COVID-19 Child Care Reimbursement Program now available
A new temporary program will provide $500 to $5,000 tax-free to those in the Regular Employee Benefits Group to reimburse them for child care provided during the 2020/2021 school year. The COVID-19 Child Care Reimbursement Program was created by King County management and unions in the Joint Labor Management Insurance Committee (JLMIC) in response to the overwhelming impacts of COVID-19 on working parents. It is funded with $9M from the Protected Fund Reserve of the JLMIC. Who can participate? If you are enrolled in the Regular Employee Benefits Plan, you can be… Read More
Panel discussion on understanding ableism, Jan. 21
The King County Disability Consortium is hosting an online community discussion on ableism, the intersection of racism and disability, and where there is still work to do. Understanding Ableism: Nothing About Us, Without Us is an informative panel discussion on how people with disabilities/disabled people define ableism and how it shows up in their own lives. The panel will also discuss the intersection of disability and other marginalized identities, especially race, other people’s role in combating ableism, how disability justice meshes with other civil rights issues and ways we can all support… Read More
Please join me today, Jan. 14, for MLK Day Celebration
Dear fellow King County employee, I am writing to invite you to the 2021 King County Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration today, Thursday, Jan. 14, from noon to 1 p.m. While public health guidance won’t allow us to gather in person this year, I, along with the MLK Celebration Planning Committee, the Black/African Affinity Group, the Native American Leadership Council, and Council Chair Claudia Balducci, are hoping that you will join us to honor the life and legacy of our County’s namesake, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This year’s event comes… Read More
Teleworking employees impacted by power outages
Dear employee, Power outages are affecting some employees’ ability to effectively work remotely today. If you are unable to telework effectively today, please contact your supervisor to discuss other options for completing work tasks today. These may include taking leave or working from your regular King County worksite for today only. If you are currently teleworking and have an operational need to work at your regular King County worksite today, please obtain supervisor approval. If you do have to go into an office area, please ensure you wear a mask over your… Read More
Update on rollout of COVID-19 vaccines
Dear fellow King County employee, Last week I announced $7 million to create high-volume community vaccination sites and mobile teams so that as many people as possible in our community can receive COVID-19 vaccinations as quickly as possible. My strategy is closely aligned with Washington State Department of Health (DOH) guidance for vaccine allocation, prioritization, and distribution. DOH has released a priority plan for vaccinating people in the next tiers, starting with Tier B1 potentially later this month. It has also released a chart showing estimated timelines for vaccine distribution, which contains… Read More
We’ve moved to a better, more modern standard Internet browser
Many of us at King County recently were moved to the Modern Edge browser, which is faster and runs all web applications previously accessed with Internet Explorer and Edge Legacy. The move doesn’t impact any other browsers employees may currently have on their devices, such as Chrome or Firefox. Last week, a vendor inadvertently hastened the move to the Modern Edge browser by changing settings for many county users. This meant if you previously had Internet Explorer or Microsoft Edge, you were moved to Microsoft Modern Edge ahead of KCIT’s schedule. We regret users didn’t receive advance notice. However, all employees need the Modern Browser to work more effectively with applications and web-based content. Here is… Read More
Special Online Event for Veteran and Military Employees, January 21, Noon – 1:30 p.m.
King County is hosting a special online event for veteran and military employees on Jan. 21. Employees and family members are invited to join us for one or all of the virtual presentations below. Register HERE (open only to King County employees and family members). Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) Award Presentation Noon – 12:15 p.m. King County Executive Dow Constantine will accept the Pro Patria Award from the Washington State ESGR Committee. The Pro Patria Award is presented annually to one small, one large, and one public sector employer… Read More
Protect yourself from unemployment fraud
With additional stimulus and unemployment payments on their way to many Americans, please be aware that scams and fraud attempts are expected to rise. Last year, Washington state experienced an alarming rise in fraudulent unemployment claims as victims’ identities were used to file false unemployment claims with the Employment Security Department (ESD), including here in King County. Please see our recommendations for how you can protect your identity and finances, as well as steps to take if you are a victim of this fraud. To protect yourself from fraud Employees should consider setting up… Read More
2021 Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, January 14
Community members and King County employees are invited to join in honoring our nation’s foremost human rights leader and King County’s namesake, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, in a virtual celebration on Thursday, Jan. 14. The theme for the 2021 Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration is “Creating the Beloved Community” and the accompanying quote is “A democracy cannot thrive where power remains unchecked and justice is reserved for a select few. Ignoring these cries and failing to respond to this movement is simply not an option — for peace cannot exist where justice… Read More
Balanced You: 2020 Reflections and 2021 Highlights
As we welcome in 2021, we at Balanced You want to take a moment to reflect on the growing importance of well-being in 2020 and share our plans for this coming year. If there is a silver lining on the last year, it’s the realization at every level of the organization that well-being needs to be a priority for all of us. Over the last year we heard through surveys and listening sessions how your well-being was challenged by social unrest, the pandemic, and the presidential election. We were inspired by those… Read More
Employee News 