2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan Update – Staff Kickoff Lunch and Learn
All staff are invited to learn about King County’s commitment to confront climate change and understand how to contribute to a major update to the County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP) that will start in 2019. The SCAP is King County’s five-year blueprint for County action to confront climate change, integrating climate change considerations into all areas of County operations and our work with communities. Based on high demand, we’ve added a final lunch and learn session in March to outline the SCAP update process and share how staff can engage and contribute ideas. RSVP required.
- Tuesday, March 5th, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. in the Chinook Building, 401 5th Avenue, Room 123. Register here.
For questions, contact Matt.Kuharic@kingcounty.gov.
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King County Superior Court welcomes new judge
Pictured: From left, Judge Aimee Sutton and Presiding Judge Jim Rogers.
Judge Aimee Sutton was sworn in Monday at King County Superior Court. Congratulations, Judge Sutton. We look forward to your outstanding work on the bench at the Maleng Regional Justice Center.
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Executive Constantine talks transit with The New York Times
In a recent article, The New York Times highlighted how West Coast cities are leading the way in innovative public transportation, as compared to East Coast cities. It included commentary from transit experts and regional leaders in Los Angeles, New York, and here in King County, featuring King County Executive Dow Constantine.
“Folks are tired of sitting in traffic,” he said. “They’re mindful of the environmental implications of driving.”
Read more in Why the West Coast Is Suddenly Beating the East Coast on Transportation. Image courtesy of The New York Times.
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Executive Constantine announces his plan to renew the King County Parks Levy, connecting regional trails and improving access to parks, green space and recreation
Executive Dow Constantine announced his proposal to renew the current King County Parks Levy, scheduled to expire at the end of the year. His proposal for the August ballot would generate an estimated $738 million over the next six years to expand and connect regional trails, improve access to green space and recreation, and keep the county’s parks and trails clean, safe, and open.
The current King County Parks levy – which voters approved in 2013 – will expire Dec. 31. On Feb. 21, Executive Constantine sent to the King County Council a proposal that will expand and improve access to the county’s 200 parks, 175 miles of regional trails, and 28,000 acres of open space.
“This proposal isn’t just about access to parks and recreation – although that is plenty. It is about a generational investment in our environment,” said Executive Constantine.
Read more in the official press release.
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5 things that make or break an engagement action plan
Four years into a more robust employee engagement effort that is part of Investing In YOU, we have been holding focus groups to figure out how to make our response to survey data more effective in improving engagement. We’ve learned a lot from you about what works and can offer these best practices that have helped boost belief that action will be taken as a result of the survey 11 points since 2015. This is the largest increase countywide on any question and speaks to the trust that is being built in the process. These practices are common among groups that have seen significant increases in areas where their action plans focused.
5 best practices that can make an action plan effective:
- Involve the whole team in a discussion to understand the data and pick an action plan focus. Teams that had successful action plans agree that it makes a difference to involve everyone. First, data is shared with everyone so a common understanding can be established. Then, the team turns to action by agreeing on where to focus their efforts in the coming year, what should be done and who should do what.
- Attend action plan training. Whoever is going to facilitate the conversation and project manage the action plan, often the manager or supervisor, learns a lot about how to have the conversation and drive toward results in the action plan trainings that are offered each year.
- Align with existing work. Successful teams think if ways they can integrate their action plan into their day to day work. An Example is focusing on a set of agreed upon behaviors in day to day interactions as a way to improve respect. Teams that take this to the next level add recognition for consistency or outstanding performance in the chosen focus area.
- Track progress and adjust along the way. Teams that treated their action plans like other work priorities had greater accountability and follow though. Checking in on progress and adjusting along the way helped them have a greater impact.
- Communicate action plan progress and results. Teams agree it’s an important step in building trust to communicate progress on a regular basis and tie activity back to the survey.
5 things that can break an action plan:
- Top down decision making. Several teams tried it this way first time out and agreed it caused staff to disengage and left managers and supervisors solely accountable for outcomes.
- Not creating time and space for the work. Teams that rushed through conversations and didn’t set aside time to regularly check in on conversations did not see as great an impact.
- Losing focus among competing priorities. Teams that saw this as a one-off work item instead of integral to the success of their unit were not able to carve out the time and space needed to follow though.
- Making progress but not communicating it was part of the action plan. Several teams talked about spending a lot of time and effort on their action plan but not communicating the progress and tying it back to the survey. This showed in a lack of improvement in their data despite their solid efforts.
- “Inauthentic” efforts. The words “authentic” and “inauthentic” came up a lot in our discussions. Teams are looking for honesty, transparency and true effort to make improvements.
The King County Employee Engagement Survey has been used to hear from employees about how to make King County a better place to work, and how to provide services more effectively to residents. Based on employee feedback, the survey will be administered in spring of each year instead of fall. This year, the survey period is March 11-29 (March 11-22 for Transit employees).
Learn more about the changes coming to this year’s survey in this blog post and on the King County website at www.kingcounty.gov/employeesurvey.
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Bridge Fellowship empowers employees to achieve career goals and public service
The King County Bridge Fellowship program continues to be a successful opportunity for employees to grow in their career development. The Fellowship is part of Investing In YOU, reinforcing a commitment to provide leadership and development opportunities to all employees.
The program is a valuable opportunity that encourages each employee to explore new possibilities, for themselves and for King County. During the Fellowship, participants engage in classroom learning, group projects, presentations and career development activities, as well as interviews and site visits to explore the County’s agencies and their priorities. It is an experience that each Bridge participant has found personally and professionally rewarding. Here we connect with a current Bridge participant, and a previous Bridge Fellow to hear about their experiences.
Jose Romo Ramirez
Current Bridge participant, Jose Romo Ramirez shares how the Program has impacted him. Jose is a Nutrition Assistant with Public Health – Seattle and King County for the Women Infant Child (WIC) Program.
“I would be naïve to say I am the same person I was 6 months ago before attending the Bridge Fellowship,” he said. “This program has given me the confidence to face challenges that life comes across.”
Jose explains that the growth mindset and coaching model are the tools he has come to find most valuable in helping him further develop in his career with King County. He has been able to apply these skills directly in his work helping women, infants and children receive nutrition and health education services.
“Having more of a growth mindset I have been able to embrace challenges and accept criticism. I am learning to see failure and effort as a path towards mastery,” he said. “I have been able to apply the coaching model taught through Bridge to the families I directly work with in the WIC program.”
“Helping the most vulnerable citizens in our community see themselves as capable and able to achieve their own solutions is the biggest benefit this program can give our communities and county,” he added.
Previous Bridge participants also note how meaningful the program is for personal development, and how it impacts other employees and the overall community.
Lisa Ingraham
“Bridge inspired me to take on new challenges at work, and the classes really gave me confidence to voice my opinions and share my goals with managers,” said Lisa Ingraham, a Program Manager II with the Department of Community and Human Services.
The program helped Lisa develop new skills, and connect with other employees to learn about the County and how to coordinate with one another to provide better customer service.
“The mindset of being more humble and approaching difficult situations from a point of curiosity and wonder have become daily practices for me in work and home life,” she said. “Also I met so many of my peers, and learned of the different jobs they do in the county that I have reached out to them while performing my job to create experiences for the youth I work with.”
Recently promoted to a Special Duty position as Program Manager II – Youth Contracts Monitor, Lisa sees Bridge Fellowship as an amazing opportunity for employees interested in taking the next step in their career.
“I think anyone who is interested in moving up in the county or trying on a different role would benefit from participating in Bridge,” she said.
Jose echoes this sentiment. He is proud to see the impact Bridge has had on his career and life, and thankful King County offers learning opportunities like this one for professional development.
“Joining the Bridge Fellowship has been great for my life. I truly have felt a change in myself to become a better coworker, employee, husband, father and human. Thank you for investing in my life.”
To learn more about the King County Bridge Fellowship program visit www.kingcounty.gov/bridge.
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Training Spotlight: Team Building for Success and Grammar Refresher
Team Building for Success, March 1: Want to showcase your strengths and make a positive impact in your organization? Your ability to participate, collaborate and resolve issues will set you apart as a “go-to” person in any organization. In this interactive course, learn skills to develop group understanding, evaluate team roles, develop methods for resolving underlying conflict within a team, and use these skills to collaborate with team members to achieve workplace objectives. Register and learn more.
Grammar Refresher, April 10: Confused about grammar and punctuation? This fun, hands-on class will help you master the latest rules, avoid common errors, and write with confidence. We’ll cover apostrophes, verb tense, word usage, subject/verb agreement, commas/semicolons, style guides, how to avoid the 10 most common grammar and punctuation mistakes, and more. Class includes plenty of examples and exercises to help you practice your new skills. Register and learn more.
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Rev Up For Retirement seminar, March 13
Are you too young to think about retirement? Think again! This retirement overview is for anyone who thinks they may retire in the next few years. With increasing concern over the future of Social Security and the stability of retirement plans, it’s a good idea to stay informed and prepare in advance.
Join us for a three-hour seminar. Topics include pensions, Medicare, and the current retirement climate and projections for the future. Plus, we’ll share resources available to you through King County. The seminar will take place Wednesday, March 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
Registration is required. Click here to register. Please note attendance is strictly voluntary, on your own time, and non-work related. For more information, contact King County Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations at KC.Orientations@kingcounty.gov.
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Recent episode of King County @ Your Service show covers wide range of topics
Join host Kimberly Hill for the most recent episode of King County @ Your Service. It covers the Protection Order Advocacy Program from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, the King County Archives, the Roads Division and Supported Employment, King County Adoption Services, women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from the Water and Land Resources Division, the new Hearing Loop in Council Chambers, and King County’s “Mole.”
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Featured Job: Juvenile Detention Officer
Salary: $55,764.80 – $70,616.00 Annually
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Department: DAJD – Adult & Juvenile Detention
Job Number: 2019AH09195
Closing: 6/30/2019 11:59 PM Pacific
Juvenile Detention Officers (JDOs) work in a secure juvenile detention facility with male and female detainees under 18 years of age. JDOs interact directly with juveniles with the focus on managing behavior by the least restrictive means, utilizing coaching and conflict resolution skills to teach and promote pro-social behavior among the juveniles. JDOs are responsible for creating and maintaining a safe, secure environment for juveniles and ensuring that their care and programming needs are met.
The Juvenile Division of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) is responsible for the care and custody of youth who are detained in the Juvenile Detention Facility and also operates King County’s Alternatives to Secure Detention (ASD) programs. The Juvenile Division is committed to a philosophy of balanced and restorative justice, moving from a system that criminalizes vulnerable youth to one that supports them in leading safe, productive lives. Joining DAJD’s Juvenile Detention provides the unique opportunity to join a department during the height of systemic transformation. The Juvenile Division incorporates the principles of restorative justice by promoting communication skills, empathy and other opportunities for personal growth. Youth also learn team building skills and are exposed to new ideas, career opportunities, and self-awareness through various program offered within the facility.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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