Looking back at Pride in celebration and solidarity
Usually at this time of year, King County employees, family, and friends are getting ready to take part in the Seattle Pride Parade and other community events in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
While we can’t celebrate in person this year, we will celebrate the spirit of Pride, the fight for equality and acceptance for all, and the voices and rights of Black and Brown LGBTQ+ people.
We’ve put together short video to look back at King County Pride over the years, and remind us that the fight continues today. Watch the video here and below.
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Pet of the Week: Sunny
Even when it’s gray and rainy outside, our Pet of the Week Sunny is ready to brighten your life!
This seven-year-old boy was brought in by a good Samaritan on May 12. Sunny is a gentle and loving cat who likes to take things slow, so he’s one of our “Bashful Blue” pets. He may get nervous in new situations, so Sunny is looking for a family who understands that he might need some time to warm up. Once he gets to know you though, he will be a very devoted friend!
Sunny is neutered, current on vaccinations, and microchipped. He also has a few medical needs, and our staff would be happy to chat with you about those when you visit.
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Featured Job: Communications Specialist III – TLT
Salary: $77,840.67 – $98,667.50 Annually
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Term Limited Temporary, Full Time, 40 hrs/wk
Department: DCHS – Community & Human Services
Job Number: 2020SC11740
Division: Comm & Human Svcs Admin
Closing: 6/28/2020 11:59 PM Pacific
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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King County FBOD featured on PBS show for Lean accomplishments
The King County Finance and Business Operations Division (FBOD) was recently highlighted in the PBS show “Behind the Scenes with Host Laurence Fishburne.” The segment focused on FBOD’s success with Lean, and how people solve problems and improve processes with online Lean Six Sigma Training & Certification courses. View the video segment below, and learn more about King County’s Lean journey here.
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Free webinar: Coping with COVID-19 and Beyond, multiple dates
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our schedule and daily lives dramatically and potentially affected our mental, physical, and emotional health. It is especially important during this time to care for YOU. This one-hour webinar from Kaiser Permanente will focus on ways to cope with this pandemic and tricks to build resilience during this time of uncertainty and change.
Webinars will be held on various dates between now and July 2, from noon to 1 p.m. Register here.
Webinars are open to all employees and have limited capacity. You must register to receive the link to join. If a webinar is full, you can join a waitlist or choose a different date/time. A confirmation and reminder email will be sent prior to your scheduled webinar with the link to join.
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Lean Transformation Tuesdays webinar series, weekly at 2 p.m.
In Finance and Business Operations, our employees use Lean tools and thinking to continuously improve. We’ll discuss the successes (and failures!) we encountered on our Lean journey to complete our recent Yellow Belt projects, and how Lean methods have helped us re-examine our daily work routines.
Join us for this special webinar series that examines Lean transformation in action, every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Please use the links below to register for the sessions:
- June 23: Reporting Emergency Purchases & Eliminating Work: No More Contract Extensions, register here.
- June 30: Contract Purchase Agreement (CPA) Attachments + Small Contractor & Supplier Certification (SCS) Application Improvement, register here.
- July 7: Improving Interface from Debt Manager System to General Ledger + Immaterial Prior Period Adjustments, register here.
- July 14: Reducing Duplicate and Lost Invoices in Accounts Receivable + Petty Cash/Impressed Fund/Change Fund Forms, register here.
- July 21: Reducing Invoice Production Time + ePay the Lean Way + Property Tax Administration System (PTAS) + Improving Access to FPIC by Facilitating Navigation, register here.
Visit the new FBOD Lean page to view descriptions for each session, and access Lean tools to tackle your own process improvement project.
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Black Lives Matter. What’s next?
A personal, reflective piece by Dr. Gloria Ngezaho, Workforce Equity Manager, Department of Human Resources
It was just a couple of weeks ago that I, alongside the world, witnessed the murder of George Floyd at the hands, or should I say knees, of a White police officer. I sat in silence, along with my family, angry and not knowing what to do. It wasn’t too long after that I decided to share my thoughts with my network. This was a space I needed in that moment, because my entire family was hurting, and I needed to let out the fire that was in me. The following morning, as I prepared to go on my usual morning jog, my four-year-old said, “Daddy, can I kiss you?” At first, it sounded innocent and normal, until he followed the kiss with “Daddy, please be careful. I don’t want you to die.” Right then and there, I knew my kids were scared. Witnessing George Floyd call for his mom while gasping for that last breath was a moment that’s deepened those scars.
Although I held myself in the moment, I shed a few tears and went about my jog. I spent the rest of my jog thinking about what was next. What else? More than just posting and sharing with my network? “I have to do more! I have to for my kids! For the future! I can’t just be here and be angry.” As my thoughts wondered in many different places, suddenly, I got a text from a dear friend: “You are not alone.” Her message was timely because even though I was walking alone, there were plenty of folks holding me in their thoughts. This text reminded me of the following points I’d like to share with everyone, as reminders about best ways to remain constructive while advocating for change.
1. It is NOT Black vs. White
Contrary to some rhetoric out there, the challenges we face are not between Black skinned folks vs. White skinned folks. This is about everyone, at least everyone who does not associate with and subscribe to white supremacy, or racism. There are plenty of folks in my circles who have tried to reframe this fight against racism, and made it sound like it was a fight between Black skinned folks and White skinned folks. I have continuously had to check and correct them, making it clear that we are fighting against a cancerous ideology – white supremacy – not people.
2. Slow Down to Go Fast
I had to remind myself to slow down. It is much easier to make mistakes and make things worse in the heat of the moment because every response tends to be reactionary. I realized I was going too fast, wanting to act on every thought that was coming my way, wanting to jump on every train of thought and action without thinking about the impact and consequences. To slow down, I’ve had to ask the following questions: Am I myself in this moment? What’s driving my actions right now? Is this the right way to proceed? Who else can I connect with?
3. I am NOT Alone
I have to remind myself that I am not alone in this fight. When I say I am not alone, I don’t mean to say there are other Black skinned folks out there facing the same struggles and fighting alongside me. I mean to say that there are many folks of all skin colors (Asian, Black, White, Latinx, Native, Mixed…) who are with me, marching with me, thinking with me, fighting alongside me, often with their own lives on the line. This leads me back to the first point I made; this is not a Black vs. White issue, but about everyone vs. racism.
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King County applies for Phase 2 of Safe Start recovery plan
Following two weeks of progress in modified Phase 1, King County has submitted an application to the state Department of Health to move to Phase 2 of the Safe Start coronavirus recovery plan, which would allow more re-opening of businesses to increase operating capacity.
King County Executive Dow Constantine and King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci submitted an application to the state Department of Health to move King County to Phase 2 of the Safe Start recovery plan following approval of the plan by the King County Board of Health.
“After two weeks in what has been called Phase 1.5, our case counts, health care system capacity and other metrics are holding steady, and we are ready to move to Phase 2,” said Executive Constantine. “But make no mistake – successful economic recovery will depend on everyone in King County carefully following the recommendations of our Public Health experts, including wearing face coverings and avoiding unnecessary contacts, so together we can keep re-opening our community while holding the line on the pandemic.”
Read more in the official press release.
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Communication and Problem Solving Skills three-day online webinar, June 30-July 2
In this three-day training, instructor Lenny Borer will address communication and problem-solving skills with the public and with co-workers. This class covers skills for effective listening, speaking, dealing with conflicts and with defensive behavior. Participants will learn how to name and demonstrate seven active listening skills, five assertive verbal skills, the five steps to deal with defensive behavior, and identify the differences between aggressive and assertive behavior, as well as list the seven steps in the problem solving process.
- Tuesday, June 30, Wednesday, July 1, and Thursday, July 2, from 9 – 11:30 a.m. Register here. Participants must attend all three days.
The webinar is $65 and space is limited. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
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On-demand webinar recording: Supporting Kids through the Pandemic
During the recent Balanced You webinar “A Conversation on Self-care and Connection,” we heard from employees that one of your top concerns is how the pandemic is impacting your kids. Because you asked for help supporting your kids through this, we reached out to one of the area’s top parent coaches, Sarina Behar Natkin, to coordinate a webinar and Q&A session for King County employees. Attendees of the “Supporting Kids through the Pandemic” webinar learned how to support their children and themselves while building resilience and increasing connection in the home. To listen to a recording of the webinar, visit the Balanced You blog.
Employee News 