2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan – All employee briefing opportunity, October 19
King County employees are invited to come learn about the County’s proposed 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) at a free webinar on Monday, Oct. 19. The 2020 SCAP is the County’s five-year blueprint for climate action, integrating climate change into all areas of County operations and work with King County cities, partners, communities, and residents. The plan outlines King County’s priorities and commitments for climate action for decision-makers, employees, partners, and the public. On Aug. 27, Executive Constantine transmitted his recommended plan to the County Council.
All King County employees are invited to participate to get an overview of the new plan, priorities, and the work ahead. Registrants will receive a link to the Zoom meeting by email a few days before the event. If you are unable to join live, consider watching the webinar recording of the first all employee briefing held Sept. 29. The password is CLIMATE2020!
- Special guest, Dr. Jeff Duchin, Public Health Officer. Monday, Oct. 19 from 2 – 3 pm. Register here.
For questions and more information, contact ClimateChange@kingcounty.gov or visit www.kingcounty.gov/SCAP.
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Keep an eye out for your ballot
Yesterday ballots were mailed out. Set an alarm for Monday, Oct. 19 – this is when you should have received your ballot. If you haven’t received your ballot by then, give King County Elections a call at 206-296-VOTE (8683) to get a replacement or go online to kingcounty.gov/elections/obmp to print one out at home.
Thinking through when you’re going to vote and how you’re going to return your ballot can help make sure that you get back your ballot back on time and make sure your voice heard. Start by taking two minutes now to make sure your registration is up to date. Visit VoteWA.gov.
Here are some key deadlines to keep in mind:
- Oct. 14 – Ballots mailed
- Oct. 15 – Drop boxes open
- Oct. 19 – Voters should have their ballot in hand by the 10/19 mail delivery
- Oct. 26 – Deadline for online and mail voter registration
- Nov. 3 – Election Day – Drop boxes close at 8 p.m. sharp or ballots must be postmarked by today
- Nov. 23 – Final day to return the form to cure a challenge/fix a signature issue
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STAR-LA Interview Practice and Feedback online workshops, October 15 and 23
This 60-minute, VIRTUAL, small group workshop is designed to provide mock interview practice and feedback using the STAR-LA method as taught by King County Career Support Services. This workshop is ideal for participants who have attended the Strategic Interviewing Tips and Techniques workshop and/or have reviewed the STAR-LA method found on the Career Support Services website.
There are two opportunities to attend this online workshop:
- Thursday, Oct. 15 from 1-2 p.m. and Friday, Oct. 23 from 11 a.m. to noon. Register here.
For additional online workshops offered by King County Career Support Services (CSS), visit their Eventbrite page. For more information about CSS visit www.kingcounty.gov/CSS.
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Access to King County systems restored after outage
Access to King County systems has been restored after a widespread network outage, and you should now be able to access all of your services and systems.
We appreciate your patience and understanding. Thank you.
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Pet of the Week: Auggie
Who is this handsome doggie? It’s Auggie, our Pet of the Week! This senior Havanese was brought in by his previous family because they could no longer care for him. Auggie lived in a home with one cat, and is sweet and affectionate. He would be thrilled to cuddle up with you at home! Auggie can be quite shy, so he would do best in a calm and quiet home – that’s why we call him one of our “Bashful Blue” personality pets. He can get anxious when he’s not with his people, so it would be good for him to have a place where people are home all the time. Auggie is so friendly, he would fit in with almost any household, although he doesn’t have much experience with children.
Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Have you or someone you know adopted a pet from RASKC? Let us know. We’d love to tell your story.
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October 15: Participate in the ShakeOut drill and KCInform employee alert test
On Oct. 15 at 10:15 a.m., millions of people will practice how to Drop, Cover, and Hold On during an earthquake as a part of the annual ShakeOut drill.
As part of the ShakeOut drill, at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15, we will test KCInform, our employee alert and warning system. A text, voice message, and email will go out to all registered County phones and emails, along with personal phones and emails that have registered. The message will look like this:
This is a test of KCInform, King County’s employee emergency notification system. This is only a test. Remember to Drop, Cover and Hold On at 10:15 a.m. during the Great ShakeOut. Thank you.
KCInform is used to notify County employees of emergency situations, infrastructure disruptions, facility closures, changes in your department’s business operations, and other critical impacts. Your King County desk phone and @kingcounty.gov email address are already in the KCInform system, however please register your County provided cell phone (if applicable) and personal cell phone and email address to ensure you don’t miss important, time-sensitive messages. The service is free and your personal contact information is secure and protected.
If you aren’t registered with KCInform, please contact kcinform@kingcounty.gov to request your unique registration link. Visit the KCInform website to learn more, or watch our short video.
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Free live, virtual exercises classes for King County employees
You asked for it and here it is! In response to employee requests, Balanced You, in partnership with Vivecorp, will begin offering free, live, virtual exercise classes on Wednesday, Oct. 21. King County employees and anyone in their home, including children, are welcome to join.
During the pandemic, many people have shifted to outside exercise due to gym closures and restrictions. As fall and winter set in, Balanced You recognizes that it will be harder to get outdoors and exercise, so we want to provide you with other ways to move. Recently, in Employee News, we asked what type of exercise classes were of interest to employees. King County employees let us know they prefer yoga and strength training, so we designed a schedule focused on these. It’s one more way we’re supporting your health and well-being.
Visit this Balanced You blogpost for the class schedule and instructions on how to register and join. These classes will be hosted on Zoom. They will be begin on October 21 and continue through the end of 2020. We look forward to seeing you there.
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COVID-19 cases are rising in King County – What does that mean for schools?
Crossposted from Public Health Insider
Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise again in King County, after two months of decline. As we move into the school year and into fall, a time when COVID-19 spreads more readily, it’s time to renew our commitment to fighting the spread of the virus in our community, for everyone’s sake. It’s more important than ever to mask up, stay distant and limit your contacts with people outside your household. We’ve driven the case count down before, and we can do it again.
While daily case numbers fluctuate, public health experts look to longer, two-week snapshots as a more reliable way to gauge how the epidemic is growing or shrinking. Adjusting for population, we calculate a key “incidence” metric you may have heard of: cases over 14 days per 100,000 people. This number is a key measure that the Washington Department of Health (DOH) uses to determine whether COVID transmission in a community is high, moderate or low, as it relates to the relative risk of reopening schools.
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Supporting Latinx Heritage Month through the 2020 Annual Giving Drive
As we celebrate Latinx Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, we’re highlighting four nonprofits participating in the Annual Giving Drive whose work supports Latinx, Hispanic, and Latino-identified communities in our region:
- Casa Latina (9307): Empowers Latino immigrants through employment, education, & community organizing toward the full participation of the Latino community in the economy & democracy of this country.
- El Centro de la Raza (9349): Human & Emergency Services (food, housing, etc.), Child & Youth programs (college readiness, academic achievement, etc.), & Education/Asset-building programs (employment, etc.)
- Latino Community Fund of Washington State (9652): Cultivates new leaders, supports cultural and community based non-profit organizations, and improves the quality of life for all Washingtonians.
- Seattle Latino Film Festival (9963): Film festival bringing audiences and filmmakers together for an educational experience and to support the magic of filmmaking as part the global Hispanic culture.
There are hundreds of nonprofits working on the causes you care about that you can support in this year’s campaign. Find out the many ways that you can take action in support of the participating nonprofits who are doing great work in our community and around the world.
From now to Nov. 20, you can go online or use a paper form to make a pledge to your favorite Employee Giving Program nonprofits by:
- Payroll donation: One-time, once–per-month, or twice-per-month.
- Time donation: Eligible vacation or comp time. See your department Lead Ambassador for details in your office.
- Check or credit card: Made out directly to the nonprofit.
- Volunteering: Up to three sick days per calendar year at a nonprofit in the EGP (for non-represented and employees whose union has approved this benefit, including those covered by the Master Labor Agreement).
For more information, contact your Employee Giving Program Ambassador, visit www.kingcounty.gov/giving, email EmployeeGiving@KingCounty.gov or call 206-263-9405.
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Commitment to people with disabilities and Employment First
People with disabilities face long standing barriers obtaining competitive employment. Recent pre-COVID-19 data shows the overall jobless rate for people with disabilities at two times that of people without disabilities, and if you experience a developmental disability, the rate is triple that of your peers who do not have a disability. As we honor Disability Awareness Month this October, we recognize King County’s strong network of people with disabilities, their families, employment service providers, school partnerships, and business champions who are upholding Employment First to help people with developmental disabilities overcome barriers and gain employment in the community.
Employment First has a long history in Washington and King County. It calls out that people with disabilities are productive and highly valued members of a diverse workforce and holds that anyone who wants to work can, regardless of potential obstacles presented by their disability. To make employment a reality, it places the onus on all who ally with job seekers to develop the supports needed to help them reach their employment goals. These values, leading to results-based expectations and state policy, have fueled deep partnerships in King County that have significantly contributed to leading individual employment outcomes in Washington for working-age adults with developmental disabilities.
The King County Employment First Community continues to grow and meets every other month maintaining progress. The group has developed 8 goal areas and guidance for cross-community workgroups that are actively addressing specific challenges, including COVID-19, to make employment for all a reality for our fellow citizens.
If Employment First is of interest and importance to you, please consider joining the community and its work. For more information and how to join, contact Richard.Wilson@kingcounty.gov.
Employee News 