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Highlights from this week

  • Health Care Worker Assist Program
  • Reminder: Personal Support Worker Day is May 19!
  • HR Reminder – Employee Information
  • Survey: Annual Hand Hygiene
  • New Dayforce Home Page
  • Survey: Mask Use Among PSWs
  • Upcoming Mask Fit and CPR Sessions
  • New! Dedicated Text Line for CPR Registration
  • Women’s Health Week
  • Empathy: What It Really Means
  • Blog: Sympathy vs. Empathy in Caregiving
  • Free Financial Webinars
  • Open Circle for Working Mothers
  • New Staff
  • High Five
  • Ask Us Anything

Health Care Worker Assist Program

young woman who looks sad while a second person listens
Taking care of others is important, but so is taking care of yourself. If you feel stressed, tired, or overwhelmed, free and confidential support is available through the Health Care Worker Assist Program, designed for healthcare and community care workers like you.
What help is available?
  • Talk to a trained professional for support
  • Learn ways to manage stress and feel better
  • Get help finding other support if needed
How to get support:
Call: 1-877-767-9642
Sign up online for free and confidential support. 
Sign Up Here

Reminders & Announcements

Personal Support Worker Day is May 19!

We want to celebrate you and your amazing journey.

We’re inviting PSWs to share: What do you love most about being a PSW?

If you’d like to be featured, please take a moment to fill out the form!

Share Your Experience!

HR Reminder – Employee Information

All employees are encouraged to make sure their personal contact information (phone number, email address, mailing address etc.) is up-to-date in Dayforce.

You can check your paystub by logging into Dayforce to confirm if your address is correct. Employees are able to change their personal information by logging onto the Ceridian Dayforce site. If there are any questions, or to have your information updated, please reach out to HRDept@circleofcare.com

Annual Hand Hygiene Survey!

Let’s work together to keep our hands clean and stay healthy! Please take a few minutes to complete the survey. 

Complete Survey Here

New Dayforce Home Page

We’re pleased to share that as of May 5, your Dayforce landing page has been updated.

You can now personalize your landing page by selecting your preferred widgets. To customize your page:

  1. Log in to Dayforce. Access your account using your standard login credentials.
  2. Go to the Favourites Section. Locate the Favourites section on your dashboard and click Edit.
  3. Manage Your Widgets:
      • Add a Widget: Click the “+” icon next to a widget to add it to your favourites.
        Note: You can have up to 6 favourites at a time.
      • Remove a Widget: Click the “X” icon next to any widget currently in your favourites to remove it.
      • Rearrange Widgets: Drag and drop widgets within your favourites to reorder them.
  4. Save changes. 

If you have any questions or need help with customization, please contact hrdept@circleofcare.com

Survey: Mask Use Among PSWs

Our Joint Health and Safety Committee will be discussing our universal masking policy at our upcoming meeting in June. To better understand the direction we would like to go in, we would like to understand current mask usage for PSWs. The following survey is anonymous. Please submit your response:

Fill In Survey Here

Health & Safety

Upcoming Mask Fit and CPR Sessions

Person performing CPR on a mannequin with text: "Upcoming! Mask fit testing and CPR training"
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 First Aid Care, and can be booked online or by calling (905) 272 – 9214.
Important reminders for your CPR training course – please read:
  • Please arrive 15 minutes before the class starts.
  • 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. Please try to book a date/time where you do not have client visits scheduled.
  • Your schedule will be blocked as ‘unavailable’ for your 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. 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.
Mask Fitting and CPR Sign Up

New! Dedicated Text Line for CPR Registration

To make the CPR registration process easier, First Aid Care has introduced a new text line for those who may have difficulty booking online. You can now text 647-496-5189 with the details below to be registered manually:
  • Full name
  • Email address
  • Location
  • Preferred training session time

Women’s Health Week

For Women’s Health Week, we’re highlighting resources that focus on the whole person from understanding perimenopause to staying well as you age. If you want to learn more about what your body may be going through, here are some easy-to-read, tools that can help:

Is This Menopause? Or Perimenopause? Hot flashes? Brain fog? Mood swings? Trouble sleeping? If you’ve been feeling out of sync, it might not just be stress, it could be hormonal changes. Menopause and U, offers a helpful Menopause Quiz, real stories, and tips for helping symptoms like sleep troubles and low mood.

Did you know menopause can happen before age 45? Or even before 40? This helpful guide from the U.S. Office on Women’s Health explains the signs, causes and emotional impact of early menopause along with what to do if you’re unsure where you stand.

Women’s Health Concern offers over 30 downloadable factsheets on topics like HRT (what it is, risks, and benefits) and emotional wellness during hormonal changes.

The Menopause Foundation of Canada offers even more tools, videos, and educational materials to help you better understand the menopause journey. Whether you’re in it, approaching it, or supporting someone who is.

Your health needs evolve over time but taking care of yourself never stops being important. This website breaks it down by decade, offering reminders and tips tailored to your 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond. 

Watch Grace’s Perimenopause Story

Grace thought she was just overwhelmed and angry until she learned what she was going through was perimenopause. In this short video, she shares how mood swings, exhaustion, and frustration started affecting her work and home life. 

Brain Fog and Menopause with Dr. Pauline Maki

This short video by The International Menopause Society, discusses what women should know about menopause and brain fog.

Wellness at Work

Empathy: What It Really Means

close up of hands holding a heart icon
Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can offer someone is not a solution but our understanding. When a client shares something emotional or difficult, it’s easy to feel unsure about what to say. That’s where empathy comes in.

Empathy says: “I’m here with you.”

Sympathy says: “I feel bad for you.”

Both come from a good place, but empathy creates connection and helps clients feel heard. This video explains what empathy sounds like and why it matters.

Sympathy vs. Empathy in Caregiving

Black woman wearing scrubs touching the shoulder of a senior man
This blog explains how empathy can help you build stronger, more trusting relationships with clients and families.
Read Blog Here

 Free Financial Webinars 

coins spilling out of a jar
75 Ways to Save on Household Expenses
Join this free session to learn easy ways to save on everyday expenses like groceries, utilities, transportation, and more. Every small saving counts!
Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Time: 4:00 – 5:00 PM
Location: (Online)
Register Here
Food and Finance
This free session covers how to track your food budget so you know exactly what you’re spending, learn how to create a meal plan, save money on your groceries, and make meal preparation easier.
Date: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Location: (Online)
Register Here

Open Circle for Working Mothers

group of people with hands together in the center of a circle

Lean In is hosting a virtual Open Circle for working mothers to connect, share stories, and support one another. Whether you’re new to Lean In or just looking to meet others with similar experiences, this 1-hour session is a great space.

Date: Thursday, May 15, 2025 Time: 12:00–1:00 PM Location: Online

Sign Up Here

Community Corner

Welcome to Circle of Care

We are pleased to welcome the following new PSWs to Circle of Care:

  • Debra Clarke
  • Nelly Reyes Rincon
  • Lydia Kuruwaa
  • Mujidat Adeyinka
  • Carmina Quienes
  • Helen Umunna
  • Annjanette Le
  • Erwin Sediono
  • Gail Walsh
  • Elina Beiles
  • Marina Gudi
  • Evelyn Vidyua

Has someone gone above and beyond at work? Give them a High Five!

The High Five program lets you publicly recognize staff members for their outstanding work. High Fives will be posted in your weekly Inside the Circle newsletter.

To give a high five, just click on the button below or use the link in the rotating banner on the Portal home page.

Please note: We do not accept anonymous submissions for this program. High Fives must be submitted by an individual person, whether they are a staff member or member of the community.

Submit a High Five

Ask Us Anything

If you have concerns about a client/situation or questions about your role, we encourage you to contact your Client Services Supervisor.

I’m working as a regular full-time at Circle of Care. Do we have a RRSP group contribution? Something like where the company will match my contribution to my RRSP? If we do, may I know how to apply and who to contact about it?

We have a Group RRSP Plan for full-time and part-time employees, which is voluntary. Please refer to Article 24 Group RRSP Matching Plan in the current collective agreement for more information. To be eligible to enroll in the Group RRSP Plan, you will need to have acquired twelve (12) months seniority as of December 31st, in the contribution year. If you are interested in enrollment, please contact Payroll@circleofcare.com.

I sent a letter to the HR department, but I didn’t get any reply. Who is the right person to contact about my issue?

Please visit our FAQ page for the HR Department to view our contact list and determine who to contact. https://psw.circleofcare.com/index.php/frequently-asked-questions-hr-department/

Supervisors and Coordinators need to be more receptive of feedback and concerns.

Thank you for your feedback. We have shared your feedback with our client services managers, so they can have a discussion with their teams on this topic.

I have gaps in between visits on my schedule. I am full time but my coordinator doesn’t give me the hours. I have 3-4 hour gaps; what am I going to do during that gap? I provide them with flexible hours, but I can’t get the hours I need.

Thank you for your feedback. Although we strive to limit the amount of gap time in the schedule, there are various changes to clients’ schedules that may be contributing to the gaps, including cancellations, service holds, decreases and discharges from services. We encourage you to discuss your schedule with your service coordinator and work together to make changes to your schedule as long as the clients are not impacted negatively.

I thought PSWs got paid if the client canceled their visit within 3 hours? It happened to me many times where the client cancelled an hour before the visit but I didn’t get paid. Please clarify this as it is so confusing. Do we get paid if the client cancels their visit 3 hours before or not?

Hi, thank you for your question. It primarily depends on the length of the visit. If the visit is of less than 3 hours in length, then the worker will not be paid, no matter when it was cancelled. If the visit is of more than 3 hours and cancelled with less than a 3-hour notice, then a certain amount that will be paid, and this is determined based on a set calculation.

Why do you not provide clients that are near each other and near our homes to save time?

We always prioritize placing PSWs in caseloads that are closest to their homes. If there is a significant reduction in hours in that area, then we place the PSW is the next closest caseload that needs support. But they are always placed within the expected distance for travel that HR discusses with you (up to 1hr from home for the first client, up to 30 minutes travel for each client following). Anything outside of this range is discussed and agreed to with the PSW before their first day. We ask that you identify any specific concerns about travel time and your schedule to your Service Coordinator (SC) or Client Service Supervisor (CSS) so that we may work to address them.

Have a question? Submit your questions or feedback anonymously below!

Please note that it may take us longer to provide some answers. If your question hasn’t been answered yet, we will get back to you as soon as we can.

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