FSA mid-year check
We’re more than halfway through 2023, and it’s a good time to check your Flexible Spending Account (FSA) balances and take steps to make sure you spend your remaining funds before the end of the year. Here’s some additional reminders: Health Care FSAs Use Health Care FSA funds to purchase summer-related items such as sunscreen, first aid kits, and prescription sunglasses. Schedule any necessary back-to-school check-ups and sports physicals if you have children. Many over-the-counter items are FSA-eligible, such as pain relievers, cold and allergy medicine, antacids, and feminine care. See the… Read More
Moving stories from the King County Refugee Resettlement Hotel program
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections “When he entered their private room and saw they had a small kitchen with a two-burner stove and a sink that spit out clear water, he called his mom in Afghanistan. ‘We have everything in here,’ he [Ahmad] told her.” The Seattle Times, recently published an article, “A King County refugee program turned 2 hotels into communities of support” on the efforts of the DCHS team, partnerships with neighboring jurisdictions, state partners, and the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Together, this program impacted the lives of 793 people, including… Read More
What’s on in Seattle for MLB All-Star Week
Friday marks the start of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week in Seattle. Throughout the weekend and leading up to Tuesday’s All-Star Game, employees can check out several activations around the area, many of them free-of-cost. So whether you’re going to the stadium to catch one of the games or just out enjoying the summer weather, check out the Visit Seattle page for activities to participate in!
What makes a place worthy of preservation? King County Landmarks Coordinator Sarah Steen shares her thoughts
Crossposted from Keeping King County Green King County is creating a new approach to historic preservation. The field aims to protect physical reminders of a community’s past, but the traditional approach to historic preservation tends to overlook historically marginalized groups within those communities. Sarah Steen, landmarks coordinator for the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, is working to bring a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion to King County’s Historic Preservation Program. Sarah explains her perspective on how to make historic preservation a more inclusive space. Read more.
July is BIPOC Mental Health Month
Established in 2008 in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, the formally recognized National Minority Mental Health Awareness month was created to bring awareness to the unique mental health struggles that underrepresented groups in the U.S. experience. Anyone can experience mental health challenges; they do not discriminate based on race, age, gender or identity. At the same time, one’s background and identities can present unique experiences, specific barriers, and opportunities to get support. Read more here about how to support yourself and your community with mental health resources and worksheets.
Help us recruit your next teammate to King County
Have you noticed some of the new outreach and marketing being done to attract candidates to King County? There is a small, creative team within the Department of Human Resources’ Talent Acquisition team who are creating tools to support centralized outreach and marketing. Some of those tools include social media blocks that we released for Mental Health Awareness Month, which you may have seen online. The team’s efforts were designed to bring visibility and voice to county-wide recruitment with coordinated messaging at no cost to departments. Examples include advertising on El Rey radio in February… Read More
Are you one of our 38,000 LinkedIn followers?
More than 38,000 King County employees, residents, and job seekers are getting up-to-date news and information, job opportunities, trainings, employee spotlights, and more by following King County on LinkedIn. Are you one of them? To follow King County on LinkedIn, go to the King County company page and click “follow” (you will need to create a LinkedIn account if you do not have one). You can also get employee news and information by following us on these platforms: Accessing Employee News is an acceptable use of IT assets.
Tech Tip: Multi-factor Authentication
What is it? Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is the process of verifying that you are who you claim to be when logging in to a device or an account. If you’re reading this from your work computer, you probably logged in to your computer – that’s single-factor authentication. But single-factor authentication is no longer enough to keep your accounts secure. Learn more below about the various ways you can digitally-authenticate your identity. Understanding the types of identity claim factors: Something you own. This is using a mobile phone or device that you have… Read More
Social Services on ‘portrait mode’
“King County has a lot of services that can help people. Maybe other employees are veterans or have relatives who are. If they need help or have questions about the program, I’m always open,” Anh Tran says. Following several iterations of what is now known as the Veterans, Seniors & Human Services Levy (VSHSL), veterans and their family members can access housing, connect to mental health counselors, and get help navigating a complex system. King County defines veteran differently than other agencies, allowing Social Service Professionals like Anh to provide lower-barrier services to… Read More
Angela Toussaint receives 2022 Individual Contributor Award
DAJD Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Manager Angela Toussaint has been honored with the Individual Contributor Award, one of King County Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards which highlights an individual contributor who does not directly manage staff. The Individual Contributor Award is one of three Leadership Excellence Awards honoring King County leaders who embody the Executive Branch values and drive for results that make King County better for employees and customers, and move King County closer to its True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. View the award announcement and watch… Read More
Employee News 