Employee Assistance Program is there to help you
Sometimes workplace issues get to us. Whether it’s stress, a performance issue, conflict with a coworker or any other type of workplace problem, the Employee Assistance Program is there for all King County employees to use. “We’re on-site, in-house. We’re here for you to deal with work issues,” said Tony Hansen, one of the County’s EAP councilors along with Pam Wyss. “We know the internal resources that we can guide you to and we can help facilitate.” EAP is an in-house resource available to all King County employees that offers tangible strategies and useful resources to resolve workplace problems.
Fleet and Radio Communication teams patch things up—in more ways than one
When two teams work closely together for a long time, relations sometimes become challenging as staff and technologies change. This in turn can affect productivity, quality, efficiency, and customer service. That’s exactly what happened between the Department of Transportation’s Fleet Administration and King County Information Technology’s Radio Communication Services (RCS). Both RCS and Fleet work on County vehicles, including all Sheriff’s Office vehicles. RCS is primarily responsible for installing radios and hooking up lighting, and Fleet is responsible for maintaining the vehicles and installing additional add-ons required by the Sheriff’s Office.
WTD’s ‘Bright Ideas’ employee idea program successful second year
This fall, Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) celebrated the two-year anniversary of its Bright Ideas program which encourages employees to submit their ideas for efficiencies and continuous improvement through an online tool. Since the program started, almost 700 ideas to create a more efficient, productive workplace were submitted – which indicates a solid level of interest and engagement in the program among employees. Approved ideas have created notable improvements in many areas, such as: streamlined processes for customers; money-saving approaches to maintenance; solutions to equipment issues; and better communication with people from the… Read More
Volunteering is personal for this employee
Peggy Harris had always volunteered, but 15 years ago her volunteering became more personal. After her grandson was diagnosed at birth with Isolaveric Acidemia, a rare genetic disorder, Harris joined Washington State’s Newborn Screening Advisory Committee, a committee that advocates for certain tests performed at birth to detect treatable genetic diseases. “At that time my grandson’s disorder was not tested for in Washington State, so I became very active in that committee,” Harris said.
Camping cargo container article is most viewed in 2014
Parks, recycling and camping proved to be an intriguing combination for King County employees and residents who made an article about a cargo container that was “upcycled” into a camping accommodation the most-read King County employee news story in 2014. The article “Parks upcycles cargo container for use by campers” received 2,529 views, more than twice as many as the second-most read article, “Former Marine finds new way to serve community,” which was read more than 1,000 times. Coming in third was an article about Dan Johnson, a Systems Engineer with King County’s Department… Read More
‘Tough Love’ shows how a treatment court can help struggling parents change their lives
Filmmaker Stephanie Wang-Breal wanted to give voice to a group of people who rarely have one — parents who have lost their children to the state welfare system because of alleged neglect or abuse. What resulted is a powerful new documentary – at times tender, at other times raw – that offers an intimate glimpse into the child welfare system. Called “Tough Love,” the 83-minute film profiles two parents in two different parts of the country struggling to put their lives back together and to prove to court and state officials that they should… Read More
RCECC takes lead in emergency response coordination, but we all have a role to play
King County’s Regional Communication and Emergency Coordination Center (RCECC) is the nerve center for disaster preparedness and emergency response planning in and around our region. “We’re set up to coordinate response and recovery efforts during a local emergency or disaster,” Lynne Miller, the Public Information Officer for King County Office of Emergency Management (KCOEM), said. The RCECC, housed in a building able to withstand major earthquakes, serves as a coordination hub for situational awareness, strategic planning, resource management, and public information.
WTD Bright Ideas winner and finalists in the WEF Operations Ingenuity Contest
The Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) “Bright Ideas” program is a system for continuous improvement through employee ideas. Employees can submit and track their ideas through an online tool. This year, the Water Environment Federation (WEF), an international wastewater industry leader, awarded Stanley Caberto, master industrial maintenance mechanic, the “Gadget Guru Award for Resourcefulness” for three inventions he created that help keep vital facilities running smoothly. Also included in the Ingenuity contest as finalists who found “an imaginative, inventive and resourceful solution to a pesky problem”: 1) WTD’s branding team who developed the… Read More
2015 MLK calendars available starting December 8
We are thrilled folks love the King County calendars and await them eagerly. We appreciate your patience! Calendars will start arriving to distribution points during the week of December 8, 2014. We are unable to deliver to each office, so please check below for your nearest distribution point. EMPLOYEES OUTSIDE THE DOWNTOWN AREA: Calendars will be delivered to county offices outside the downtown area, so please wait for the delivery. If you do not have a calendar by December 16, please call 206-263-2444 and we will direct you to a location where… Read More
Metro’s wreckers: always at the ready
Day or night, King County Metro Transit’s wreckers respond to trouble calls and emergencies. They push, pull, lift, or tow, whatever it takes to get buses and traffic moving and Metro’s riders to their destinations. Metro has single wreckers stationed at each of its outlying bus bases (North, East, and South), but Atlantic Base has two—referred to as Atlantic 1 and Atlantic 2—to support the three Seattle core bases (Ryerson, Central, and Atlantic) and the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. These downtown Seattle wreckers and their crews have their work cut out for them, including responding… Read More
Employee News 