from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer

I hope you saw the results from our annual Employee Engagement Survey that showed a clear connection between your engagement and the mission of the work you do. As a King County employee, you come to this work because you care about your community, and you want to make a difference.

For many this connection has become even stronger in the pandemic as the importance of the work became more and more evident and meaningful.

At the same time, the stress and anxiety of the pandemic highlighted the importance of our sense of well-being. Social distancing and physical separation elevated the significance of belonging.

Our engagement data, backed up by similar national data, tells us that we need to focus on these two elements – well-being and belonging – to help you thrive and feel welcome, engaged, and valued.

Throughout the pandemic, your health and well-being have been of paramount importance. We have radically changed the way we operate, provided childcare subsidies and COVID-19 leave to those who needed it, and made mental health a priority by investing in new mental health tools through your benefits plans. As we continue to look for ways to support you, we also want to provide the resources for you to tend to your well-being.

Across our organization, we will act on what you told us in the survey and work with our teams to create an action plan that focuses on your engagement and guided by these two crucial elements of belonging and well-being. Managers and supervisors are expected to lead their teams in creating an action plan that responds to your feedback using the survey data for insight.

In addition to what your teams are doing, I want to ensure you have the tools you need to tend to your well-being on an individual level. Supporting your personal well-being can encompass mental and emotional health, physical wellness, preventive care, social connection, and much more. We have several supportive programs available to you through Balanced You, including a webinar series on Pandemic Fatigue and Anxiety, Omada for healthy routines, Mental Health First Aid, a Mindfulness Hour for first responders, various trainings for all employees as well as targeted trainings for managers, the myStrength app for personalized self-care and emotional wellness, and many other resources. I encourage you to review all the resources and options available to you here.

I know it’s been a difficult and challenging 18 months, and I encourage you to do what you need to do to take care of your mental, emotional, and physical health and well-being.

Wishing you a happy and healthy summer!