Accommodations for mental health
As we recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month, it is important to remember King County’s commitment to supporting employees with mental health conditions in the workplace. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about one in five American adults, or roughly 43.8 million adults, experience mental illness in a given year. Approximately 39% of employees in the U.S. workforce have a mental health condition. And more than 50% of individuals with mental illness still avoid needed treatment. Untreated mental illness can result in other illnesses and behaviors, such as… Read More
Language Access Team provides information in multiple languages to support community needs
This year saw the first time that the King County Employee Survey was translated into multiple languages – six to be exact – and the feedback about this offering has been overwhelmingly positive. The translations are primarily an outcome of a busy, dedicated team that until a little over a year ago, did not even exist at King County. The COVID-19 Language Access Team has been receiving kudos and recognition within the enterprise as well as the community for their success in putting information into the languages that our diverse community needs…. Read More
Celebrating you during Public Service Recognition Week
from Dow Constantine, King County Executive Over the past year-plus, as the nation and world responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of public servants has come into clearer focus. I want to take the opportunity this week during Public Service Recognition Week to thank you for your service. When the pandemic struck, you stepped up to make sure that our community continued to receive the vital in-person services people count on. Our public health professionals, supported by employees and community partners across King County, provided guidance and care to help our residents protect themselves… Read More
Day Care FSA limits increased; enrollment and changes allowed in May
With the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), you are now able to contribute up to $10,500—pre-tax—into your 2021 Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA). For this year only, if you are currently enrolled, you can contribute up to $10,500 to your Day Care FSA, or $5,250 if married and filing separately. (Normally, per year, you can contribute up to $5,000 per household or $2,500 if married, filling separately.) This means you can save up to an additional $1,650 at tax time. In addition, during May 2021,… Read More
Support a Veteran in launching a civilian career
King County’s Vets 4 HIRE program, which launched in 2015 and receives funding annually from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL), provides six-month or longer on-the-job training experiences to help current and former military service members with their transition to civilian employment, and funding is available to support departments in recruiting veterans to their teams. Participating King County agencies provide their program participants with part-time or full-time, practical experiences in a variety of fields to help them become more competitive for King County and other civilian jobs. The VSHSL will… Read More
How to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment
All Washington residents age 16 and up are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, so how do you go about scheduling an appointment? There are several ways you can make an appointment for the vaccine: Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to search for COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you by zip code. WA COVID Vaccine Finder covidwa.com is a volunteer-driven effort to help Washingtonians find appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine Call your doctor’s office or health care provider to see if they have available vaccination appointments. Whether you’re a Kaiser Permanente member or not, King County employees can follow these steps to get… Read More
Notice of King County Personnel Board Candidate Filing and Election
King County Elections will hold a candidate filing period for the elected member position on the King County Personnel Board. The candidate filing period will begin on Monday, May 3 at 8:30 a.m. and will end at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7. There is a $5 non-refundable filing fee. Visit kingcounty.gov/elections/personnel-board for more information. The Personnel Board conducts hearings on appeals of certain personnel actions as provided for in Section 540 of the King County Charter. The Personnel Board consists of five members, four of whom are appointed, and one member… Read More
April is National Records and Information Management Month
As King County employees, we have the responsibility of managing our records all year long. So what makes April so special? “Records Management Month is the time we set aside to celebrate and recognize the important and valuable work that we all do as records managers!” County Records Analyst Lisa Mankin said. “Whether you’re a department director, an administrative specialist, or an inspector in the field, we are all records managers.” The records employees create and receive are valuable assets. “The Records Management Program is always happy to use the month of… Read More
COVID-19 vaccines: Providing reassurance to communities
This is an excerpt of an article in the Public Health Insider. Read the full article here. Many community organizations worked to reassure people who feared the vaccines were unsafe, even though they have been extensively tested. Online misinformation about vaccine safety has been rampant. Reaching people with such concerns requires trust, said Janice Deguchi, executive director of Neighborhood House, which supports immigrants and refugees, many of whom speak limited English. “Our staff speaks over 45 languages,” Deguchi said. “As a trusted messenger, we can combat rumors with accurate information.” The Ethiopian Community in Seattle has hosted three community clinic events, providing… Read More
Vaccine eligibility open to all residents ages 16 and over
from Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer Starting Thursday, April 15, all Washington residents age 16 and up are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. This is great news and an important step in ending this pandemic. Vaccine remains the best tool we have against COVID-19. Already half of King County residents ages 16 and older have received at least one dose and more than 30% are fully vaccinated. This is in part due to the crucial role played by a wide array of community and faith-based organizations who delivered those vaccines and the exceptional… Read More
Employee News 