King County Security Tips – HTTPS the ‘S’ stands for secure
If you have ever signed in to a website such as Facebook or Amazon, you will notice that on the login page, the URL will change from ‘http’ to ‘https’.
What that little ‘s’ stands for is secure. It means that your web browser and the website have both agreed to communicate securely so that no other individuals will be able to ‘listen in’ on your conversation.
If you needed to communicate some sensitive information such as a password to someone else, you would not shout out in the open ‘HERE IS MY PASSWORD’.
Typing sensitive information into a browser when the URL does not have https, is like shouting out that information for others to hear.
Just remember to look for that little important ‘s’ when transmitting any sensitive information through a web browser.
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“Favorites” link changing to new Employee Intranet homepage
King County has launched a new Employee Intranet homepage, along with an intranet site and updated public-facing pages for the Department of Human Resources (DHR). These changes centralize all employee information into a single portal, accessible only to King County employees, while also making it easier for residents to find what they need on kingcounty.gov.
New pages:
- King County Employee Intranet homepage (SharePoint)
- Department of Human Resources Intranet (SharePoint)
- Department of Human Resources public webpages
On March 11, KCIT will change the quick link in all Executive branch employees’ “Favorites” menu to the new King County Employee Intranet homepage. The “Favorites” menu can be accessed from the Edge browser window on any King County workstation. Employees will find the new link in the dropdown menu under: Favorites/KC Links/KC Employees. This is a fast and easy way to access the new employee intranet homepage. Currently, the KC Employees link takes employees to the old KCWeb homepage which is tentatively scheduled to be deleted on March 31.
This change will give employees a quick and easy way to access important employee-facing news and resources. The link will be updated automatically. No action is needed from employees.
DHR’s existing legacy pages on kingcounty.gov are also tentatively scheduled to be deleted on March 31. If a DHR URL contains the word “legacy,” it is an outdated page and has been replaced by the new sites listed above.
For more details on the new sites and how to access them, view the Fact Sheet and watch instructional videos at vimeo.com/showcase/11535213.
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Try telehealth to receive health care at home
King County employees and family members enrolled in Kaiser and Regence medical plans have access to telehealth services that allow you to virtually access board-certified, trained medical providers from your home, using a tablet, smart phone, or personal computer.
Read this blog for more information on how to access telehealth care for both Kaiser Permanente and Regence members.
Supervisors: Here is a printer-friendly PDF with primary care provider resources to post at your worksites for employees who do not have access to email.
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Pet adopters and foster homes still urgently needed at RASKC
Also: What to do if you lose a pet, or find an animal at large in the community
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) continues to be overwhelmed with the number of animals at the Pet Adoption Center in Kent. Pet adopters and foster homes are urgently needed to address overcrowding at the shelter.
“All of our dog kennels are full, and in fact we’re ‘double bunking’ some of the smaller dogs to make room,” said Tim Anderson, interim manager at RASKC. “Our cat condos are also overflowing, with peak kitten season still to come.”
All this month, adopters can take home a cat or kitten for just $30 – the cost of a King County pet license. Fees for many dogs have also been reduced to $30. All pets adopted from RASKC are spayed or neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped. They also come with 30 days of opt-in pet health insurance from Trupanion. Profiles of all the adoptable pets are online at kingcounty.gov/AdoptAPet. Prospective adopters can also stop by the Pet Adoption Center weekdays from noon to 5 p.m. and weekends noon to 4 p.m. The shelter is located at 21615 64th Ave. S. in Kent. Read more.
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DAJD’s Angela Toussaint honored as ‘Unsung Hero of Black Seattle’
By Noah Haglund, DAJD Communications Specialist
The Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s (DAJD) Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Manager, Angela Toussaint, was honored as an “Unsung Hero of Black Seattle” for 35 years of community service at a Black History Month celebration hosted by Byrd Barr Place. The award was presented on Feb. 22.
Originally founded in 1964 as the Central Area Motivation Program, Byrd Barr Place was led by the Honorable Larry Gossett from 1979 until his election to the King County Council in 1993. Byrd Barr Place’s mission is to help people move from poverty to self-sufficiency in Seattle while building the political strength and economic wealth of the Black community statewide. Among her many contributions, Angela:
- Served as the first Executive Director of the Student Success Center at Hawthorne Elementary School, the inaugural project of Parents for Student Success, advocating for Black Seattle Public School students impacted by disproportionate suspensions and expulsions.
- Led the Brighton Dunlap Community Council, collaborating with neighbors to clean up local parks affected by drugs and gangs, improve conditions at the Holly Park Safeway, and persuaded the Seattle-King County Public Health department to implement policies that reduced Black infant mortality in SE Seattle by 50% within a year.
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ORCA Regional Day Pass improves transit affordability
Crossposted from Metro Matters
ORCA is making the Regional Day Pass fare permanent, creating more affordable and accessible transit for riders across the region. This price change, approved by the ORCA Joint Board, saves money and enhances convenience for customers who use multiple transit services in a single day.
Effective March 1, 2025, the new ORCA Regional Day Pass will be available for just $6 for adult riders, and $2 for ORCA LIFT and RRFP senior and disabled cardholders, providing unlimited rides on participating transit services for one day for the cost of just two trips. This fare adjustment, first introduced in 2024 as a promotional pilot, ensures that riders can travel seamlessly throughout the Puget Sound area all day long while enjoying significant cost savings.
“The new ORCA Day Pass gives you the freedom to travel anywhere, all day long, for six dollars,” said Christina O’Claire, the ORCA Joint Board Chairperson and Director of King County Metro’s Mobility Division. Read more.
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Get caught up on your preventive care
Preventive Care is a term that means routine health care services, such as check-ups, screenings, and tests, to prevent illnesses and health problems. Examples of preventive care include cholesterol tests, checkups with your Primary Care Provider (PCP), and colon cancer and breast cancer screenings. Preventive care is important even if you don’t feel sick.
While preventive screenings among employees and their family members have started to increase since the COVID-19 pandemic began, many preventive screening services are below already-low 2019 levels. King County health plans report many preventive screenings for women and well-child visits for babies have declined. For example, more than 30% of women in the King County employee population are not getting recommended preventive screenings such as breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings.
As a King County employee, preventive screenings are 100% covered by your health plan—you pay nothing. Learn more.
Supervisors: Here is a printer-friendly PDF with primary care provider resources to post at your worksites for employees who do not have access to email.
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Airport maintenance team takes driving seriously, with a smile
Crossposted from the DES Express
The airport held a refresher defensive driving course to help both new and tenured employees reduce the chance of accidents and enhance safety while operating vehicles and equipment at the airport. Just in time, course materials included winter driving safety tips as well as defensive driving.
A second training is in the works for a future date at the airport to be scheduled.
Pictured: The King County International Airport Maintenance team, above, spent part of a sunny January day polishing their defensive driving skills on the airfield.
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March 2025 is Women’s History Month
King County Executive Dow Constantine has declared March as Women’s History Month in King County. He urges all county residents to honor the contributions by women to their families, workplaces, and communities.
He also acknowledges the importance of this year’s theme.
“The National Women’s History Alliance chose the 2025 theme “Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations” to celebrate the collective strength and influence of women who have dedicated their lives to education, mentorship, and leadership,” he said.
View the official proclamation here.
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Employee recognized for taking NEOGOV to the next level
Pictured: From left to right, King County employees Cam Breither, Nico Megevand, Danielle Thueringer, and Sarah Buelow, holding her Trailblazer Award, pose together at the 2024 Ignite! Conference.
Every year, NEOGOV, an online human resources management platform, acknowledges employees or organizations who have used it to further creative change within their company. In 2024, Sarah Buelow, NEOGOV Supervisor within the Department of Human Resources (DHR), received the Trailblazer Award at the 2024 Ignite! Conference, for going above and beyond in embodying a drive for innovation, passion, and dedication.
Sarah has ensured that King County has been a sought-out beta tester and early adopter for a variety of enhancements to all of the modules in the platform. This has allowed King County to not only figure out the best ways to integrate new features proactively, but has also enabled the County to provide feedback during the development process so that new features work well for employees. More specifically, Sarah received the award for Innovative Spirit (early adoption and commitment to providing vital input for product enhancements), Product Proficiency (the ability to maximize the potential of product features), and Dedication (a commitment to product improvements and active participation as testers for new features).
Sarah’s professional background includes several years in Human Resources from both the private and public sectors, including a role as the NEOGOV System Administrator for another county agency in Washington. She is excited to see the growth and collaboration of different teams to make NEOGOV an essential part of the King County employee experience.
“As NEOGOV evolves within King County, we’ve leveraged an exceptional opportunity to form a strategic partnership with the Career and Culture Learning and Development team,” she said. “Our systems team is dedicated to enhancing the user experience, while the Learning and Development team focuses on best practices for learners and content creators within the system.”
Sarah began with King County in May 2023. Her position was the first career service role dedicated to supporting the NEOGOV platform. She started as the Application Lead before moving into a Special duty Assignment as the NEOGOV Supervisor with two Temporary Limited Term (TLT) direct reports supporting the scale and growth of the Learn and Perform modules. Her team supports the business and employee needs of the NEOGOV system, and Sarah also serves on all the NEOGOV vendors Customer Advisory Boards. Her team plans to expand their work to include an online learning platform that will provide a wide range of education and support services.
“Our dedicated and capable team is working diligently not only to resolve user issues, but also to develop a comprehensive training and support hub,” she shared. “This hub aims to ensure that all employees have equitable access to and engagement with a Learning Management System (LMS).”
In addition to these services, NEOGOV interacts with multiple human resources systems. This includes PeopleSoft, Laserfiche, and Origami, as well as departmental systems within DHR, KCIT, and the Business Resource Center. Sarah explains that while her team’s primary focus is the NEOGOV system, they continuously assess how all the systems interact to ensure technology effectively supports and engages the King County workforce.
“For example, on your first day as a new hire, you needed to log into NEOGOV using your applicant credentials to access onboarding and training tasks,” Sarah explains. “This is because our system updates your NEOGOV profile to reflect your employee credentials overnight, once your start date has been verified.”
“This process is also linked to your ability to access NEOGOV through single sign-on (SSO) on your second day moving forward and is the preferred NEOGOV login method.”
While Sarah is thankful to be recognized for her dedication, she understands that this work is ongoing. It requires gaining valuable user insights, developing successful practices, and providing consistent service.
“We partner with our e-Learning Advisory Board members from each department as well as the Community of Practice for learning and development practitioners across the county,” she said. “As advanced users in the Learn module, these folks share ideas and provide system feedback.”
Sarah reminds employees her team is committed to providing support and assistance to King County employees experiencing system issues with NEOGOV products. She emphasizes that for assistance with any of these products, employees should submit a ticket through the Cherwell Helpdesk by selecting Software & Web Support > DHR > NEOGOV.
“Submitting a Cherwell ticket ensures timely resolution of your issue and aids our efforts to secure additional FTE resources for our community,” she adds. “Another tip, if you need to access using the SSO link from the NEOGOV login page and are asked for the Employer Code, it’s ‘kingcounty’.“
Sarah’s colleagues are incredibly proud of all the amazing work she does as the Administrator for the NEOGOV platform and are happy that NEOGOV recognized her at the 2024 Ignite! Conference. Congratulations on this exciting achievement Sarah!
Employee News 