The King County value “We respect all people,” encourages us to actively seek to learn and understand all perspectives, beliefs, and values, engage people in decisions affecting them, and recognize all people for their contributions and accomplishments. This has never been more important than during our COVID-19 response. 

With this in mind, and to more fully understand the impacts of COVID-19 on employees,  more than 1,000 randomly selected Executive branch employees participated in a survey or listening session in May 2020 to share their experiences and opinions.  

This opportunity allowed employees from a range of departments to openly discuss the challenges they are facing, as well as provide feedback on how King County can more fully support them during this difficult time. Topics such as equity and social justice (ESJ), safety, well-being, communication, and accessibility came up repeatedly during the discussions. 

“Safety should come first, and consideration for the whole person. Also, flexibility for mixing up telework and on-site work should be a long-term outcome,” one participant shared.  

This also allowed managers and supervisors to learn from employees, and how King County can better address their need. Hearing directly from employees about their experiences is essential for moving forward in developing a healthy workplace and community. Leadership across the County is invested in responding to these survey findings and enacting policies and procedures to make lasting change. 

“The Executive and his senior leadership team are committed to listening and acting on what we hear from you,” said Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer. “We will continue to conduct regular surveys and listening sessions to better support you throughout this pandemic and beyond.” 

To learn more about this survey, view the video below to see the key findings, or view the full survey results here (SharePoint).