Metro GM Rob Gannon stepping down, Deputy Terry White named interim GM
King County Executive Dow Constantine yesterday announced that King County Metro General Manager Rob Gannon is stepping down to take a position as chief financial officer for the city of Missoula, Mont. “I want to thank Rob Gannon for leading King Country Metro with his steadfast service, his core commitment to providing transit where needs are greatest, and his vision for an agency devoted to overall mobility,” said Executive Constantine. “When Metro won Best Large Transit Agency in North America during Rob’s tenure, it recognized what King County residents already knew: that… Read More
We’re listening to employees to support employees
The King County value “We respect all people,” encourages us to actively seek to learn and understand all perspectives, beliefs, and values, engage people in decisions affecting them, and recognize all people for their contributions and accomplishments. This has never been more important than during our COVID-19 response. With this in mind, and to more fully understand the impacts of COVID-19 on employees, more than 1,000 randomly selected Executive branch employees participated in a survey or listening session in May 2020 to share their experiences and opinions. This opportunity allowed employees from… Read More
Boost your Microsoft Teams skills: Take a free King County webinar, multiple dates
KCIT Training is offering a series of free webinars all about Microsoft Teams. Select the free King County webinar that best fits your interests or skill level or attend them all. Webinars are available multiple dates from Wednesday, July 15 through Wednesday, Sept. 9. Register here. Courses include: Getting Started with Teams— gain confidence in navigation, search and managing your profile/settings. Teams for Intermediate Users —featuring collaboration and co-authoring tools and managing member roles. Teams for Advanced Users —add to your toolkit with the addition of tabs and file recovery. Collaboration Across Office… Read More
Brain-based Time Management online training, July 30
Do you procrastinate, get distracted, have a hard time prioritizing, or feel overwhelmed? What we do and how we do it are driven by how our brains are wired. Neuroscience tells us we have 10 brain skills and each one of us has skills that are strong (and skills that are not strong). In this class, you’ll hear about each of these skills so you can identify where the weak areas are for you and most importantly, learn what you can do about it. Imagine finishing your workday with confidence that you remembered and… Read More
PeopleSoft HCM outage this weekend, July 17-19
To allow for system maintenance, the PeopleSoft system will not be available this weekend, July 17 through July 19. During this planned outage, the Business Resource Center (BRC) will apply vendor updates and maintenance. This work will begin on Friday, July 17 at 3 p.m. and is scheduled to be completed by 6:30 a.m. on Monday, July 20. The system will not be available for access by any County staff during this outage window. There will be a communication sent out to all County staff when the system becomes available. We realize that this outage impacts all PeopleSoft… Read More
PBS NewsHour program “Let the Shameful Wall of Exclusion Come Down,” July 21
On Tuesday July 21, the George and Barbara Bush Foundation will convene key activists, advocates and policymakers who helped make the Americans with Disabilities Act a reality for a bipartisan celebration of that landmark civil rights legislation – and, equally important, focus on the challenges that will shape the future of the disability movement. The 90-minute online program, titled “Let the Shameful Wall of Exclusion Come Down,” taken from President Bush’s remarks on July 26, 1990 as he signed the ADA, starts on July 21 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time and will be moderated by… Read More
What we heard from employees
Dear King County employee, Over the past few months, I’ve been thinking a lot about one of our King County values—We respect all people. At King County, we show respect by actively seeking to learn and understand all perspectives and engaging people in decisions that affect them. As we seek to stabilize during the pandemic and adapt to change, we surveyed more than 1,000 Executive Branch employees to better understand their current challenges, fears, and hopes for the future. We also held listening sessions with frontline employees and King County affinity groups… Read More
Video: July 10, 2020 Update on COVID-19 in King County with Dr. Jeff Duchin
Crossposted from Public Health Insider On July 10th, Dr. Jeff Duchin gave an update on the COVID-19 outbreak in King County and expressed urgency for our community to help prevent a further surge in cases. View the update below. “It is critical as a community we understand the long-term nature of this COVID-19 mess. None of us asked for this, none of us wanted this, but if we don’t deal with it, it will deal with us… We need long-term behavior change with respect to how close we get to one another, institutionalizing distancing, wearing… Read More
Welcome people of all abilities to your remote meetings and events!
Crossposted from Clean Water Stories Are you hosting remote meetings? King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) would like to share some advice that will make your meetings more accessible. Not too long ago, a pandemic might mean intense social isolation for some. Today, technology lets us stay connected in real time, if not in person. Remote interactions are a lifeline in this challenging time. Telework, remote visits with family, virtual tours, and online community engagement connect us with others while protecting our health. Read more.
Doing the right thing: Restaurants and COVID-19
Crossposted from Public Health Insider In response to rising COVID-19 cases county wide, Public Health – Seattle & King County is expanding efforts to educate and enforce compliance of Governor Inslee’s Safe Start COVID-19 reopening requirements in food establishments. The governor’s Safe Start business reopening requirements include that food establishments: Set up customer flow that allows for social distancing of 6 feet or more; Assure that employees and customers wear face coverings; Limit restaurant indoor and outdoor seating occupancy; and Take other important protective measures such as surface cleaning and employee health screening. … Read More
Employee News 