Powering engagement by focusing on growth and development
Thanks to an Engagement Action Plan focused on the growth and development of employees, Metro Transit’s Power and Facilities Section is serving customers more effectively and efficiently by helping employees grow and maximize their potential. Power and Facilities is a 24/7 operation that maintains the integrity and overall appearance of passenger facilities. Any time day or night employees can be found power washing and emptying garbage receptacles at bus shelters; inspecting, maintaining and repairing trolley bus components; landscaping and maintaining park and ride lots and transit centers; keeping signs readable; and performing… Read More
Working together on our priorities
People choose a career at King County because they want to make a difference in their communities and the lives of the people who live and work in them, and their efforts are guided by four key priorities. “Over the last several years we have been working in four priority areas – best-run government, regional mobility, confronting climate change and building equity and social justice – to make King County a better place to live, work and raise a family,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said in a recent email to employees…. Read More
Paid Parental Leave: New-parent approved
Newborn, adopted and foster-to-adopt children now get to bond with their King County-employed parent for up to 12 weeks thanks to the Paid Parental Leave Program. King County Executive Dow Constantine initially proposed a paid parental leave pilot as a way to support early childhood development by giving parents time to nurture and connect with their little ones. The Paid Parental Leave Program was made an on-going benefit in 2017. “I’m proud that King County is among the leading employers in the nation to offer a program that has a positive, lifelong… Read More
Whitney Abrams announces Dave Sarju appointed Director of Human Resources Division
Dear King County Employee, I am excited to announce that King County Executive Dow Constantine has appointed Dave Sarju as Director of Human Resources Division, starting full-time on August 14. Dave has more than 25 years’ experience in developing people, teams and workplace culture in public, private and non-profit organizations and delivering more value to customers. Dave will report to me as Director of Employee Engagement and Support, and play an integral role in implementing Executive Constantine’s Investing in You strategy to ensure we are building a workplace where you have the… Read More
Keeping employees safe delivers cost savings
“Prevention is the best cure” might sound like a cliché but it’s an important part of keeping King County employees safe at work and decreasing injury-related costs. King County’s Safety and Claims section is implementing a multifaceted approach to reduce costs on workers compensation claims and lost work days as a result of occupational injuries and illnesses, and their efforts are delivering an estimated $7 million in annual savings in liabilities – funds that can go to providing services to more customers. “It’s not any one thing in isolation that is moving… Read More
Employee learning priorities: Online resources survey
Your learning and growth are important to us. If you haven’t had a chance to complete our quick survey yet, please do. It will help us in the short-term to tailor our online learning portal, KC eLearning. Results also will be used to identify priorities for future development of learning resources. Access the survey here. Complete the survey by July 25 and be entered to win a prize! Details can be found using the survey link above.
Bridge Fellowship kicks off third year program with expanded group, more development opportunities
Twenty four employees from across King County have been selected to participate in the 2017-2018 Bridge Fellowship Program as part of the County’s Investing In You commitment to provide leadership and development opportunities to employees. The Fellowship, open to all full-time and TLT employees, was reestablished in 2013-2014 by King County Executive Dow Constantine. The program was expanded in 2017. Bridge participants underwent a rigorous application and interview process before joining this year’s cohort. Over the course of the program, participants engage in classroom learning, group projects, presentations and career development activities, as well as interviews… Read More
What is “Investing in You?”
Last week Executive Constantine launched Investing in You, a strategy that brings together our work in Equity and Social Justice, Best-Run Government: Employees and Continuous Improvement into a single, comprehensive plan focused on making King County a great place to work. By aligning this work into a single strategy we can ensure that all of the County’s employee-focused efforts are working collaboratively towards the same goal – a fair, supportive, innovative and racially diverse workplace – and we can see how the individual components fit together. Investing in You teams are working on… Read More
Investing in You
Dear fellow King County employee, Over the past few years, we’ve done a lot of work to make King County a workplace that supports you, your ideas and your passion for public service. Through our annual employee survey, Equity and Social Justice focus groups, and engagement action plans we asked you what you need to do your best work and have been acting on what you said. Today I am launching Investing in You, which builds on our employee-focused efforts in Equity and Social Justice, Best-Run Government: Employees and Continuous Improvement and… Read More
Supervisors share their experiences in hiring Veteran Fellows
What began as King County’s Heroes Employment Reintegration Opportunity (HERO) Program four years ago has developed into the Vets 4 HIRE (Heroes in Reintegration Experiences) program, a paid fellowship/internship for qualified veterans funded in part by the Veterans and Human Services Levy. While the success of any program of this type depends on the quality of the candidates, the success of Vets 4 HIRE also relies on those County’s supervisors who engage with this unique pool of talent. With the approval of funding through this year, and voting on a Levy renewal… Read More
Employee News 