Metro provides many options for safely commuting to and from work
King County Metro provides many public transportation options that can connect people directly with worksites within the Civic Campus. For those returning to transit, information about our safety measures and how to ride can be found on our “A healthier Metro is here” webpage. In addition, King County’s Employee Transportation Program (ETP) provides resources and benefits to support King County employees with using transit, Vanpools, walkpools, and other non-drive alone options for getting to and from work.
Choosing Transit
During the peak commute, Link light rail operates through the downtown transit tunnel every 6 minutes. To transport people between the Civic Campus and the International District Station or Amtrak/Sounder Station, buses operate on 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Avenues with service coming every 3 to 5 minutes.
For planning individual trips
- The best way to plan your transit trip is to use the Puget Sound Trip Planner or to call Metro Customer Service at 206-553-3000.
- The ”Getting Around Seattle” page (which is on the Metro website under Maps) has information about transit options serving the downtown core. Metro continues to partner with the City of Seattle to operate Solid Ground’s Seattle Downtown Circulator Bus, which provides shuttle service between 4th and Jackson and Harborview Hall. This service is free to the public.
- King County fully subsidizes Vanpools for King County employees. Employees who are coming to and from the same worksite from similar areas of the county can commute together in a Vanpool vehicle.
Choosing to walk or bike
Biking
- Seattle bike maps – interactive, pdf (2020)
- The Center City bike network (or pdf here) includes new protected bike lanes added in the last few years on 2nd Ave, 4th Ave, Yesler Way, 2nd Ave Ext/S Main Street/5th Ave S, S King St (greenway)
- Bike maps of other areas
- Parking your bike at transit locations in King County
- Taking your bike with you on transit
Secure bike spaces and showers are available at King Street Center, Chinook Building, and Children and Family Justice Center. Courthouse, Jail, and Admin Building employees have access to Chinook bike room and showers.
Walking
- Downtown walk map (Sept 2020) showing accessible pathways in relation to major destinations.
- City of Seattle walk maps (multiple areas)
- Connect to your destination with bike share or scooter share in Seattle.
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Helping our community Revive & Thrive Together
As King County recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re working together across departments to ensure our community can revive and thrive together in the future.
On May 25, the King County Council passed Executive Constantine’s seventh COVID-19 supplemental budget, funded in part by the American Rescue Plan. The total budget includes more than $631 million in community investments focused on food security, rental support, vaccinations, economic recovery, arts and culture, and more.
As part of the rollout, the Executive’s Office worked with KCIT’s Design & Civic Engagement team to create the “Revive & Thrive Together” campaign and visual brand to ensure residents see a unified effort across county departments.
So far, outreach efforts incorporating the Revive & Thrive Together campaign include the Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program and the Small Business Assistance Program.
Revive & Thrive Together also includes proposals to use the campaign and visual identity on signage, apparel, social media and more.
View the Revive & Thrive Together Style Guide to learn more.
Questions about suitability of specific marketing and branding efforts can be directed to the Executive’s Office communications team at Chase.Gallagher@kingcounty.gov.
Questions about custom design and branding options can be directed to the KCIT Design & Civic Engagement visual design team at kcitdcevisualdesign@kingcounty.gov.
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Employee Discounts to 2021 Washington State Fair and University of Washington football
Washington State Fair: Employees can save on tickets to the Washington State Fair, Sept. 3-26. Click here for instructions on how to purchase your discount tickets. Once you are logged into the Corporate Perks portal, your discount pricing will be unlocked. There is no need to enter an additional discount code.
University of Washington football: The University of Washington is offering discounted tickets to three Local Government Appreciation Games. UW vs. Arkansas State, Saturday, Sept. 18 at 1:15 p.m., UW vs. California, Saturday, Sept. 25 time TBD, and UW vs. UCLA, Saturday, Oct. 16 time TBD. To access the discount, visit this link here. Questions? Contact Justin Rothbaum at 206-685-8429 or jrothbaum@pac-12sales.com.
See all available employee discounts at www.kingcounty.gov/employeediscounts.
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Proof of vaccination required to use Activity Centers
Verified proof of full vaccination is now required to use any of King County’s Activity Centers, and vaccinated staff must wear masks while in Activity Centers.
Only those employees who have verified their proof of full vaccination through our existing process are permitted to enter Activity Centers.
To provide proof of vaccination for verification, you have a couple of options:
- Initiating the COVID-19 Vaccination Declaration process through your NEOGOV Dashboard (click on Dashboard > Forms > COVID-19 Vaccination Declaration) and attaching a copy of an official document (see list below), OR
- Showing one of the following to an HR professional or other designated department representative:
- your actual vaccination card, or a photo or a copy of it,
- a copy of your state vaccine record, or
- a verified medical record.
Departments will not keep copies of vaccination cards, state vaccine records, or vaccine medical records; however, they will document that the employee has been vaccinated, which vaccination was received (Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson), and the last date of the vaccination.
In an effort to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the exercise facilities were closed last year due to the pandemic. Balanced You, in partnership with our vendor Vivecorp, County leadership, and Facilities Management Division, has worked diligently in recent weeks to get Activity Centers ready to reopen.
Vaccinated employees are still required to wear masks while using the Activity Center, and they should wipe down equipment after use. Do not enter Activity Centers if you have not been vaccinated and/or are sick.
For questions about verifying your vaccination status, please contact your Department HR Manager (SharePoint). For questions about the Activity Centers, please contact BalancedYou@kingcounty.gov.
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Staying safe at work
An employee was assaulted at work earlier today, Thursday, July 29, on the second floor of the King County Courthouse. We are grateful for the actions of the King County Sheriff’s Office Marshalls who stopped the assault and apprehended the perpetrator.
This incident is a sad reminder that all employees should be aware of their surroundings and potential threats in and around their workspace. If you see anything or anyone that looks unusual or out of place, please call Facilities Management Division (FMD) Security at 206-296-5000. If it’s an emergency, call 9-1-1 first, then call FMD Security when you are able.
As a follow up to any assault, threatening behavior, or observation of this behavior, please remember to report it to the FMD Security Unit using the Online Security Incident Report form. You can report incidents that happen at work or on your commute. Notify your supervisor, manager, and/or director as soon as you can.
We have created a list of safety tips online and safety tip videos using information from SPD, designed to help you enhance your personal safety and avoid potential trouble:
Safety Tip #1 | Safety Tip #2 | Safety Tip #3 | Safety Tip #4 | Safety Tip #5
Remember that you can use the tunnel from the Goat Hill Garage to access the Chinook Building, Administration Building, and Courthouse, to avoid using surface streets. If you work after regular business hours and feel unsafe about walking to your vehicle or to other transportation, you may call the 24-hour Emergency Dispatch Center at 206-296-5000 and ask that a security guard accompany you.
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Future of Work: Return To In-Person Work
Building on what we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, King County has developed an employee accessible intranet site, The Future of Work, focused on tools, resources, and information. The site helps provide answers to common questions and will be regularly updated with more news and resources. One section, titled Return To In-Person Work, explains in more detail teleworking updates, vaccine and mask guidelines, and answers several frequently asked questions.
Although mandatory telework for many employees ended on July 5, 2021, this does not mean everyone will immediately come back to their worksites. During this transitional phase, worksites will be re-activated when it is safe to do so, and department and division leaders will communicate further timelines and employee expectations.
Additionally, employees and members of the public are now required to wear masks in indoor spaces that are open to the public and in public spaces, whether or not they are vaccinated, and it is strongly recommended that all employees wear a mask when working in all indoor areas, regardless of vaccination status. Many employees, including those in correctional facilities, homeless shelters, schools, public transportation, long-term care, and healthcare settings, are required under CDC guidance to wear masks due to the nature of their work. If an employee has a medical condition that impacts their ability to wear a mask, they should contact their HR Manager. View a SharePoint list of HR Managers here. Request access to view the list if needed.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs) include details about topics such as temperature readings, agency-paid parking, employee badge access, and workplace reporting. All employees must reside in Washington State and within a reasonable distance to their primary county worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements. Whenever possible, supervisors should give at least one day’s notice when directing telecommuting employees to report to a county worksite. Additionally, many buildings will require employee badge access.
For more information about this process and how King County is addressing services and operations beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, visit the Future of Work intranet site.
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Employees must wear masks when working indoors with public or while in public spaces
All Executive Branch employees are required to wear masks when working in indoor spaces that are open to the public and in public spaces, and it is strongly recommended that employees who work in non-public indoor settings wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status, in line with the updated health officer directive for King County and new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In King County, similar to other parts of the region and country, COVID-19 rates are on the rise, largely due to the spread of the more contagious delta variant and increasing activities as restrictions have been lifted.
As such, King County has updated its mask directives for Executive Branch employees:
- Employees and members of the public are required to wear masks in indoor spaces that are open to the public and in public spaces, whether or not they are vaccinated. This includes public lobby and meeting spaces, public indoor recreation spaces, public service counters, and similar spaces open to the public.
- It is strongly recommended that all employees wear a mask when working in indoor areas not open to the public, whether or not they are vaccinated, to provide additional protection to themselves, co-workers, and customers.
- Employees who are still required under CDC guidance to wear masks in their work settings include those in correctional facilities, homeless shelters, schools, public transportation, long-term care, and healthcare settings.
The Temporary COVID-19 Personnel Policy has been updated to reflect these changes.
The updated recommendation from several local health jurisdictions, including Public Health–Seattle & King County, underscores that wearing a mask is an effective and simple measure that people can take to add an extra layer of protection for themselves and their community at a time when rates of COVID-19 are increasing in the region and around the country.
Under the July 26, 2021 Local Health Officer Indoor Masking Directive, everyone five-years of age and older in King County should continue to wear a face covering within indoor public spaces, unless a state-approved method is used to assure that all people allowed inside have been fully vaccinated.
Washington State already requires unvaccinated people to wear masks in indoor public settings, although in stores and other public spaces, there is no practical way to know who is vaccinated and who isn’t. For this reason, universal masking in indoor public spaces provides a more reliable way to ensure everyone is safer as we monitor the current increasing spread of the virus.
The rising number of cases and outbreaks should prompt all of us – vaccinated as well as unvaccinated – to take extra precautions, including wearing a mask indoors. If you haven’t already done so, we encourage all employees to get vaccinated as soon as possible. COVID-19 vaccines continue to be our best defense against the virus and provide very high-level protection against what’s most important: serious infections with hospitalization and deaths. Find out how and where you can get a vaccine.
This information applies to all Executive Branch employees. Employees in other branches of County government will receive guidance from their leaders.
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Sound Transit COVID-19 Vaccination Community Event
If you have not received a COVID-19 vaccine, or you have a family member or friend who hasn’t, you are invited to get vaccinated at a community vaccination event at Union Station Concourse this Friday. The vaccination is free and walk-ins are welcome.
Union Station Concourse
401 S. Jackson Street, Seattle, WA 98104
Friday, July 30
10:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Masks and social distancing are required.
You can also make an appointment with a QR code link below. Just point your smartphone camera toward the vaccine you prefer and then follow the steps on your phone.
For more information about safety, side effects, and what to expect, visit kingcounty.gov/vaccine.
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Future of Work Executive Summary and Implementation Plan
King County departments are currently implementing Future of Work plans for delivering services and operations in a post-pandemic environment, and you can learn more about the strategy, next steps, and progress metrics in two new documents.
Future of Work plans are guided by our True North and values and draw on the experiences and lessons learned during COVID-19. They also incorporate feedback from employees using a variety of listening mechanisms. King County engaged Grant Thornton LLC to support the development of these plans, allowing the County to draw on their experience working with other large organizations and test the assumptions used in planning and modelling.
We have finalized two strategy and implementation documents where you can find out more about the County’s and each Executive Branch department’s future planning:
- The Future of Work Executive Summary provides a detailed overview of our Future of Work journey, including the drivers for change; expected benefits to the county, employees, and customers; estimates for costs and environmental impacts; metrics for tracking progress; and the path forward for implementation.
- The Future of Work Implementation Plan includes one-page summaries of cross-functional initiatives to support departments and employees during the Future of Work transition, as well as one-page summaries of each department’s Future of Work plan.
These documents provide details on the Future of Work efforts in departments and across the Executive Branch. They have been posted on the Future of Work intranet site, our one-stop site for Future of Work resources, tools, news, and answers to questions.
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Working in smoky conditions
Major wildfires are currently engulfing many parts of the western United States and Canada, including our own state, and it is very likely that we will soon experience wildfire smoke in our region.
Wildfire smoke can cause a range of health problems, including chest pain, coughing, fast heartbeat, headaches, and asthma attacks. Some people need to be outdoors for their work or other responsibilities, so now is the time to get prepared. If we experience unhealthy air conditions in King County, it is recommended that you limit your time outdoors. If you are concerned about doing field work in these conditions, please consider these tips and guidance:
- Talk to your supervisor about possible options to reduce the amount of time you spend outdoors by performing desk work or alternate work assignments on smoky days.
- Departments should evaluate planned field work to determine whether some work should be postponed, where possible, to a time when conditions have improved.
- The air quality level can change quickly, so check air quality conditions regularly and if possible, adjust your schedule to avoid travel and working outdoors during periods when air quality is the most impacted by smoke conditions (keep in mind air quality is typically the worst in the middle of the day during wildfire smoke).
- If you must work outdoors, limit time outdoors to a minimum and find a safe location to breathe filtered air while maintaining social distancing during breaks from outdoor work.
- Drink plenty of water.
- If you have medical conditions that could be worsened by wildfire smoke, consult with your medical provider and speak with your supervisor to work out the best options for your schedule on smoke days.
- You may be able to use accrued vacation or comp time when there is wildfire smoke instead of reporting to your designated work location. You may request leave, subject to approval by your supervisor. If you have no leave accrued, your supervisor may approve leave without pay to cover absences. Please refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather to learn more.
It is not known how much protection cloth face coverings or surgical masks provide from wildfire smoke. N95/N100 masks can provide protection to some people when worn properly but can also worsen conditions for people with existing respiratory conditions. N95 and KN95 masks are available through your agency’s Safety Officer where needed. Safety Officers may contact Fleet Stores for masks at fleetstores@kingcounty.gov.
If you are working indoors, Public Health has provided some guidance on How to Keep Indoor Air Clean on Smoky Days.
More information from Public Health – Seattle & King County about wildfire smoke and your health can be found here. Additional information from WA Department of Health and EPA on indoor air filtration during wildfire smoke can be found here and here.
Additional updates will be provided as conditions warrant.
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