Meet some of the amazing women of King County Metro!
Crossposted from Metro Matters
In honor of Women’s History Month in March, we’ve asked some of the fantastic women at King Count Metro to discuss why they work in transit.
Desiree Andersen, Metro Transit Operator
Being a Metro Bus Operator has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had. Each day I get to interact with people from all walks of life. I get to look through a unique window into our King County community. Driving for Metro has taught me to be grateful for the little things, having a warm home, reliable transportation and people who support me. Read more.
Share this:
King County Security Tips – Lock your screen
Locking your screen when you get up from your desk is a security action that is often overlooked and can have dangerous consequences. Failing to lock your screen can open you up to several vulnerabilities–some more serious than others.
Although many organizations have a policy which automatically locks your screen with a screen saver after a certain amount of inactivity, not all screen savers are password-protected, leaving your workstation defenseless.
Here are a few actions the bad guys can do when you leave your workstation unlocked and unattended:
- Files can be downloaded from the internet and executed on your computers, such as malware, spyware, keyloggers, and other types of malicious software.
- Emails can be sent from your email address to coworkers, your boss, or other business contacts.
- If you save passwords in your browser (another no-no), they now have access to your online banking, Facebook, and other accounts.
Locking your workstation before you get up from your desk is simple and can prevent you from ending up in a bad situation. Here are some ways you can lock your workstation:
For Windows:
- Press the Windows key + the L key at the same time on your keyboard.
- Press and hold Ctrl+Alt+Del and then choose Lock This Computer.
For Mac:
- If using Mac OS X (2015 and later), be sure to enable the lock screen ability. Find this under System Preferences > Security & Privacy > and look for the “Require password…” setting under the General tab.
- Then, press Control+Command+Q on your keyboard, or do a quick web search to learn the keyboard shortcut for your Mac’s Operating System.
- Set up hot corners, which allows you to push your cursor to a certain corner of your screen to lock the computer. This can be set up under System Preferences > Desktop & Screen Saver then choosing Hot Corners.
Get in the habit of locking your screen.
Share this:
Tap your King County ID or ORCA card on transit
King County Metro will resume fare inspection on March 31. Fare Enforcement Officers will ask riders for proof of payment. As a reminder, everyone—even riders with fully-subsidized transit benefits from an employer like King County—needs to tap their King County ID or use another payment method. As a reminder, you can use your King County ID to travel anywhere, at any time, for free on transit.
Tapping your card directly supports transit—and benefits you and Metro in other ways, too. For example, it lets Metro know how you ride public transportation so they can update service to meets the changing needs of riders. Tapping also lets Metro know how many people are taking Metro. The more people who ride, the more state and federal transit funding is directed to Metro and the other transit agencies you use.
As more employees commute to King County worksites more frequently, forgetting your badge can happen. If this happens, employees can coordinate with FMD/ID Access to receive a replacement or temporary badge.
Family, friends and visitors can get their own ORCA card or download the Transit GO Ticket mobile app to purchase digital tickets. And don’t forget, transit is always free for riders 18 and younger thanks to Move Ahead Washington, a statewide transportation funding package. We strongly encourage youth riders ages 6 to 18 to get a free Youth ORCA Card.
If you have any questions about your commuter benefits offered by King County, reach out to the King County Employee Transportation Program at ETP@kingcounty.gov.
Share this:
Submit 2024 FSA claims by March 31, 2025
If you still have funds remaining in last year’s Health Care or Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), take the following steps to get reimbursed for expenses incurred in 2024.
Check your FSA balances – Go to Navia Benefits and log in as a participant.
Learn about eligible expenses incurred Jan. 1—Dec. 31, 2024 – Health Care FSAs cover a variety of medically necessary expenses for you and your eligible family members, including deductibles, coinsurance, and copays, and other Eligible Health Care Expenses.
Day Care FSAs cover a range of services for your child, disabled spouse, or dependent parent that allow you to work, such as day care, preschool, day camps, before and after school care, elder care, and other Eligible Day Care Expenses.
Gather supporting documents – Proper documentation to substantiate the claim includes the date of service, type of service, and cost of service. Day Care claims also need the provider tax ID, name of dependent, and age of dependent.
Submit 2024 FSA claims by March 31, 2025. Watch the 6 Ways to Submit Claims video:
- Pay health care providers directly using your FSA debit card. Use this method only for 2024 FSA claims.
- Submit a claim form and documentation by email.
- Use Navia’s online claim submission tool.
- Use the MyNavia mobile app on your mobile device.
- Fax your claims to 866-535-9277.
- Send claims to Navia by mail.
Up to $640 of unused Health Care FSA funds carry over for use in 2025; any other remaining funds are forfeited. The Day Care FSA does NOT have a carryover feature; any unused funds are forfeited. If you have questions about your FSA, contact Navia at 800-669-3539 or Navia Customer Service.
Share this:
Balanced You Conversations: Understanding your benefits with Matt Munson
Balanced You Conversations is a series of talks about important topics related to overall health and well-being.
Karla Clark, Employee Health & Wellness Educator with the Balanced You team sits down with Matt Munson, King County Benefits Navigator. They discuss the work Matt does to help educate all King County employees about their benefits and the options they have, the importance of having a primary care provider, and some of the things he likes to do outside of work.
“I’m always available to talk to employees about the available benefit options and help guide folks to a plan that helps meet their needs,” says Matt Munson.
Check out the video below. For questions about your King County benefits, please contact the Benefits office at kc.benefits@kingcounty.gov.
Share this:
ORCA transit ridership grows to 151 million trips
Crossposted from Metro Matters
Regional ridership jumps 12% in 2024
Transit in the Puget Sound region delivered 17 million more trips in 2024 than the prior year, according to six ORCA transit agencies. Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit and Sound Transit delivered 134 million trips in 2023 and 151 million trips in 2024.
The growing popularity of transit aligns with recent expansions and improvements across the region. Transit agencies celebrated adding more bus trips, opening new bus rapid transit lines, launching Sound Transit Link light rail extensions, offering more fast ferry and water taxi service, and extending “first-mile, last-mile” options that connect neighborhoods that do not yet have frequent bus or light rail service. Read more.
Share this:
Airport unveils new hybrid electric fire truck, cutting air and noise pollution
Crossposted from the DES Express
King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) is the first airport in the country to receive a hybrid electric airport fire truck to respond to emergencies like aircraft crashes or hangar fires. The Oshkosh® Striker® Volterra™ from Oshkosh Airport Products dramatically cuts greenhouse gas and particulate emissions compared to diesel-only fire trucks.
KCIA’s new hybrid electric fire engine is designed to maximize performance while reducing fuel use, emissions and maintenance costs. The new fire truck is part of the airport’s work to combat climate change and allows the airport to retire its oldest diesel model. Read more.
Pictured: King County International Airport-Boeing Field (KCIA) unveiled its new hybrid electric airport fire truck on March 11.
Share this:
Digital Accessibility Training now available in NEOGOV
All King County employees are invited to learn more about digital accessibility in the free course: “Beyond Compliance: Building an Accessible and Inclusive King County,” now available in the NEOGOV Learn catalog. Developed in collaboration with the Office of Equity, Racial, and Social Justice (OERSJ) KCIT, this 45-minute online training is designed to foster a deeper understanding of disability rights, digital accessibility standards, universal design, disability etiquette, and proactive accommodations. This is an introductory course and applicable to all county employees, regardless of their current learning level.
Digital accessibility is crucial to ensure everyone can access vital online information and services, regardless of visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, and speech impairments. King County can promote inclusivity within our technology systems by removing barriers to access for users with disabilities. Thank you for working to make King County a place where every person can thrive!
Share this:
Together We Thrive: Employee Engagement Survey is coming soon
The Employee Engagement Survey is returning and will take place March 31 – April 21. We know that to provide great service to the public, King County needs to be a great place to work. The survey is an important tool to help us continue to be one. It also provides an opportunity to check in with employees to learn what is going well and where we need to improve.
That is why your participation is critical – we need each employee to provide feedback about their experience so that we can understand what employees want and need to be fully engaged in their work!
As you may know, we did not conduct an Employee Engagement Survey in 2023 and 2024 due to staffing challenges and the need to find a new survey vendor. Over the past year, the Employee Experience team has been working hard to develop new survey best practices and processes to reflect our current needs. Learn more.
Share this:
From the Director’s Desk: Women’s History and Employee Appreciation
From the DAJD newsletter
Women have served in law enforcement nearly as long as official police and corrections departments have been in existence in the U.S. In jails, female staff provided needed care and protection for incarcerated women. Read more.
Employee News 