Helping employees get back to work
King County’s Return-to-Work (RTW) Program assists employees who have been injured or ill transition back into the workforce, a program that benefits both employees and the County.
“This year I’m looking to place two employees with temporary medical restrictions in Renton with the Elections team during their upcoming busy election schedule,” said Jamie Christensen, Disability Services Consultant with King County’s Disability Services, Leaves and Supported Employment section in the Department of Human Resources. “If I can find employees for departments requesting transitional duty workers, then that’s interviews that departments don’t need to do and it saves the County money while also giving the ill or injured employee the opportunity to learn transferable skills and stay connected with King County.”
Pictured: This image is from the 2017 Disability Services Annual Report, page 6.
The program placed a total of 147 employees into a transitional duty assignment in 2017. Some 130 of those placed employees, or 84%, returned to working full duty in their regular positions after working in a transitional duty assignment. This year the program has already placed 131 employees into transitional duty assignments. According to a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine returning to work improves lower back pain and functional recovery. “Workplace support, particularly efforts to offer and coordinate temporary job modifications, has been shown to facilitate an early RTW.” Therefore, returning to work early should be encouraged, not only to reduce long-term disability but also to improve health recovery.
“The RTW program has helped me stay mobile and productive,” said Zeola Beasley, who regularly works as a Transit Operator, but has been working transitional duty while she recovers from her injury. “The site supervisors have been very accommodating, ensuring that if my injury is aggravated to let them know. They were happy to have someone fill the assignment even temporarily. I had the ability of utilizing the equipment to fit my needs I was able to work at my pace.”
There are many benefits of the RTW Program for King County employees while working a temporary duty assignment including: earning sick/vacation time, saving their protective leave entitlements if working full-time, employees return to work faster than if not placed, they pay into retirement, obtain a sense of worth, and gain transferrable skills and experiences that can be used if returning to their regular position is not possible.
“I was transitioned to the Office of Executive Dow Constantine, as a Front Desk Clerk,” said Zeola. “I was trained in Excel and Outlook, answered phones, and greeted people as they had meetings with the different executives in the office. I will also be training the next person taking on this job. I love bringing a smile to everyone and making their visit to the office a memorable one.”
The Return-to-Work Program aligns with the Investing in YOU strategy to make King County a place where employees have the tools, support, and opportunity to do their best work.
If departments are interested assisting King County employees with returning to work and have transitional duty work need, they can reach out to Jamie Christensen for placement requests at JaChristensen@kingcounty.gov.
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Reaching out to diverse job seekers at career fair
Teams from around King County, including the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, Public Health, Transit, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Sherriff’s Office, and Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, spent the day at the recent Pacific NW Public Sector Diversity Career Fair in Renton help build pipelines and networks with job seekers from diverse communities.
“It was part community outreach and part straight recruiting,” said Julie Dunn, Employment Manager with Department of Human Resources. “We were asked to participate as one of the sponsors, and they wanted to get a bunch of our departments to talk about all the different things we do.”
During the career fair Julie gave a 15 minute presentation open to all event goers on the many services that King County provides and having representation from so many departments allowed attendees to hear what each team does and about the vast array of career opportunities the County offers.
“I started off the presentation talking about how public service makes a difference in the world,” said Julie. “If you want to find a way to give back to the community, we have something that will fit your needs and that will inspire you. We are so large that you can have an entire career at King County and do lots of different things.”
During the four-hour career fair Julie’s team was able to connect with more than 200 guests and showcase King County as a desirable employer.
Other participating agencies included City of Seattle, City of Bellevue, City of Renton, City of Auburn, City of Everett, Snohomish County, Community Transit, and the Port of Seattle.
Besides connecting with employers, the career fair also featured resume and interviews assessment, NeoGov application system assistance, and a class on how to apply for public sector jobs.
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Don’t forget to vote!
Dear Colleagues,
It’s election time! You should have received your ballot for the November 6, 2018 General Election. If you haven’t, make sure to get a replacement ballot online or call 206-296-VOTE.
I know that voting can be stressful, even downright intimidating with all the instructions and information. Here’s the good news. You’re not going to do it wrong. Whether you use a pink glitter pen, forget to use the security sleeve, make a mistake or skip some races, no problem – we’ve got you covered. We can securely count your ballot regardless of ink color, corrections or security sleeves. So, while you might feel stress about your decisions on candidates and ballot measures, you absolutely should not feel stress about the process, including how you return your ballot. It’s easier than ever with 66 ballot drop boxes across the county AND prepaid postage! That’s right, you no longer need a stamp to vote.
Well, honestly, I guess there is one thing you can do wrong and that is to not vote. Midterm elections are critical. There are so many important issues and races on the ballot this year, from statewide initiatives to congressional seats to your local state legislators. These are the decisions that will determine the direction of our community, state and nation in the years to come. So please vote and encourage your friends, family and neighbors to let their voice be heard and vote.
To learn more about what’s on your specific ballot, see your voting history and registration information, or to track your ballot, check out our new My Voter Information application. Questions? You can always call us at 206-296-VOTE (8683). You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and our blog to get the latest on King County Elections.
Thanks and happy voting!
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Honoring the victims of Pittsburgh synagogue attack
Dear fellow King County employee,
On Saturday morning we woke to the terrible news that 11 innocent people had been killed by a gunman in a hate-filled anti-Semitic attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue.
We grieve for those who lost their lives celebrating their faith among family and friends. We stand with the people who lost loved ones and the entire city of Pittsburgh.
This horrifying event is another tragic reminder that we can no longer accept the status quo. When not even our places of worship are safe from gun violence – not our schools, our malls, our movie theaters – we know we must act. We must stand up to hate and intolerance, and stand up for those who have had their lives brutally taken.
King County is a welcoming place that values all people. We embrace diversity – of people, beliefs, backgrounds, and religions. We celebrate what makes us different because it is what makes us special. We will fight to protect our diversity, our rights and freedoms, and the fundamental American ideal that all are created equal.
To honor the 11 victims of this attack, I have ordered flags at all King County facilities lowered from now through the close of business Wednesday.
If you would like to speak with someone about how this event makes you feel, you can access two free services that offer professional support and advice: the Employee Assistance Program and Making Life Easier. Both resources are free and confidential.
Sincerely,
Dow Constantine
King County Executive
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Training Spotlight: Building Change Management and Effectiveness and Basic Data Visualization
Building Change Management and Effectiveness, Nov. 5: In this 2-day program and learning lab for change agents and teams responsible for stewarding a change initiative or program for their department or division, we will focus on the tools and processes necessary to produce change acceptance and help the initiative make progress. Designed for teams and team leaders responsible for making a change be successful, we will work through the Change Acceptance Process Model (CAP) and each team will directly apply the tools to their change project, thus making actual team progress over the two days. Rather than spending time learning the theory behind the CAP model, we will spend our time applying it and learning from the application to the real projects and challenges we face with building stakeholder commitment. Learn more and register.
Basic Data Visualization, Nov. 7: Our ability to gather and collect data has steadily increased over the past decade. But data alone is not information and does not easily convey a compelling story. This half-day introductory course will allow participants to understand why data visualization is important, explore ways to tell a story with data and mock up data visualizations in whiteboard exercises, using tips explored in class. Learn more and register.
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SNOM phones replacement project
KCIT is completing the SNOM phone replacement project that began at the beginning of this year. Since January, more than 1,200 devices manufactured by SNOM have been replaced.
There may still more SNOM phones around King County yet to be found, and KCIT needs help locating them. Employees are asked to check their workspaces, and if any of these phones are found in service or sitting around as a spare, contact KCIT at the number below or send an email to ZZGrp, KCIT Production Ops UCM with subject line “SNOM REPLACEMENT.” KCIT will arrange for the replacement of phones still in use and pick up any that are unused. Thanks for your help.
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Pet of the Week: Hershey
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
We have a sweet one for Pet of the Week: meet Hershey!
This young girl was brought in by her previous owner because they had too many cats. Hershey can be pretty shy at first, but when she knows that she can trust you she will melt in your arms! Her personality color is “Bashful Blue,” meaning she is a gentle and loving cat who likes to take things slow.
Read more at Tails from RASKC
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Kudos! Water Taxi receives rave from Seattle Times readers
This piece was featured at the top of the Seattle Times’ Rant and Raves list for October 20, 2018. Kudos to our efficient King County Water Taxi!
“RAVE I’ve had many opportunities to interact with the King County Water Taxi crews this year, mostly going to and from Sounders and Mariners games. They are always efficient, polite, and have a great way of making sure everyone gets aboard before taking off — and yet are never late!”
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King County tax transparency tool helps residents estimate the impact of proposed taxes on their property
Recently profiled in The Seattle Times, this new tool offered by the King County Department of Assessments allows for property owners and renters to see exactly how much in tax they would have to pay on their individual properties.
The Tax Transparency Tool is useful because it is more personal and precise in its calculations. Assessor John Wilson explained this as an essential part of its design.
“The intent here isn’t to take sides one way or another,” Wilson said. “You just want people to understand.”
Read more in the original article at The Seattle Times.
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Launch of Professional Development Scholarship Fund
In support of Executive Constantine’s commitment to Investing in YOU, King County and the Coalition of Unions are pleased to launch the Professional Development Scholarship Fund Program. Scholarship funds will be awarded to eligible employees for training that occurs in 2019. The intent of the scholarship is to support employees in achieving their career goals at King County or enhance their work related skills. The maximum total amount an eligible employee can receive for the year in training funds is $2,500.
Applications are now being accepted for training that will begin anytime between January 1, 2019 – March 31, 2019. Additional application periods will be occur on a quarterly basis.
Apply: Eligible employees may apply online at the County’s job page at the posting titled, “Professional Development Scholarship Fund.” The current application period closes November 4, 2018. The goal is to notify scholarship award recipients prior to Thanksgiving.
For more information visit the Professional Development Scholarship Fund Program webpage or email ScholarshipFund@kingcounty.gov.
Employee News 