Sisters Who Care about breast cancer awareness 

True to their name, the Sisters Who Care really do care about their Juvenile Court colleagues and clients. This group of employees includes African American women who champion various causes and projects throughout the year. They are responsible for the annual Juneteenth celebration, and this month they feature Justice in Pink, a focus on Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Justice in Pink is the brainchild of Superior Court Renton Unit Supervisor JoeAnne Taylor and Renton Juvenile Probation Counselor Darlin Johnson who noticed many co-workers and family members were affected by cancer diagnoses. Justice in Pink is designed to educate Juvenile Court staff… Read More

Look for Open Enrollment information in your mailbox 

Check your home mailbox for important benefits and Open Enrollment information mailed recently to the address you have listed in PeopleSoft. Open Enrollment takes place Nov. 1 – 15 and is your opportunity to: Enroll in the new short-term disability plan (Regular employees only)—Learn more at Life and Disability Insurance. To help you decide if this benefit is right for you, use the decision support tools, including videos, claims examples, rates, and coverage highlights. Change medical plans—Use the Plan Comparison Charts and other resources on the Medical plan page to consider whether Kaiser SmartCare or KingCare Select (Regence) makes… Read More

Supported Employment Program recognized at Governor’s Employer Award Program  

King County’s Supported Employment Program was nominated for the Employment and Disability Issue Governor Awards for 2018 Public Sector Employer of the Year.  The awards ceremony was held at the Microsoft Conference Center on Wednesday, October 17. The program was recognized by the Washington State Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues & Employment (GCDE) for the efforts of public employers (federal, state, local government) and their efforts to recruit, hire and advance the employment of individuals with disabilities. Although King County did not win the award, (hats off to the City of Bellevue) this was a great opportunity to not only… Read More

Employees participants needed for discussion about engagement data 

The employee engagement team is looking for employees with ideas on how to improve the county’s response to what employees have said about their experience at King County. Contact Brooke Bascom at Brooke.Bascom@kingcounty.gov if you are interested in participating in a discussion that looks at:  Are we responding to the engagement data in the most effective way? What works about action planning at the workgroup level?  What doesn’t work about action planning at the workgroup level?  What do we need to do that we’re not currently doing to improve engagement at King County?  What should we keep… Read More

Training Spotlight: Communication skills in the workplace and Introduction to strategic planning

Communication Skills in the Workplace, Oct. 25: Communication skills are vital in today’s workplace. In this course you will identify the four primary communication styles, learn how to recognize your style as well as the styles of others, and how to overcome common communication roadblocks and barriers. Learn more and register Introduction to Strategic Planning, Nov 1: This training provides an overview of what strategic planning is, when and why to develop a strategic plan, and how it fits with other management systems and functions. The basic elements and processes used to develop a strategic… Read More

Q&A with our Elections translators: Juan Vazquez, Spanish

Crossposted from Election Connection We’re highlighting the great work our translators do helping make our elections and services accessible to every member of the community. Here we sit down for a brief Q&A with Juan Vazquez, our Spanish language translator. What brings you to working in local government at King County? I was born in Mexico, but immigrated to the United States when I was thirteen. I attended Seattle University for my Bachelor of Arts, then completed my Master of Arts at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, CA. Afterwards I… Read More

Employee Giving events Oct. 23 and 31

This year’s Annual Giving Drive is in full swing and there a plenty of events around the county that you can take part in to support, or discover, your favorite nonprofit, such as: Pancake Feed, Oct. 23, 7 – 9 a.m. Courthouse, 1st Floor, RM W-150: Join us to eat some delicious pancakes and help us support the S.H.E.R.I.F.F. Fund! Benefits the S.H.E.R.I.F.F. Fund 9008. Festival of Frights Halloween Carnival, Oct. 31, noon – 1:30 p.m., Lean Lab, third floor of Admin Building: The Executive Office presents the first Festival of Frights Halloween carnival, a… Read More

Kudos! King County Community Court featured on King 5! 

The King County Community Court, a collaboration between King County District Court, the City of Redmond and the King County Library System, was recently highlighted on KING 5 news. The article and video explained how this new court, set up at the Redmond Library, encourages non-violent offenders to seek help and rebound from their mistakes. “We’re holding people accountable, but at the same time, concurrently, allowing them to rehabilitate themselves in hopes that they will not come back into the system,” said Judge Lisa Paglisotti, who oversees the King County Community Court. View the full article and watch the video… Read More

Women in Leadership Lunch and Learn, Oct. 30 

WILpower increases knowledge and skills about leadership through a series of nine monthly interactive workshops with expert speakers, as well as regular networking and discussion groups that reinforce the powerful messages heard in the workshops.    Please consider attending a Lunch & Learn presentation by the Chair of the WILPower Leadership Team, Susan Seah October 30 from noon to 1pm in Chinook Conference Room 124. Women in Leadership (WILpower) trainings for 2019 will start January.  View the calendar for 2019 WILpower workshops here.

Pet of the week: Pearl

Crossposted from Tails from RASKC  We have a real gem for Pet of the Week: meet Pearl! This young pittie was brought to RASKC by a good Samaritan. When she first arrived, Pearl was very nervous. She has since come out of her shell to show her shining personality – which we call “Rambunctious Red. Read more