King County’s Employee Engagement Survey is back in 2021, and there are a few changes that we want to share.

Every year, the County’s Employee Engagement team recommends improvements to the data and survey process. Many of these improvement ideas come directly from employees. Their feedback helps us improve the employee experience and data quality, and to provide better analysis.

Here’s what is changing in 2021:

• All employees will take the survey electronically, saving 80 reams of paper – or roughly five trees each year.
• There is a new belonging index.
• There are questions about whether you primarily work from home or onsite.
• Data will be available sooner.
• Demographic questions are more specific, and the option for “prefer not to disclose” has been removed. As always, these questions are optional, and people who do not want to answer can skip them.

The most important elements of the survey will not change: the confidentiality and anonymity of participants, and our commitment to act on what employees tell us.

The 2021 Employee Engagement Survey will run from March 8 to 26, and all employees are eligible for the employee survey, except the following:

• Employees in Superior Court, District Court, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office
• Employees who are interns or short term temporary (STT)
• Employees who have not worked at the county for at least 3 months prior to the survey period (for 2021, employees must have started before December 8, 2020 to be eligible).

Look for the survey starting March 8 and don’t miss this great opportunity to have your say.