Inside the Circle – April 23, 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!

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) affect your body in different ways. The way you move your body can help you to prevent MSDs. Proper body mechanics, such as keeping your back stable during lifting, avoiding twisting, using a wide base when lifting, and keeping your center of gravity low, can help you prevent injuries, strain, and fatigue. Remember to pay attention to your limits and not overexert yourself.

For more information, please review our Safe Operation Procedure and MSD Prevention Program:

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_xd1pXXg2yQvdJBZ2AyVMXf77xvtCZnS/view
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C3TerCaz1Pi_pqt1hGGtAJJM5fbi8DQE/view

Upcoming sessions for both CPR and mask fit are available. Appointments can be booked online here by clicking the button below or by calling 905-272-9214.

Important reminders – please read:

• Arrive 15 minutes early for the training.
• Speak to your Service Coordinator if you have scheduling conflicts during the training time.
• Your schedule will be blocked as ‘unavailable’. You do not need to use your phone to sign into training.
• You will be paid for 4 hours for CPR and 1 hour for mask fit. Payment will show up on your paystub as ‘Miscellaneous.’ It will be added to your schedule 1-2 weeks after your session.
• Manage your bookings and cancellations through the online portal. You will receive a confirmation email/text notification and will also receive a session reminder.

To reduce the risk of client aggression while you are in your client’s homes, follow these tips:

• Review the client’s file for a history of aggression, and any conditions that could lead to unpredictable behaviour, like dementia or substance abuse.
• Use the ALC checklist and communicate with your supervisor about any changing conditions.
• Learn the early signs of aggression (fidgeting, increased breathing, flushed face).
• Be aware of your surroundings, including caregivers and pets.
• Stand outside the client’s personal space if they become aggressive, and position yourself near an exit in the client’s room so you can leave if necessary. Then call Circle of Care to report the incident.

Learn more about de-escalating client aggression:

Please take a few minutes to complete our Wellness at Work survey by May 3. All responses are anonymous.

As an employee at Circle of Care you have access to our exclusive offers through Perkopolis. These perks include retail & shopping, attractions & tickets, travel, home & auto insurance, Shell fuel savings, and much more!

To access Perkopolis:

•  Go to https://www.perkopolis.com/ and click on ‘Sign In/Register’ at the top-right hand corner
• Click ‘Register’ on the right hand screen
• Enter your personal email address
• Monitor your inbox for an email from Perkopolis and click on the link to complete registration
• Insert your member ID Code (this will be CC+your employee ID), example CC1234

Please note that your employee ID is not your voicemail number. Your Employee ID will be outlined on your Circle of Care employee badge.

For any questions or troubleshooting, Perkopolis can be contact by phone (416-236-4985) or email (customerservice@perkopolis.com).

Earth Day is an annual event held around the world to demonstrate support for environmental protection. Some actions that you can take to contribute to Earth Day are:

1. Support the Global Plastics Treaty: Be part of the global movement to manage plastic waste. Visit https://action.earthday.org/global-plastics-treaty to learn more
2. Reject Fast Fashion: Choose sustainable clothing to reduce waste and pollution.
3. Join the Great Global Cleanup: Participate in local cleanups to remove trash from our natural spaces.

For more ways to make a difference, check out the official Earth Day website https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2024/

Using respectful and inclusive language is a powerful way to demonstrate commitment to creating welcoming and inclusive spaces.  For information about starting conversations, including email correspondence, addressing individuals by title, please refer to this tip sheet from the 519:

1. Avoid assumed use of gendered titles: https://www.the519.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CreatingAuthenticSpaces_Conversations.pdf
2. Gender-Specific & Gender-neutral pronouns: https://www.the519.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/CreatingAuthenticSpaces_Pronouns.pdf

If you are experiencing any incidents of Violence, Harassment, Discrimination and/or Hate while at work or during working hours, you should report this to your Supervisor, Manager, Director, or to Human Resources. We have established procedures to follow up with employees, clients, caregivers, etc.

For more information, review our relevant policies:

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hGFdRyW3tH0N1xuXuEpVj7ECF6okZbM-/view
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/10-nhx_IePiPdaWGc_VV4NsUHa-Zx3jLE/view
• https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Q0o6armK_gCkhIY9WaZXl-tTu53lwVFo/view

If you prefer to report any incidents of Violence, Harassment, Discrimination and/or Hate anonymously, you can use this link to access a confidential form: https://circleofcare.formstack.com/forms/anonymous_reporting_incident . Your feedback is valuable and will be handled with respect and discretion.

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 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.

How can we get 650 probationary hours in 6 months for health benefits if we didn’t get that numbers of hours to work?

There are a variety of reasons for why someone may not get enough hours. Your availability may not line up with the times that are open for client visits, which limits which clients your coordinator can schedule you for, or there may not be availability in your designated area. If you are open to travelling to a different area, you may be able to get more client visits scheduled for you.

If my availability is just 8 hours 6 days a week can I still pile up 1,300 hours a year?

Yes, you should be able to earn 1,300 hours in one year with that availability; however, there are other factors that may play a role in why you might not be able to earn the 1,300 hours. If your availability aligns the best with client needs, you will be more likely to have a full schedule. In addition, there are some areas where we have fewer clients (either because clients recently passed away, or moved into long term care). If you are willing to travel a bit further to a different area, your schedule is also more likely to get filled.

How can I earn 1300 hrs in a year if my coordinator only gives me 4 or 5 hours of visits a day? I can’t take a day off, and I have to work even when I’m not feeling well, just to make it to that 1300 hours to stay full time.

We are sorry you feel like you can’t take time off as you don’t want to jeopardize losing hours. 1300 hours in a calendar year works out to working 25 hours/week. We would recommend first speaking to your SC/CSS about your schedule and your concerns – especially if you have gaps in your schedule and your availability is not fully being utilized. Your team will be able to review your availability and make recommendations for any changes to ensure we are scheduling you based on current client needs. As a second resort, you are also welcome to email our HR team at HRDept@circleofcare.com and we can escalated this to your team to review.

Hello good afternoon. Today I went and tried to use my benefits, but they say it’s canceled, so I want to know the reason why.

Thanks for reaching out about this – while we removed your contact info from your question, we did receive that info and we have flagged your issue to Global Benefits. They advised that someone has reached out to you to resolve the issue. If you still experience issues, please reach out to HRDept@circleofcare.com and we can escalate this with our contact at Global Benefits.

When I got my T4 slip from Global Benefits, they did not include my physiotherapy. When I called, I am number 87. There are lots of insurance companies around, please don’t stick to Global Benefits. I filed my taxes without declaring my physio. If we are going to have problems with a provider, it’s not worth the stress.

Thank you for your feedback – we are meeting with Global Benefits on a quarterly basis to review their plan and support of our employees – we will flag this to the Global Benefit team.

Is there a possibility that you can add on availability forms the statutory columns?

Did you mean adding a section outlining when statutory holidays are? If so, this is outlined in the Collective Agreement. If you meant something else, please email HRDept@circleofcare.com and we can review your suggestion!

Hello everyone, I paid $17 dollars for parking because I was assigned to a new client (they changed from another PSW). My coordinator told me that Circle of Care does not reimburse for parking. What should I do? Should I refuse a client when I don’t know if there is free parking there?

Unfortunately Circle of Care does not cover parking costs for employees. If you are unsure of where to park at a new client’s residence, or have concerns about parking, you can call your Service Coordinator or CSS for guidance on where to park.

Not a question, but please remind PSWs to close clients’ doors when leaving. When I went to a client the code was still on the lockbox and the door was open. The client said the PSW was in a hurry.

Yes, that is a good reminder! Thank you for sharing. It’s important to make sure that clients’ doors are closed when leaving their homes. This is especially vital for clients who are bed-bound or have difficulty moving around.

If I don’t use my sick leave allotment by the end of the year, will I get paid out for it instead? 

Any unused sick leave allotments that is left over at the end of the calendar year, will not be lost or paid out. Any unused sick leave will be banked and rolled over to the upcoming calendar year, to a maximum of 200 hours.

I want to ask why my sick leave hours are based only in my community hours. I mostly work in retirement homes since COVID started, and since then my sick leave changed. For example, my hours for that day is 8 hours (4 hours in retirement home and 4 hours in community), and I’ll get paid 4 hours only. I’ve worked at Circle of Care for almost 8 years.

Thank you for flagging this – to confirm, you should be receiving sick pay for any retirement home/integral care shifts. For retirement home/integral care shifts, our HR team has to manually enter in paid sick time – but this is usually flagged to us in the morning when visits are being transferred out, so we can make manual sick adjustments. We would encourage you to email us at HRDept@circleofcare.com with the dates you were off sick and weren’t paid – so we can look into this further and pay this out to you.