Fluid Life Events: Changing your benefits after marriage or divorce 

Certain life events may impact your benefits and allow you to make changes mid-year. This week, the Business Resource Center and the Benefits office launched a new PeopleSoft feature, Fluid Life Events, that allows you to make benefit changes online from any mobile device or computer. You can make changes online to your medical, dental, vision, life, and AD&D coverage if you experience one of the following life events: marriage, divorce, birth, or adoption.  You can still submit paper Qualifying Life Event forms and documentation to the Benefits office if you prefer; these forms can… Read More

Green infrastructure, aiming for LEED Gold Certification 

The recent installation of the rain garden and green roof are the latest milestones at the Children and Family Justice Center. The eco-friendly design and landscaping support the County’s climate change priorities.   In addition to being beautiful, the rain garden is one of many sustainable features that will retain run-off stormwater. The garden’s landscape showcases Princeton Sentry trees, Barrenwort plants, and Mexican beach cobble stones around the perimeter of the garden. A unique characteristic to the garden are rain chains, a functional and modern alternative to traditional gutter downspouts. Visitors and staff… Read More

DPD interns: A summer of epic victories, hard-fought losses and many hours in the courtroom 

Crossposted from For the Defense  The Department of Public Defense is saying goodbye this week and next to its 20 interns, thoughtful and dedicated law students who experienced both epic trial victories and hard-fought losses during their 10 weeks at DPD.  They worked in nearly every case area DPD handles; put forward excellent release arguments, writs, and motions; researched complex legal issues, and wrote thoughtful legal memos. They spent time together at trainings, shared lunches where they heard from others in the field of public defense, and were mentored by several excellent attorneys. … Read More

Employees connect with community at Cine en el Parque 

King County employees were on hand to connect with residents about programs and services at the August 10 Cine en el Parque event.  Community outreach teams from several departments did a great job of providing information at interactive booths with bilingual staff at the screening of Spider-Man: Un Nuevo Universo. “Cine en el Parque” is a free outdoor movie at Dick Thurnau Park in White Center, where movies are projected onto a 40-foot-tall inflatable movie screen (bigger than most indoor theatres) that turns the Park into a spectacular outdoor cinema under the stars.   It was a great opportunity to… Read More

Pet of the Week: Ginger 

Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Look at that sweet smile – it’s Ginger, our Pet of the Week! This senior Labrador/Shepherd mix is looking for her forever home. Her personality color is “Easy Going Green,” meaning she is an adaptable dog who loves to go with the flow! Ginger is a sweet girl, very affectionate, and would be thrilled to cuddle up with you at home. She loves going on walks and hanging out with her favorite people. Ginger came into the shelter with another dog, but she may be selective about… Read More

Executive Constantine announces John Diaz appointed Director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention

Dear fellow King County employee, I am pleased to announce the appointment of John Diaz to serve as the new director of the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, effective Wednesday, August 21. His appointment is subject to Council confirmation. John has served as Interim DAJD Director since April of this year, and during that time I have been impressed by his leadership, strategic thinking, and genuine interest in the work of DAJD employees, and the stability he has brought to the department. Prior to joining King County, John was the Seattle… Read More

Using People Roundings to build a better workplace 

By Whitney Abrams, Chief People Officer Two years ago, Executive Constantine launched our Investing in YOU strategy to build a supportive and respectful workplace culture at King County where every employee can be at their best and do their best work for our community. One way that I track our progress on this strategy is through a process called People Roundings. Rounding is what doctors and nurses have traditionally done to check on patients in hospitals. We use People Roundings to check in with leaders and staff in departments on our People Measures, the key metrics we… Read More

City Hall Park lunch options   

Check out the food trucks at City Hall Park on the south side of the King County Courthouse this week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Today and Thursday it’s Plaza Garcia Express Mexican cuisine, and on Friday it’s World’s Best BBQ. Click here for a complete schedule and menus of food trucks at City Hall Park. For more information visit www.seattlefoodtruck.com.   

Featured Job: Business and Finance Officer IV – Budget (Internal Only) 

Salary: $94,937.02 – $120,338.60 Annually  Location: Seattle, WA  Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week  Department: DLS – Local Services  Job Number: 2019RH10423  Closing: 8/21/2019 11:59 PM Pacific  Are you an experienced public sector budget analyst seeking your next challenge? Come join the Roads Services Division of King County’s Department of Local Services as a Business and Finance Officer IV!  Successful candidates will have the skills needed to develop and monitor the Road Division’s biennial capital and operating budgets, as well as the Capital Improvement Program’s Six Year Plan and demonstrated ability… Read More

Training Spotlight: Mindfulness and Emotional Resilience

Mindfulness and Emotional Resilience, Oct. 17: Emotional Resilience refers to a person’s capacity for meeting difficult emotional situations with greater equanimity and a person’s capacity for returning to a state of emotional balance more quickly. This 4-hour workshop introduces techniques specifically designed to enhance participants’ ability to be aware of and respond to difficult emotional situations with both mindfulness and compassion, a combination which cultivates emotional resilience. This course is sponsored by Balanced You. Register and learn more.  View more training and development opportunities at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.