Records Management Reminder: Your work records do not belong to you
As county employees, the records we maintain do not belong to us; instead they belong to the agency we work for. This is especially important to remember for employees that are exiting employment, and even those transferring to different agencies within King County. Any records that document your work for a particular position should be left in the care and custody of the agency you are leaving. Do not take them with you!
For more guidance, refer to the Exiting Employee Checklist on our website.
For more information, visit the county’s Records Management Program website or contact them at records.management@kingcounty.gov. The Records Management Program, in the Department of Executive Services, provides guidance, resources, and training to all King County employees to assist them with managing King County’s public records according to state and local legal requirements and best practices.
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Above ground: A vibrant playground, ballfield, and picnic shelters. Below ground: Infrastructure that protects water quality
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green
What would it look like if you built an accessible park with popular amenities that is engineered to treat polluted stormwater for the benefit of people, salmon, and wildlife?
You don’t have to just imagine the result – you can go see a new stormwater park in Kirkland, just like King County Executive Dow Constantine recently did. Read more.
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Energize your workday with King County Activity Centers
Energize your workday and unleash productivity and overall well-being with on-site fitness resources and movement breaks. Balanced You manages many Activity Centers throughout King County’s workplaces. These conveniently located spaces provide opportunities for employees to get moderate levels of physical activity and movement– before, during, and after work.
Our Activity Centers feature various commercial grade cardio and strength equipment including treadmills, ellipticals, recumbent bikes, dumbbells, stretching areas, stability balls and more. Check out this fun video to learn more and see your co-workers in action! Watch the video to learn more.
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Emergency room visits may cost you more this year, but having a primary care provider may help
To help manage rising health care costs, a new emergency room (ER) out-of-pocket limit was added to the Regence KingCare PPO and KingCare Select medical plans for those in the Regular and TEA-DOT employee benefit groups. If you fall into one of these groups and visit the ER, your total out-of-pocket costs may be higher this year.
Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, Regular and TEA-DOT employees enrolled in Regence medical plans have a separate out-of-pocket limit for ER visits. These limits are in addition to out-of-pocket limits for medical and prescription drugs. Your out-of-pocket costs for an ER visit, which include a $200 copay and 15% coinsurance, haven’t changed but those costs will now apply to a new ER out-of-pocket limit (separate from the medical out-of-pocket limit). Read more.
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Introducing Michael Bailey, the new Adult Services Division Director
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
King County Department of Community and Human Services (DCHS) warmly welcomes Michael Bailey as the new director of the Adult Services Division (ASD).
Michael brings more than 15 years of experience leading health and human service organizations, advancing economic mobility efforts, supporting aging adults, and co-creating community-led programs. Michael has a strong commitment to collaborative problem-solving and strategic initiative implementation that enhances service delivery, improves access points, and fosters inclusive and equitable practices within government organizations. Read more.
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Be prepared for cold temperatures, snow, and icy conditions
Extremely cold temperatures, snow, and possible freezing rain are forecast for our region this weekend and into next week. Please be prepared for slippery conditions, possible commute delays, and impacts to business operations.
If you work on site, please be prepared for snow and icy conditions. Accumulated snow may create hazardous conditions, so exercise caution and take extra precautions as needed. Have a plan for your commute, dress warmly, and let safety be your guide when making commute decisions. If you drive, have an emergency kit in your vehicle, including extra clothing, food, water, and a flashlight.
Power outages: If you are teleworking and experience a power outage that affects your ability to effectively work remotely, please contact your supervisor to discuss other options for completing work tasks. These may include taking leave or working from your regular King County worksite.
HR Policies: When an agency remains open, but conditions prevent you from reporting to work or from reporting on time, notify your supervisor as soon as possible. You may request leave, subject to approval by your supervisor. If you have no leave accrued, your supervisor may approve leave without pay to cover absences. Sick leave may not be used. Additionally, during inclement weather, department management may determine that a function or service can be fulfilled by an employee while telecommuting. Refer to HR Bulletin 2011-0009 County Operations During Emergency Situations and Inclement Weather (Sheriff’s Office employees refer to KCSO Inclement Weather Policy; Superior Court and District Court employees please check court policies).
Alternative work arrangements: If you are impacted by the weather and adjusting work schedules, working at an alternative location, or taking vacation are options for your job, please discuss these beforehand with your supervisor.
Stay informed: Make sure you’re getting the latest King County information at work and at home in the event of inclement weather.
- Sign up for KCInform, King County’s employee alert and warning system. KCInform is used to reach County employees during an emergency with timely information about infrastructure disruptions, facility impacts, changes in your department’s business operations, and other critical impacts. Your King County desk phone and @kingcounty.gov email are already in the system. It is important to register your County-issued cell phone (if applicable) and personal cell phone and email address to ensure you receive time-sensitive messages. This service is free, and your personal contact information is secure and protected. To sign up, please go to accountportal.onsolve.net/KCInform. Visit the KCInform intranet site to learn more.
- Call the Employee Hotline—206-205-8600 (save it to your phone now!).
- Check your King County email for information on business operations, delays, and closures. Log on at outlook.kingcounty.gov. Some agencies may send additional instructions directly to their staff.
- Contact your supervisor for specific instructions.
- Visit the Emergency News page at kcemergency.com for regional impacts.
- Visit Winter weather safety and preparation – King County, Washington for winter weather preparedness information, warming centers, road plowing and treatment, and bus route information.
Resources for travelers
- Metro: Visit MetroWinter.com, sign up to receive Metro Transit Alerts via text and email, and see how your route is affected on Metro’s Service Advisories page.
- Water Taxi: Sign up for King County Water Taxi Alerts (text, email).
- Road Services: Visit Snow and Ice resources and sign up for King County Road Alerts (text, email, tweets via @kcroads). Call us for help with snow and ice on King County unincorporated area roads at 206-477-8100 or 1-800-527-6237 — 24 hours a day.
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Cybersecurity training due Jan. 31, 2025
All employees and vendors with access to King County systems must complete Cybersecurity Training by Jan. 31, 2025.
Log in here to complete your assigned training with our education partner, KnowBe4.
Training takes about 60 minutes. Annual security training is an important activity that safeguards King County systems, and the number of employees who complete training each year impacts our insurance rates. Thank you for doing your part to protect King County! For assistance, contact the KCIT Helpdesk
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King County makes historic investment in expanding and supporting the local behavioral health workforce
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections
Today King County Executive Dow Constantine announced the county’s largest-ever investment in the behavioral health workforce, a crucial step towards meeting the growing need for mental health and substance use care. King County is awarding $12 million to help 37 behavioral health providers support, retain, and recruit employees, strengthening the local workforce, with an additional $4.8 million to expand the SEIU Training Fund’s apprenticeship program.
Supporting behavioral health workers is a key part of the Crisis Care Centers initiative, which was overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2023. The initiative will invest more than $160 million over nine years in the behavioral health workforce, which has struggled to maintain staffing levels nationwide. Read more.
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New way to access your employee information
New tools for getting King County news, resources, and Human Resources information are now available to County employees. The new employee-only Intranet Homepage and Department of Human Resources (DHR) intranet sites, and new public-facing DHR pages on kingcounty.gov are live. Links to the new sites are below:
- King County Employee Homepage: kc1.sharepoint.com
- Department of Human Resources Intranet: kc1.sharepoint.com/sites/DHR-intranet
- Department of Human Resources public webpages: kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dhr
Please familiarize yourself with these new resources and update your list of “favorite” links (bookmarks).
For easy access, a shortcut button was added on Jan. 27 to Executive Branch desktops which links to the new Employee Homepage.
These new sites will replace the current DHR pages you use on kingcounty.gov known as “legacy” pages. The legacy pages will be deleted on March 31. They will also replace the former KCWeb (kc1.sharepoint.com/sites/ecp/Pages/default.aspx) which KCIT will delete at a later time. Employees will be notified in advance about the deletion date.
This change will improve navigation and create a better user-experience for King County employees and visitors to the County’s public website. To accomplish this, most employee-focused information will be moved from kingcounty.gov to the employee-only intranet. This will centralize all employee information in a one-stop portal that only King County employees can access and minimize confusion for residents who go to kingcounty.gov for information and resources.
For more information about the new sites and how to access them, please visit the Fact Sheet and view instructional videos at vimeo.com/showcase/11535213.
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Remaining focused on our True North, values, and the work that unites us
In Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. County, we lead with our values and True North – from investing in historically marginalized and oppressed communities to implementing laws that ensure all people here are honored, respected, and treated with dignity. We recognize that our greatness has come from our diversity, and that our prosperity is a result of embracing and supporting all who call our county home.
King County will continue to be a welcoming place for ALL people, including immigrants and refugees, recognizing the vital contributions to our region’s cultural and economic strength by our diverse residents. We are committed to ensuring that county services and programs support all residents, regardless of immigration status.
With so much information coming from the new federal administration, it might feel overwhelming. Executive Constantine and all King County departments will carefully review federal policies, and their impacts on the County’s work. Guidance and support for our employees will be forthcoming.
Thank you for all that you do in service to our True North: Making King County a Welcoming Community where every person can thrive.
Employee News 