2020 Mindfulness classes open for registration
Would you like to stress less this year? Give Balanced You’s popular mindfulness classes a try! Balanced You has partnered with Mindfulness Northwest to offer classes at county worksites, online, or in the community. Classes are available to King County employees free-of-charge, subject to availability. The next available class, “Introduction to Mindfulness” will be Jan. 16 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the King County Airport. Registration closes January 15th. Visit the Balanced You blog for more information.
Free Financial Check-Up Webinar for employees
Making Life Easier offers webinars throughout the year, free-of-charge, to King County employees. Topics include mental health, financial savings, healthy communication, and more. Employees interested in developing healthier finances can tune into Making Life Easier’s next webinar, “Your Financial Check-up,” which will be released Jan. 21. Webinars are available on-demand. Employees can access webinars via the Making Life Easier portal, username: King County. Contact balancedyou@kingcounty.gov for more information.
Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Program now providing benefits
On Jan. 1, 2020, Washington’s Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) program began providing workers with paid time off to welcome a new child to their family, care for a sick loved one, or recover from their own serious medical condition. Who qualifies? To be eligible, you must have worked at least 820 hours for a Washington employer during the qualifying period, which generally speaking is the last year. Most King County bargaining units and all non-represented employees are eligible (list of participating unions) if they meet the qualifying conditions. What can… Read More
Focus on values: We focus on the customer
Dear employee, As public servants, “We focus on the customer” is not only one of our core values – it’s also part of every employee’s work, whether their customer is a member of the public, or another county employee. Over the past eight years, through training, collaborating, and learning from employees about their experiences and challenges, we’ve created a common understanding of what excellent customer service looks like in King County. There are of course minor variations between departments due to different mandates and regulatory roles, yet we all have a common… Read More
Making Life Easier offers webinars throughout the year to King County employees
The King County Making Life Easier program offers webinars throughout the year to King County employees, free-of-charge. Topics include mental health, support for caregivers, healthy communication, and more. Employees interested in improving relationships with others can tune into Making Life Easier’s next webinar, “Creating Strong Relationships: Examining Healthy vs. Unhealthy,” which will be released Dec. 17. Webinars are available on-demand. Employees can access webinars via the Making Life Easier portal, using username King County. For more information contact Balanced You at BalancedYou@kingcounty.gov.
Honoring King County’s active duty employees
King County supports and thanks all who have served in the military or are currently serving in the Guard or Reserve. It is important for employers to value their military personnel and support them to take leave for military operations, while allowing for them to stay gainfully employed. To highlight this, we have profiled a King County employee who is also currently serving in the Reserve. Elizabeth Inglese, a Visual Designer with King County’s Department of Information Technology (KCIT), shares her experience while serving as a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Marine… Read More
King County recognized for honoring our active duty National Guard and Reserve employees
As an employer, King County understands that those in the armed service bring with them unique skills, ideas and perspectives, We also know that these individuals have an overwhelming sense of service, and we want that here at King County! Therefore, King County is committed to supporting both our National Guard and Reserve employees who serve and their families. We are pleased to be the recipient of the Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) “Above and Beyond” Award for the comprehensive USERRA benefits we offer. The Uniformed… Read More
Training Spotlight: Leadership for Women
Leadership for Women, Dec. 4: Examine the issues and challenges facing women in leadership positions and how a values-based leadership style is critical to becoming an effective and authentic leader. During this three-hour course you will develop your Value-Based Leadership Mission Statement. Your mission statement will help you to lead according to your values, stay focused during challenging times, and simply your decision-making. You will also learn 17 reasons women make great leaders. Register and learn more. View more training and development opportunities at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
Stress less during the 2019 holiday season: Self-care tips to consider during this busy time of year
Crossposted from Balanced You The holidays can be full of joy, loved ones, and fabulous food. They also can be triggers for sadness and fatigue. It’s especially important to practice stress management this time of year. Balanced You and King County’s Making Life Easier program offer the following tips to help you enjoy the season to the fullest. Take time out Pay attention to your own needs. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take time for yourself. Learn how to reduce stress via a free-of-charge mindfulness class. Due to popular demand, Mindfulness Northwest has added an additional online class for King… Read More
That’s a wrap on 2019 flu shots
Crossposted from Balanced You Every fall, King County’s Balanced You program provides worksite flu shot clinics for employees. In response to employee feedback, we expanded this year’s program by adding late afternoon clinic times, four new worksites, and more staff to better reach employees. Over the course of six weeks, we traveled to Woodinville, Auburn, Maple Valley and several worksites in between, serving more than 3,800 employees. Thank you! Our team works throughout the year to plan these clinics with several benefit partners, our flu shot vendor and employees that volunteer their time to coordinate… Read More
Employee News 