vacation time and vacation pay is based on the length of your continued service, calculated as of September each year. The following is a breakdown of vacation benefits:

Length of Service Number of Weeks Off Vacation Pay %

Please note that the time you book off for vacation is not paid, as vacation pay is paid out on an annual basis in September. If you would like to request your accrued vacation pay to be paid out in advance, you can email payroll@circleofcare.com. To submit vacation requests, please do so through the mobile app. All requests for vacation time will be reviewed by your Service Coordinator.

For any other questions about vacation time entitlement, please refer to the Collective Agreement.

• Omowunmi Famuyiwa
• Teresa Romero
• Cyrille Rose Lima
• Tanviben Patel
• Tetiana Kucherenko
• Hadija Nabukeera
• Janette Layus
• Charisse May Dagondon
• Kathleen Almonte
• Ulna Magayano
• Purvi Rohit
• Ronah Namubiru
• Riyaben Barot
• Sara-Jane Prosser

We want to hear from you! Please complete the following survey once you are done attending the Elder Abuse training sessions.

Beyond Silence is a free and confidential mental health support program for you. 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, or on your personal device.

ACCESS CODE: CCYP527J8

We ask that if you have just started using the Beyond Silence app, that you fill out the following form:
Baseline: https://canchild.mcmaster.ca/surveys/?s=9XKXWR4KLF44FACE

If you’ve been using the app for a while, please fill out the follow-up form:
Follow-Up: https://canchild.mcmaster.ca/surveys/?s=DDW89H4A9RA47PKH

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.

People are asking questions about hours. You are telling them to ask their coordinator. Our coordinator knows, but she just doesn’t care. I won’t ask her for hours.
We’re sorry to hear that you feel your coordinator doesn’t care about your hours. We invite you to connect with one of the Service Coordination Supervisors – Alicia Pelletier (ext.232) or Tariq Shafi (ext. 256), so that they can look into your situation.

I am working for Circle of Care for 18 years and am now a part-timer just because of not getting enough hours. Can you please explain?
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).

I have mentioned the situation with my schedule to my coordinator and SUPERVISOR and still no changes. I don’t this is fair to me or any other PSW.
If you are not receiving enough hours, and have already spoken with your coordinator and supervisor, 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).

I want to know how to change my Service Coordinator.
You would need to reach out to your Coordinator’s supervisor to have a discussion on switching your Coordinator. To do this, please contact either Alicia Pelletier (ext.232) or Tariq Shafi (ext. 256).