Inside the Circle – January 6, 2026

We wish everyone a Happy New Year. We look forward to another year of care, collaboration, and shared accomplishments together!

We have now completed the annual review of employment status for our Personal Support Workers and Homemakers.

As per the Collective Agreement (Article 23), in order to qualify for ‘full time’ status and any associated benefits, you would have needed to work a total of 1300 hours (25 hours/week) between January 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025.

For anyone that has maintained or newly qualified as ‘full time’ for 2026 — your sick and float balances would be updated on your mobile phone. Please note, you can track your hours worked and view any sick time balances through your mobile phones.

For a step-by-step guide on how to access your hours worked Year to Date (YTD) and your sick balance, please use the button below:

For anyone that has newly qualified as ‘full time’ for 2026 — we are in the process of sending your information to SEIU/Global Benefits to enroll you in the PSDW Group Benefit Program. You can expect more information from Global Benefits in the next few weeks.

For anyone that is currently enrolled on our PSW Group Benefit program and have maintained ‘full time’ status for 2026, there will be no changes or interruption to your benefit coverage.

For more information, please refer to the Collective Agreement on our FAQ page:

As a reminder, please direct any payment-related inquiries to our Payroll team (payroll@circleofcare.com). This would include any inquiries about pay stubs, pay codes, T4 or other tax documents, RRSP contributions, and the CPP.

Please review the latest road conditions on the Ontario 511 website, using the button below.

Please take a few minutes to complete the Global Workforce Survey. This is your chance to share your thoughts about your workplace anonymously. Your feedback helps us learn what’s going well and what we can make even better for you.

Note that the survey is anonymous (your name will not be shared). Thank you in advance for your participation!

Please complete the survey as soon as possible.

We would like to remind you that we have a scent free policy in place to ensure a scent free environment.

Please do not wear, use, or apply fragrances while at any Circle of Care office location, while conducting home visits, or while participating in community programs. The chemicals used in scented products pose a health and safety risk to others, especially those with known fragrance sensitivities, asthma, allergies, and other medical conditions.

Fragrances not permitted include: perfume, cologne, aftershave, scented sprays or lotion, scented room sprays or solids, and other products that are designed to release an aroma.

For more information, please refer to our scent free policy.

Thank you for your cooperation and for ensuring the well-being of our employees, volunteers, and clients.

As you work with people, emotions can sometimes become intense. Knowing how to respond calmly and safely can make a big difference — for you and your client.

The Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI) has shared 7 practical tips for helping calm down potentially violent or escalating situations:

1. Staying aware of your surroundings
2. Using calm language and tone
3. Acknowledging emotions without escalating
4. Giving choices to help reduce tension
5. Explore their feelings to understand their situation
6. Use silence to help them slow down
7. Provide them with choices so they can feel in control

Use what is helpful, and remember, your safety always comes first.

If a situation feels unsafe, pause, and reach out to your CSS for support.

Your mental health matters. Caring for yourself helps you continue caring for others. The Toronto Institute for Contemporary Psychoanalysis (TICP) is launching a ‘Pay What You Can’ program for weekly in-person psychotherapy sessions with their student therapists.

The clinic is located at 427 Vaughan Road (North of St. Clair).

The clinic is looking to create relationships with healthcare organizations to provide more affordable mental health services to employees working in the health care sector, like you.

Through this program, TICP is recommending prospective clients pay between $5-$25 per session — but prospective clients are welcome to pay what they can.

For more information and to access the referral form, please use the buttons below.

If you drive a vehicle, it’s a great idea to have a fully stocked emergency car kit, especially during the winter months. An emergency kit can keep you safe and comfortable during unexpected breakdowns, severe weather, or roadside emergencies.

Use the checklist below to build your 72-hour emergency car kit:

Essential items to keep in your car:

• Non-Perishable Food

  • Energy bars or ready-to-eat snacks that won’t spoil.

• Water

  • Store in plastic bottles to prevent breakage if frozen (replace every six months).

• Warm Blanket
• Extra Clothing and Shoes

  • Pack warm clothing, gloves, and waterproof boots.

• First Aid Kit (with seatbelt cutter)
• Small Shovel, Ice Scraper, and Snow Brush
• Candle in a Deep Can and Matches

  • Provides light and warmth in case of an emergency.

• Wind-Up or Battery-Powered Flashlight

  • Avoid flashlights that rely solely on batteries.

• Whistle

  • To signal for help and attract attention.

• Road Maps
• Copy of Your Emergency Plan

Additional Items to Keep in Your Trunk:

• Bag of Sand, Salt, or Cat Litter (non-clumping)

  • Provides traction on icy roads.

• Antifreeze/Windshield Washer Fluid
• Tow Rope or Strap
• Jumper Cables
• Fire Extinguisher
• Warning Light or Road Flares

Review and update your kit seasonally to ensure everything is working in case of an emergency.

Emergencies can happen at any time. Having a plan ensures you and your loved ones know what to do in case an emergency happens. Understand the risks in your area, create a household emergency plan, and build an emergency kit.

Create your emergency plan online using this Government of Canada resource.

• Special discounted flight rates
• A seamless booking experience
• The same great WestJet service you know

First time with Perkopolis? Follow these steps to register:

1. Go to perkopolis.com and tap “register” at the top of your screen.
2. Enter your preferred personal email.
3. Then look for an email from them with a link to complete registration. For your member ID code, use CC + your employee ID number (for example, CC12345).

Please use the button below to sign into/register for your Perkopolis account.

High Five for PSW Xue Gu

High Five for PSW Sherlyn Raboy

High Five for PSW Nichola Morgan

High Five for PSW Keni Patel

“Keni is wonderful, very good to me, and provides excellent service.” – Client

High Five for HSW Noemi Pascua

“Noemi does an excellent job, has a lovely personality, and is very efficient.” – Client

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.

After completing 1300 hours do I need to wait for the end of the year to get full time job offer and also by completing these hours I will be full time employee automatically right?

Employment status is updated for all employees on an annual basis. This means that your employment status is updated each year in January, and your hours from 2025 will be used to determine your full-time/part-time status for 2026.

Why does the call center take such a long time to answer calls? The wait time to reach a representative is consistently over 40 minutes or more, and this is not the first occurrence. The call center should be accessible at all times. We have clients to attend to, and it is not feasible for us to remain on the line for such extended periods. I hope this issue can be addressed promptly.

We are sorry to hear that you are experiencing difficulty with reaching someone live. We strive to answer as many calls as possible but at times we experience significant call volume increases.

If you have concerns or feedback with the quality of your call centre call experience, we encourage you to notify the Operations Supervisor, Alicia Cimini ext. 155.

If there is an urgent issue that needs to be reported and you are unable to reach a call center representative, please contact your CSS to report the issue if it requires immediate attention.

On the weekend, I had clocked out, and then was given another client afterwards. Why wasn’t I called? I should have been notified, since it was after my last visit of the day. Also kindly check on travel time because sometimes a client is added and they give you travel time of 15 minutes yet it took 46 minutes, and it’s so unfair to the PSW.

Service Coordinators are expected to call PSWs when a visit is being added less than one hour before the scheduled time, or if a new client is added after the PSW is already at their last scheduled visit. In all other situations, when a client is added within your availability, Service Coordinators are not required to call, as it is expected that PSWs regularly check and refresh their schedule. Please note that your schedule will not update automatically unless the phone is refreshed. PSWs are expected to refresh their phone before and after each visit to ensure the most up-to-date schedule is displayed.

If you did not have enough travel time, this is something that you should make sure to highlight to your Service Coordinator.

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.