Communication and Problem Solving Skills workshop, April 26
Are your communication skills holding you back or helping you soar? Solid communication skills can be the difference between successful experiences and painful, unproductive encounters in the workplace. When you’re looking to serve customers, solve problems, and make an impact, being able to listen effectively, clearly express yourself, and adeptly handle conflict and defensive behaviors is key.
The Human Resources Learning and Development group is hosting noted trainer, Lenny Borer, on April 26 to help attendees develop deeper communication and problem solving skills. Sign up now.
Thursday, April 26 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. King County Administration building, 500 Fourth Ave.
They’re going quickly, but free spots for this workshop remain. Learn more and register.
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Crew of the SoundGuardian redeploys water quality buoy
Crossposted from The Downstream Blog
The Point Williams Buoy
Sensors are used to continually collect data that is used to monitor water quality in Puget Sound.
On March 29, the crew of SoundGuardian, King County’s marine research vessel, re-deployed a water quality buoy that got loose earlier in the month at Point Williams, off Lincoln Park in West Seattle. In this video, watch Jim Devereaux, Bob Kruger, Houston Flores, and Christopher Barnes from the King County Environmental Laboratory re-anchor the buoy.
The Point Williams buoy is one of four automated, high-frequency data collection systems used by King County in marine waters and is the only floating platform — with the other three attached to piers or docks at Seattle Aquarium and inner and outer Quartermaster Harbor on Vashon-Maury Island. King County began using automated systems back in 2008 but the Point Williams buoy has been at the current location since 2013.
The buoy functions as a platform to suspend multiple instruments into the top of the water column to take measurements that determine water quality in the Central Puget Sound basin. Automated, water quality data collection allows measurements to be taken every 15 minutes of physical, chemical, and biological parameters. The result is improved information to determine variability on a weekly, even daily, basis compared to traditional water quality measurements that are typically measured every two to four weeks.
The data are transmitted via a cellular modem to a cloud data collection service, then transferred to the King County mooring data website where it can be viewed or downloaded within 30 minutes of data collection. Data undergo automatic quality checks to assess for issues in real-time as well as semi-annually by a data manager.
The sensors are attached to the buoy which acts as a floating platform.
The data are used to characterize Puget Sound water conditions on numerous time scales (e.g., daily, seasonal, annual, inter-annual) and used for status and trends analysis, to compare with data from other locations in Puget Sound to assess spatial differences, populate or validate numerical Puget Sound models, and provide data for management decisions. The data from this water quality monitoring system are also sent to Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems to be included in a larger marine waters data collection network.
Check out more cool stuff from @KCEnviroLab on Instagram.
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Featured Job: College Engineering Intern
Salary: $16.60 Hourly
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Intern
Department: Department of Transportation – Airport Division
Job Number: 2018MD07974
Closing: 4/20/2018 11:59 PM Pacific
Description: Seeking a highly motivated Engineering Intern to support project work across all Airport business units. This internship provides opportunity for an Engineering student to obtain experience that will further his/her education and/or career interests. The successful candidate must be a college Junior or Senior, working toward a degree in Civil Engineering. Working knowledge of AutoCAD is a must.
Contact: For more information, contact Melinda Dickie at 206-477-3608 or Melinda.Dickie@KingCounty.gov.
Learn more about this position or all available jobs.
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Social Media Spotlight: Department of Natural Resources and Parks Keeping King County Green blog
The Department of Natural Resources and Parks blog provides tips on wasting less, enjoying the outdoors, supporting local food and other everyday doable actions to positively impact climate change. The blog also showcases fun news, facts and stories about King County’s natural resources and environmental stewardship. It’s written by members of Public Affairs at King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, with contributions from many of the programs throughout the department’s four divisions.
Follow the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks blog today.
Click here to view all King County social media pages.
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Try one of King County’s onsite Activity Centers!
Crossposted from kchealthyincentives
King County offers a variety of health and well-being options to support employees so you can feel good, get the most out of life, and do your best work for the people of King County. Regular physical activity improves your overall health and fitness, and reduces your risk for many chronic diseases. Fitting regular exercise into your daily schedule may seem difficult at first, but King County provides several options to support your fitness goals at work.
Employee Health & Well-Being maintains Activity Centers in over 15 King County worksites. These convenient spaces are for employees to get moderate levels of physical activity and reduce stress. Learn more about the Activity Centers and the amenities available at each and try one today!
Another way to get a quick workout at work is through this workplace boot camp. For a lift in energy and mood, try this express workout created by our partners at the YMCA. It’s even customizable for your activity level.
Looking for a gym or fitness center in your community? Many facilities in the Puget Sound area offer discounts to King County employees, their families, and retirees.
Give us feedback! Contact Employee Health & Well-Being to tell us how it’s going and share your ideas.
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Pet of the Week: Bindi
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC
Introducing Bindi, our Pet of the Week!
This eight-year-old Boston Terrier mix came to us because her previous family could no longer care for her. Bindi is a very smart girl, and already knows sit, stay, and come. She becomes very attached to and protective of her family, and would do best in a low-traffic home with no children.
Bindi loves to go on walks, but does have some leash aggression. She gets along with other small dogs and cats, but would still do best with a slow introduction to any current pets in her new home. Bindi also really loves her people, and has some separation anxiety. She would like to be in a family where she’s not home alone for long periods of time.
Because she’s so spirited, Bindi has a “Rambunctious Red” personality. She is still working on her manners and would do best with a family willing to work with her to help her become the best dog she can be. Bindi will be a very devoted friend in return!
Like all of our adoptable pets, Bindi is spayed, current on vaccinations, and microchipped. Her adoption fee includes a certificate for a free veterinary exam and the option of 30 days of pet insurance through Trupanion.
You can find out more about Bindi on our Adoptable Animals website, or visit her at our Eastside Pet Adoption Center inside Kirkland Petco.
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KCIT and Amazon Web Services hackfest April 23-24
KCIT and Amazon Web Services are joining forces for another Government Hackfest April 23-24 at Amazon. Our January Hackfest with Microsoft brought us cool ideas including a chatbot for King County webpages. Check out KCTV’s story here. The chatbot is under construction right now.
If you have an idea, a problem, or a use case that you’d like us to tackle in this 48-hour hackathon, please contact Jamie Holter at KCIT and we’ll get you connected with some of the best minds in the business! It’s open to all local governments.
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Executive Constantine appoints experienced tech executive to lead King County’s award-winning information technology team
After a nationwide search, Executive Constantine selected a former senior Amazon manager to lead King County’s Department of Information Technology, recognized last year as the Best IT County in the Nation.
Tanya Hannah will lead the 450-person team that was selected as Best IT County in the Nation last year by the National Association of Counties. Hannah, who joined King County IT in June 2017 as Deputy Director, was selected after an extensive nationwide search in which more than 300 candidates applied.
Tanya Hannah, Director of King County Department of Information Technology
“Our award-winning team of IT professionals has established King County as a national leader in using technology to improve the quality of life in our community,” said Executive Constantine. “Tanya has exactly what I wanted for our next Chief Information Officer: The proven ability to lead creative, innovative teams committed to continuous improvement.”
King County’s Department of Information Technology has earned a reputation as one of the most innovative, forward-thinking public IT agencies in the United States, by rethinking the way the county delivers products, services and capabilities to residents, using technology to meet customers where they are – day or night on any device.
Hannah previously served as a senior manager at Amazon and Computer Sciences Corporation. As a Senior Technical Program Manager at Amazon, she launched self-service automated hardware planning and a data analytics platforming using machine learning while working with global partners. She has served as the interim Chief Information Officer since October 2007.
“Our customers get world-class service from the tech giants in their own community. They expect nothing less from their government. This is what drives us every day. Whether it’s Hololens technology to streamline on-site work or integrating real-time food safety data into Yelp restaurant reviews, we believe in partnerships and innovation to deliver the best possible service to our community.”
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Tech Tip: Access your W-2 without PeopleSoft
To provide safer access to your information, employees need to be inside the King County firewall to access their W-2 tax forms through PeopleSoft. This year King County contracted with ADP to make W-2 forms available on the ADP portal so employees are ensured access from any location. This access to ADP additionally allows W-2 data to be transferred to tax programs such as TurboTax, eliminating the need to actually manually enter your data.
To access your W-2 outside of the County firewall, you need to register on the ADP portal:
- Go to https://my.adp.com.
- Click “Register Now”.
- Enter the Registration Pass Code which is: (Company Pass Code) = KINGC-W2
- Enter your Name and select W-2 Services as the Service.
- The following information is required for validation purposes:
- Full Social Security Number = XXXXXXXXX
- Employee ID # = PEOPLESOFT EE NUMBER (including leading zeros)
- Company Code from Box D = TQO, (capital letters t, q, o)
- Employee Zip Code = XXXXX
- Tax Year = 2017
You will be prompted to complete a registration process during which you will select a unique password. Your password must contain between 8 to 20 characters and at least one alpha and one numeric character. Additionally, you will be assigned a system generated User ID. Once you have completed the registration process, you should “Bookmark” or “Add to your Favorites” the new URL, https://my.adp.com.
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Deferred Compensation Plan education offered
Consider expanding your retirement savings through the Deferred Compensation Plan, a voluntary 457 account offered to King County employees. The plan allows you to defer a portion of your paycheck to a variety of investment options before taxes are deducted, reducing your taxable pay now and helping you save for the future.
You and your spouse or significant other are each invited to attend one of the webinar education sessions scheduled throughout the year. For details and registration, go to Deferred Compensation Plan webinars.
You are also invited to attend the following in-person education sessions: Savings Strategy, Achieving Financial Goals, Retirement Savings Options, and Women and Retirement. For details and registration, go to Deferred Compensation Plan in-person education sessions.
Session descriptions:
Savings Strategy: Learn about plan details and the “we believes” developed by T. Rowe Price. It is intended to inform employees on the features of their plan and explore strategies that may help them build and save for their own retirement.
Achieving Financial Goals: Learn how to prioritize and achieve your unique financial goals. The presentation anchors on retirement savings being a primary goal and addresses other competing financial priorities, such as paying down debt or saving for a college education. The presentation will review services and features available through the plan and T. Rowe Price.
Retirement Savings Options: Learn about plan details and the distribution options available within the plan. It is intended to educate employees on their options (presented in a fair and balanced way), review financial considerations of each option, and discuss what they need to do to carry out a distribution decision.
Women and Retirement: This presentation reviews the unique considerations women may have when it comes to saving and investing for retirement. This session is intended to educate plan participants on recognizing those unique considerations, anchors on retirement, and addresses other competing financial priorities such as paying down debt or saving for a college education. The presentation will highlight services and features available through the plan and T. Rowe Price.
Employee News 