Mindfulness classes offered to King County employees
Looking to reduce stress? Mindfulness is the simple yet powerful ability of the mind to attend more fully to the present moment’s experience. Cultivating mindfulness results in many benefits for mental and physical health, well-being, and happiness.
Through a partnership with Mindfulness Northwest, Balanced You offers Mindfulness classes, available online and in-person to all employees, free-of-charge. Visit Balanced You’s blog for a list of classes recently added for Fall/Winter 2019.
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Making Life Easier program offers tools for stress relief
King County’s Making Life Easier program offers the Wellspring Stress Center, a web-based stress management tool that includes a variety of resources to help become more stress-resilient. One of the tools, Instant Relief, is designed to help ease tension in minutes and stay relaxed and recharged throughout the day, by including guided meditation, muscle relaxation, desk yoga, and relaxation music. Access Instant Relief at www.kcmakinglifeeasier.com, enter username “King County,” and click on Stress Center.
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Get ready for 1,350 new bus trips per week starting Sept. 21
Crossposted from Metro Matters
The last few times we’ve asked you to “get ready,” it hasn’t been connected with good news. Alaskan Way Viaduct closure and buses moving out of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel required the public to change travel times and habits, and made tougher commutes for everyone. But, we have great news with the Fall Service Change starting September 21: more Metro to get you where you are going.
Read more from Metro Matters
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CFJC Resource Center connects youth and families to service providers
By Alex Hurtado
The brick and mortar of the Children and Family Justice Center (CFJC) is nearing completion, but it’s the services that will be provided to youth, their families and the community that will make this building shine.
Each courthouse level’s interior design has a King County theme; the main level of the courthouse side – The City – includes a café, community conference rooms, and a resource center. This floor will be vibrant, dynamic and community-centric.
Robert Gant, who is the Superior Court Community Partnership Manager, is enthusiastic about the opportunity to connect young people to community-based services on-site in a space that offers privacy to parents and youth. “One of the challenges at the Youth Services Center is the lack of privacy,” Gant said. “The CFJC Resource Center addresses that challenge with dedicated space and privacy, rather than meeting with families in the lobby.”
Many young people are in crisis and experiencing a variety of challenges in their life, such as lack of positive community connection, homelessness, minimal pro-social youth development, behavioral health/substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, family unit disruption, or limited employment options to name a few.
The CFJC Resource Center staff will connect families with a warm hand-off – whether they’re court-involved or not – to supportive social services, non-profits and community organizations. “This space will hopefully decrease the barriers for families seeking immediate assistance,” Gant said. Providers will be scheduled on-site on a rolling calendar. While representatives for some services may be on-site, Resource Center staff can bridge the gap for families with off-site service providers that are as close as possible to the family’s neighborhood.
Some of the providers include, YouthCare, Consejo, Community Passageways, Goodwill Job Training & Education, Nexus, and many more.
King County Information Technology is innovating how families connect to the Resource Center with the development and launch of the King County Youth Resources application/web-page for IOS and Android devices. This application provides information about youth and family resources in King County. Resources may be filtered on this application by type of service, age, and desired travel distance. The application will be available in early 2020.
The Resource Center will provide in-house interpreter services, a Youth Clothing Shop, legal resources, and it will provide youth with snack and hygiene packs.
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King County Information Technology Innovation Day, Sept. 30
Want to learn about amazing tech options available to aid your department or agency? Then come visit KCIT Innovation Day Monday, Sept. 30 from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Multiple rooms on the first floor of the Chinook Building will host different speakers and topics throughout the day.
Here’s a sampling of what’s available at Innovation Day:
- Augmented Reality: How Spatial Computing is Changing the Way We Learn and Work – Find out how mixed-reality hardware like the Microsoft HoloLens and software like Taqtile Manifest are changing how workers capture and transfer knowledge, collaborate and share critical information, and how they accelerate learning and training new employees to safely and confidently complete complex tasks.
- Come to the Nerd Tech room to see the latest offerings in PC computing and collaboration technology. We’ll display our current workstations and telecom devices and show you our new Microsoft Surface Hub 2S conference room collaboration tool. Technicians will also be onsite to answer questions and provide support.
- The Agile Process – Be a Partner in What Software Can Do For Your Team – Agile software development is the gold standard for how to develop software that powers your organization’s goals. As a representative of the business, you’ll participate every step of the way and will be instrumental in defining what an application needs to do for your team and your constituents! Come learn how to budget, plan and work with KCIT in this dynamic, creative and flexible process.
For questions or more information contact KCIT Communications Manager Elaine Porterfield.
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From Supported Employment Participant to Behavioral Health Division Employee
Patsy Murphy, Behavioral Health Recovery Care Authorizer with the King County Department of Community and Human Services
King County is celebrating National Recovery Month this September by helping to raise awareness, support, and recovery resources for people with mental health and substance use conditions and their families, friends and co-workers who support them.
One program that provides behavioral health supports is the Behavioral Health Supported Employment Program. This program assists people who have experienced chronic mental health and/or substance use conditions to gain and maintain competitive, integrated employment throughout our region.
The program provides job search assistance and ongoing support after job placement through an evidence-based, integrated team approach with behavioral health providers. People in the publicly funded behavioral health system move forward in their recovery journeys, despite the many challenges they may face such as homelessness, past criminal justice involvement and/or inconsistent work history.
Patsy Murphy, now a Behavioral Health Recovery Care Authorizer with the Department of Community and Human Services, credits the program with successfully helping her through difficult times several years ago to gain the courage to re-enter the workforce with support after a long absence due to her behavioral health condition.
“The program helped me create the structure and support I needed to reach for my goals and dreams,” she says.
Patsy knows how effective the program can be from her own experience. Many years ago, during a trying time, Patsy connected with the program and benefitted from the program’s assistance to find not only job opportunities but also resources that ultimately helped her achieve her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and become hired as a Forensic Peer with Valley Cities Behavioral Health, a community behavioral health agency. As a “Peer,” she provides support to others with similar conditions based on her own “lived experience” of having a behavioral health condition and navigating through the behavioral health system.
“Anything is possible if you put your heart and mind to it,” Patsy says.
Through the years, Patsy has continued to move along her wellness and recovery path. She now works as an employee for the Behavioral Health and Recovery Division, the division that helped her along the way. She now gives back to the community in different ways, such as helping with peer connection meetings and at various women’s shelters where she educates and helps others on their wellness and recovery path.
“I continue to use my recovery tools every day, including spending time with the supportive people I’ve worked hard to build relationships with. I do these things to stay well and show others that recovery is possible and that you’re never alone in your efforts to be well.”
Patsy praises the program from her own personal experience in hope that others with behavioral health conditions can benefit from the program as well. “Recovery is possible for everyone. I’m just one example of the many employees in Recovery who are compassionately contributing to our King County workforce with our own unique life experiences.” To learn more, visit the Behavioral Health Supported Employment Program website.
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UPDATED: Acceptable use of email in the workplace
Dear employee,
Email is an important tool for your work here at King County, and it is most effective when used appropriately. It is important that each employee understands the legislation and policies that apply to our use of email:
Acceptable Use of Information Assets Policy
One of our eight core values is “We respect all people,” and the way that we communicate with another is central to being a safe, respectful, and inclusive workplace. King County’s Acceptable Use of Information Assets Policy sets out the acceptable and prohibited use of all information assets, including email. The policy states that “Workforce Members shall ensure that King County information assets are used appropriately for King County business” (section 5.2). Minimal personal use is permitted “provided that the use is not prohibited as defined in section 5.3, and provided the use has the appearance of professionalism even if it is not used in a public setting” (section 5.4). The policy also outlines prohibited uses, including private or personal for-profit activities, conducting political activity, unsanctioned solicitation, harassment or intimidation, accessing obscene content, gambling, or other activities and services (section 5.3).
Public Records Act Requests
All emails distributed and received through work emails ending in @kingcounty.gov that relate to County business are of public record. This means that any member of the public can submit a public disclosure request to see them. Please be aware that your King County emails can be made available if requested, and therefore it is expected that you maintain professionalism in email communication as required by the Acceptable Use of Information Assets Policy. Forwarding of official King County business to personal email accounts is discouraged; public records are public records regardless of whether they are maintained in the County’s accounts or in the personal accounts of employees. If you need to access your work email, use OWA or an approved VPN.
Data Security
Providing services to the public in a confidential and secure manner is critical to how King County does business. While KCIT is working to limit spam and phishing emails, it is important employees are aware of the risk these emails pose to private information. Learn more about spam and phishing emails here.
This year a new way to identify external emails was implemented, but employees should still be cautious of all strange or unusual emails. For questions about possible phishing or spam emails contact the KCIT HelpDesk at 206-263-HELP (4357) or visit the HelpDesk website.
Professional Guidance
It’s always useful to consider how email impacts the work employees do, and as such, take into account any timelines or project needs when using email.
Some ideas to help streamline and make email more effective can be:
- Responding in a timely manner to employees and the public to ensure good customer service
- Limiting the use of “Reply All” to keep only those necessary informed and respect other’s time
- Only forwarding emails if permission has been given or the email has been reviewed so as to limit unnecessarily sharing confidential information
- Including a signature block within emails to help employees identify and contact one another more easily.
Email is an effective tool to help us do the work of serving our customers. Please consider how you use email and other tools to make our workplace effective, respectful, and safe, and our community a welcoming place where every person can thrive.
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Executive proclamation and celebration kick off Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month
King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed the month beginning September 15 “Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month” in King County.
“Latino and Latina residents have been a consistent, vital influence in the history of King County, and we name our commemoration “Latinx” Heritage Month to be more inclusive of the experiences and identities of our communities,” Executive Constantine said in the Proclamation.
Additionally, Sound Transit’s Latinx in Transportation (LIT) Employee Resource Group, King County Metro and the Seattle Department of Transportation held a multi-agency Latinx Heritage Month kick-off celebration on September 19, 2019. View more photos below and the proclamation here.
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King County 2019 flu shot schedule, week of Sept. 25
Check out the King County 2019 Flu Shot Schedule and mark your calendars for the location most convenient for you. These are open to all employees, unless noted otherwise. If you miss the opportunity to get a flu shot at work, here are some tips for getting your flu shot through your health plan. Contact balancedyou@kingcounty.gov for more information.
Some things to remember: Clinics are open to all employees, except when noted otherwise. Benefits-covered spouses and family members (age 11 and above) are welcome to attend most clinics, but please confirm these details with your site contact(s) beforehand. When able, bring your medical ID card or number.
Dates this week are:
- Thursday, Sept. 26 from 6:30 a.m. – 10a.m. at Atlantic – Central Base, 1500 6th Ave. South, Seattle, WA 98134, 2nd Floor Classroom. Contacts are Benita Grace at 206-477-2409 and Tutti Compton at 206-477-0426.
- Thursday, Sept. 26 from 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m at King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson St., Seattle, WA 98104, 8th Floor Conference Center. Contact is Chris Zanassi at 206-477-4541.
- Friday, Sept. 27 from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Maleng Regional Justice Center, 620 W James St., Kent WA 98032, Jury Assembly Room. Contact is Shanna Knight at 206-477-3036.
- Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 6:30 a.m. – 10 a.m. at East Base, 1975 124th Ave NE, Bellevue WA 98005, Classrooms A and B. Contacts are Janice Larson at 206-477-7839 and Tonya Davis at 206-477-7226.
- Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 12:30 – 2:30 p.m. at Eastgate Public Health Center, 14350 SE Eastgate Way, Bellevue, WA 98007. Contact is Quan Ha at 206-477-8055.
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Training Spotlight: Supervision and Leadership Skills – Series
Supervision and Leadership Skills – Series, beginning Oct. 4: Develop your leadership, communication, motivation, and problem-solving skills with this workshop based series. Take all six classes in the series to enhance your professional toolbox with skills to be used in a variety of workplace situations. Register and learn more here.
View more training and development opportunities at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
Employee News 