Inside the Circle – June 18, 2024

Circle of Care is holding a PSW Hiring Fair on June 25 to hire PSWs for the Richmond Hill & Vaughan area. The ability to speak Russian is an asset. To help us with the event, we’ve doubled our referral bonus! If you refer a candidate to the hiring event and the candidate is a successful hire, you’ll receive double dollars as the referral bonus – $500 instead of $250 – when the candidate completes their probation period. To refer a candidate, complete the following form:

Staying safe at work is our top priority. To keep our knowledge sharp and prevent slips, trips, and falls (STF) incidents, we’ve reopened the STF Prevention eLearning module. This is a great opportunity for everyone to refresh their memory, especially if you did not complete the module in 2023. To self-enroll in this module, log into your Dayforce account, select the ‘Learning’ tab and then select ‘Courses Catalogue’ at the top.

Check out our quick guide on staying safe from heat-related illnesses this summer. Learn the signs, prevention tips, and what to do in an emergency.

We recently added information onto the PSW Portal to help you understand your pay statement. If you’ve ever wondered what “Union Due” or “PREM” means, you can learn all about that here:

In our busy lives, both at work and outside, it’s important to notice when we’re taking on too much and might be getting overwhelmed. This can lead to burnout, which we all want to avoid.

This podcast episode offers insights into managing stress and setting boundaries effectively:

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 are available. Appointments must be booked through our vendor, First Aid Care, and can be booked online here: https://firstaidcare.ca/circleofcare-firstaidcare-ca/ or by calling 905-272-9214

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.

Circle of Care is moving to a new method of recognition for employees and off of the Applause platform. This means that all employees will have until June 25, 2024 to redeem their point balance via the Applause Catalogue. After this date, the points will be lost. You can transfer your point balance onto a single gift card. For detailed instructions, please refer to the linked PDF:

Points that are redeemed for a cash gift card (ie. VISA. MasterCard, Amazon), or over $500 total in value will be a taxable benefit.

A life transition can be positive or negative, planned or unexpected. Some life transitions happen without warning, and they may be quite dramatic, as in cases of accidents, death, divorce, job loss, or serious illness. Other life transitions come from positive experiences such as getting married, moving to a new city, or giving birth to a child. Even though events like these are usually planned and anticipated, they can be just as life-changing.

We have developed a Reflective Tool that our employees can utilize to better understand, respond to, and manage life transitions.

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.

ACCESS CODE: CCYP527J8

For more information about the program, please visit:

All employees must complete a 30-minute e-learning module on Indigenous culture and its implications for healthcare professionals by July 23, 2024.
To access the course:

1. Log into your Dayforce account.
2. Select the ‘Learning Tab’.

You will receive 30 minutes of paid training, which will be paid out in August.

Budgeting is key to staying on top of your finances. Here are some easy tips to help you start:

• Create a Monthly Budget: Write down your income and plan for essential expenses.
• Set Up an Emergency Fund: Save enough to cover three to six months of living costs.
• Track Your Spending: Use budgeting apps or spreadsheets to see where your money goes and find ways to save.
• Set Financial Goals: Define what you want to achieve in the short and long term to stay motivated.

A great app to try is Mint. It’s free, connects to all your financial accounts, and tracks your spending automatically. Mint also offers alerts, tips, and goals to help you manage your money better.

Why don’t we get paid when a client has appointments? It’s not fair for us because it’s our regular client.
When a client provides notice that they have a doctor’s appointment, we cancel the visit in the system if the client does not want to reschedule. This action results in our funders being notified of a cancellation and removes that authorized funding for that day. Unfortunately we cannot bill our funder for the cancellation and that means that we cannot pay the staff for this cancelled visit either. We do encourage the clients to book appointments that do not overlap with their PSW visits but this is not always possible.

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.