Inside the Circle – August 19, 2025

From September 2 – 29, join our Step Count Wellness Challenge for a month of friendly competition, healthy habits, and great prizes. Whether you’re walking for fitness, fresh air, or just for fun, every step brings you closer to your goals and maybe even the top of the leaderboard.

How to Join (3 options): 

1. Join the StepUp App Group
   • Download the free StepUp App
   • Join the “Circle of Steps ” group on StepUp by pressing the + sign in the top right corner, then press “Enter link to add friend/group,” then copy and paste this link to join: https://join.thestepupapp.com/dGjc
   • Once you’re in, you can see the leaderboard, track your progress, and cheer each other on.
2. Track and Submit Manually 
   • Log your steps in our Step Count Tracking Sheet
3. Email HRDept@circleofcare.com with a screenshot of your total weekly steps (from any fitness tracker, pedometer, or app).

Prizes will be awarded to employees with the top 4 highest step counts:

• 1st place: $250 Walmart gift card
• 2nd place: $200 Walmart gift card
• 3rd place: $150 Walmart gift card
• 4th place: $100 Walmart gift card

*All employees who accrue 56,000 steps at the end of the challenge (equivalent to 2000 steps/day) will be entered in a draw to win the participation prize ($50 Walmart gift card).

All step counts must be entered by 3:30 p.m. on October 3. Winners will be announced in the October newsletter.

Canadian National Exhibition 

• When: August 15 – September 1, 2025
• Where: Significant transit and road closures around Exhibition Place.

Appointments must be booked through Circle of Care Training Hub or by calling 905-272-9214 or by texting 647‑496‑5189 with the following details (full name, email address, training location, and preferred session time).

Important Reminders:

• Please arrive 15 minutes before your training session starts.
• After booking, speak with your Service Coordinator if you need help rescheduling or have client conflicts. Try to choose a time when you have no client visits.
• Your schedule will be marked as unavailable during training. No need to sign in via phone.
• You’ll be paid 4 hours for CPR training and 1 hour for mask fit. This will be added to your schedule 1–2 weeks after the session and listed as ‘Miscellaneous’ on your paystub.
• All bookings and cancellations must be done through the online portal. You’ll receive confirmation and reminders via email/text.

Discover helpful tools, community supports, and resources designed to help newcomers feel welcomed and empowered. This session will provide valuable information and a chance to connect with others. Bring your questions—and your lunch!

• Date: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
• Time: 3:00 – 3:40 PM
• Location: Zoom (Meeting ID: 352 957 5239)
• Host: HR Team Member

Please take a moment to complete the short pre-session survey before attending. 

• When: Saturday, August 23, 2025
• Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
• Where: Online

• When: Tuesday, October 7, 2025 (10:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
• Where: Head Office (#401, 4211 Yonge St, North York)

As a Perkopolis member, you get exclusive access to 5,000+ deals on electronics, fashion, home essentials, travel, and more.

Check out this flyer for top Back-to-School picks and click here for instructions on how to set up a Perkopolis account.

Enjoy a 25% discount on any GoodLife Fitness membership with $0 enrollment fee. To register, use your employee ID number found in your Dayforce profile or at the top of your paystub.

Questions? Please reach out to HRDept@circleofcare.com.

Ready to get started?

• Rewards & Contests 
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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

• Damilola Victora Alao
• Irene Gitau
• Leah Fedorowych
• Bikshya Dangol
• Fadekemi Mary Babalola
• Delia Johnson
• Sumaya Namirembe
• Daystar Adeyemo
• Jennifer Aguh
• Maria Cristina Venezuela
• Alero Commey
• Candy Ann Vitalis
• Ranjita Shrestha
• Mary Mirembe
• Amriya Khanal

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.

High Five for PSW Ligaya Aquino

I was very pleased with Ligaya’s attention to detail and especially grateful that she provided such excellent service despite the challenging weather conditions. She completed all tasks thoroughly, and I wanted to share my gratitude for the exceptional care I received. – Client Laura S.

High Five for PSW Julia Montieth

I’m very happy with Julia’s service. She is professional and considerate of my needs, and she makes me feel very comfortable during each visit. – Client’s daughter on behalf of her mother

High Five for PSW Rosemarie Dugay

Rosemarie was excellent! I am very happy with her service, and I really appreciate how quickly she learned and understood my care needs. – Client Lorrainne M.

High Five for PSW Precious Dike

I am extremely happy with the service provided by Precious. She did a wonderful job and took amazing care of me. – Client Ludmila F.

Am I paid for refused visits? Because every time I call my coordinator and tell them that my client refused the visit I notice the visit is made a canceled visit. But I have made an effort to go to the client’s home. Are these visits turned into canceled visits?

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We recognize the time and effort PSWs put into every visit. If you arrive as scheduled and the client refuses service, payment is still expected as long as the visit is accurately documented and coded as a refusal.

Please report the refusal to the office as soon as possible and include clear details. Proper documentation is key to ensuring you are compensated for your time. If you have any further concerns, we encourage you to reach out to your Service Coordinator or Client Service Supervisor.

Why don’t the service coordinators inform clients of the time changes in their services? You can reach the client’s place and then they can refuse to let you in, are harsh towards you or refuse the services. My concern is that a client is being rude to me, yet it’s not my fault their time was changed.

Thank you for sharing your concern. We understand how difficult it can be to provide care when clients are not informed of schedule changes, and we recognize the impact this can have on your ability to deliver services safely and effectively. Situations like these are not your fault, and your professionalism is appreciated. Please report this to your Service Coordinator and/or reach out to your CSS so we can review the matter and ensure better communication moving forward.

I am working 7 days a week and 30hr per week. I completed my 665 hours of work till now. Am I eligible for paid sick leave or any benefits? I guess 30hr per week is considered as full time and after the completion of our probation period, we should be at least eligible for paid sick leave.

Thank you for reaching out about this – what benefits you are eligible for would depend on your employment status. It sounds like you are a newly hired employee, and are referring to Article 23 – BENEFITS section (c) New employees (hired after January 1, 2022) will become eligible for the Health and Welfare Benefits if they complete 650 hours of work within their first six (6) months of employment. For newly hired employee, we review benefit eligibility on a monthly basis and send newly eligible employees to our Group Benefit program (Global Benefits) to be enrolled in the program. We encourage you to email HRDept@circleofcare.com and we can confirm your details. As per the Collective Agreement, employment status (full time and part time), is evaluated on an annual basis each year in January. Employees who work 1300 in the 2025 calendar year, would be eligible for ‘full time’ status in 2026 which includes access to the Group Benefit program and paid sick time. we encourage you to review the following FAQ document to learn more about this: https://psw.circleofcare.com/index.php/frequently-asked-questions-hr-department/

Do you help for PR pathway? I am working full time with Circle of Care and I want to know that.

At this time, Circle of Care is not participating in the PR pathway application process. However, should you require any support in verifying employment information, we are happy to assist. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to HR Department.

1300 hours to be labeled as a full time worker is ridiculous and you have to beg for hours. Clients get taken out your schedule and placed with either new workers or even a worker that’s shared with the client and all we hear is that it’s the system. No matter what we say no matter what we encounter management always will find a band aid to put on the problem.

Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns. We understand how situations like these can be both challenging and frustrating, and we want to assure you that your feedback is heard and valued. We are committed to fostering a supportive and equitable work environment and take concerns of this nature seriously. While we may not be able to address every situation individually, all feedback is reviewed carefully, and appropriate steps are taken when necessary.

To help us better understand, we encourage you to connect directly with your CSS. Providing specific examples or details will allow us to more thoroughly investigate and work toward a meaningful resolution.

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.