by Dow Constantine, King County Executive It has been more than a year since I instituted mandatory telework – for those King County employees whose work allowed for it – to slow the spread of COVID-19. I made this decision based on Public Health guidance for how we can make our workplaces as safe as possible for front-line employees and customers while continuing to provide essential in-person service. Your health and safety, and the health and safety of those we serve, continue to guide my decision making.  Vaccines are clearly our best… Read More

Finding the right job candidates during COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many challenges at King County departments as they work to protect employees and customers from the virus while ensuring their services remain easily accessible. Continuing to recruit talented staff to fill the wide array of positions at the County, while maintaining social distancing is one of those challenges. Alongside the Talent Acquisition team within the Department of Human Resources (DHR), many departments at King County have their own recruiting teams. As you might expect, initial outreach to candidates is typically… Read More

As we recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month, it is important to remember King County’s commitment to supporting employees with mental health conditions in the workplace. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about one in five American adults, or roughly 43.8 million adults, experience mental illness in a given year. Approximately 39% of employees in the U.S. workforce have a mental health condition. And more than 50% of individuals with mental illness still avoid needed treatment. Untreated mental illness can result in other illnesses and behaviors, such as… Read More

This year saw the first time that the King County Employee Survey was translated into multiple languages – six to be exact – and the feedback about this offering has been overwhelmingly positive. The translations are primarily an outcome of a busy, dedicated team that until a little over a year ago, did not even exist at King County. The COVID-19 Language Access Team has been receiving kudos and recognition within the enterprise as well as the community for their success in putting information into the languages that our diverse community needs…. Read More

from Dow Constantine, King County Executive Over the past year-plus, as the nation and world responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of public servants has come into clearer focus. I want to take the opportunity this week during Public Service Recognition Week to thank you for your service. When the pandemic struck, you stepped up to make sure that our community continued to receive the vital in-person services people count on. Our public health professionals, supported by employees and community partners across King County, provided guidance and care to help our residents protect themselves… Read More

With the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), you are now able to contribute up to $10,500—pre-tax—into your 2021 Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA). For this year only, if you are currently enrolled, you can contribute up to $10,500 to your Day Care FSA, or $5,250 if married and filing separately. (Normally, per year, you can contribute up to $5,000 per household or $2,500 if married, filling separately.) This means you can save up to an additional $1,650 at tax time. In addition, during May 2021,… Read More

King County’s Vets 4 HIRE program, which launched in 2015 and receives funding annually from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL), provides six-month or longer on-the-job training experiences to help current and former military service members with their transition to civilian employment, and funding is available to support departments in recruiting veterans to their teams. Participating King County agencies provide their program participants with part-time or full-time, practical experiences in a variety of fields to help them become more competitive for King County and other civilian jobs. The VSHSL will… Read More

All Washington residents age 16 and up are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, so how do you go about scheduling an appointment? There are several ways you can make an appointment for the vaccine: Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to search for COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you by zip code. WA COVID Vaccine Finder covidwa.com is a volunteer-driven effort to help Washingtonians find appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine  Call your doctor’s office or health care provider to see if they have available vaccination appointments.  Whether you’re a Kaiser Permanente member or not, King County employees can follow these steps to get… Read More

King County Elections will hold a candidate filing period for the elected member position on the King County Personnel Board.  The candidate filing period will begin on Monday, May 3 at 8:30 a.m. and will end at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7. There is a $5 non-refundable filing fee. Visit kingcounty.gov/elections/personnel-board for more information. The Personnel Board conducts hearings on appeals of certain personnel actions as provided for in Section 540 of the King County Charter. The Personnel Board consists of five members, four of whom are appointed, and one member… Read More

As King County employees, we have the responsibility of managing our records all year long. So what makes April so special? “Records Management Month is the time we set aside to celebrate and recognize the important and valuable work that we all do as records managers!” County Records Analyst Lisa Mankin said. “Whether you’re a department director, an administrative specialist, or an inspector in the field, we are all records managers.” The records employees create and receive are valuable assets. “The Records Management Program is always happy to use the month of… Read More

This is an excerpt of an article in the Public Health Insider. Read the full article here. Many community organizations worked to reassure people who feared the vaccines were unsafe, even though they have been extensively tested. Online misinformation about vaccine safety has been rampant. Reaching people with such concerns requires trust, said Janice Deguchi, executive director of Neighborhood House, which supports immigrants and refugees, many of whom speak limited English.  “Our staff speaks over 45 languages,” Deguchi said. “As a trusted messenger, we can combat rumors with accurate information.”  The Ethiopian Community in Seattle has hosted three community clinic events, providing… Read More

from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer Starting Thursday, April 15, all Washington residents age 16 and up are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. This is great news and an important step in ending this pandemic. Vaccine remains the best tool we have against COVID-19. Already half of King County residents ages 16 and older have received at least one dose and more than 30% are fully vaccinated. This is in part due to the crucial role played by a wide array of community and faith-based organizations who delivered those vaccines and the exceptional… Read More

Many school districts in our region have either restarted in-person learning or announced plans to restart in-person learning.  Seattle School District middle and high school students are returning to in-person classes April 19. The return to in-person learning may create additional challenges for working parents and employees may need additional schedule flexibility or need to take leave during this learning transition. We have provided some options below to support employees with school-aged children. Please work with your supervisor and seek approval when pursuing these options, and consult your HR Manager for more… Read More

Since 2005, in response to community need, the King County School-to-Work Program (S2W) has partnered across numerous organizations to help students with developmental disabilities seek and gain employment before they leave their high school programs. This year, S2W is excited to present its Annual Transition Fair exclusively online. As in previous years, the highly anticipated event is offered to the entire community – families, teachers, local agencies, and potential employers. The Transition Fair is designed to help students with developmental disabilities find employment before leaving their high school programs. Register now Participants… Read More

This week we are recognizing King County’s 911 Communications Center employees and the KCIT employees who support the 911 system during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Sunday, April 11 through Saturday, April 17. 911 Communications Center employees are the primary link between people who desperately need help and people who provide it. The King County Sheriff’s Office handles 911 calls from unincorporated King County, 12 cities, Metro Transit Police, King County Airport Police, and Regional Animal Services of King County. More than half a million people rely on the County’s call receivers,… Read More

from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer King County is launching a new platform to power King County eLearning, our online learning system, called NEOGOV Learn. King County eLearning offers thousands of courses and with NEOGOV Learn now powering it, you will be better able to customize and track your learning, access courses that have been assigned to you, and get credit for your attendance at classes and webinars. There are a couple of ways you can log in: If you have a @kingcounty.gov email address: Login through single sign here. Open the new… Read More

During these times of acute social change, our community’s nonprofit organizations have dealt with extreme shifts in patronage and support. The arts and entertainment went virtually dark for most of the year, education programs moved 100% online, and food banks saw their lines multiply.   Through it all, the King County Employee Giving Program has helped keep employees connected to the organizations and causes they are most passionate about. In the true spirit of giving and service, employees donated over $2 million through the Giving Program in 2020.  Nonprofit enrollment in the Employee Giving Program deadline is May 11 Each year, King County employees support nonprofits through the Annual… Read More

King County is helping employees build their equity and social justice (ESJ) skills and knowledge by offering a new and updated suite of ESJ learning opportunities. The Department of Human Resources’ Learning & Development (L&D) team is offering foundational ESJ learning opportunities throughout this year. In early 2020, the L&D team took on this important set of ESJ education work initiated by the Office of Equity and Social Justice (OESJ). With the onset of the pandemic, the team was able to quickly redesign and adapt ESJ curricula for online delivery to continue… Read More

COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is currently open to those who qualify under Phases 1A and 1B Tiers 1-4, but starting Thursday, April 15, all Washington residents age 16 and up will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Under Phases 1A and 1B Tiers 1-4, those currently eligible includes all people age 60 and older, people 16 years or older with two or more co-morbidities or underlying conditions, people, staff and volunteers in certain congregate living settings, and additional high-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings. Whether you are eligible now or want to… Read More