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DCHS-led Health Through Housing initiative hits major milestone
In the field with Executive Zahilay: Listening to staff and empowering solutions
Tap to pay: Puget Sound region transit systems to accept credit and debit cards, and digital wallets as fare payment
Major ‘Revive I-5’ repairs continue for Ship Canal Bridge
News
FAQs and updates to mask requirements for King County employees
Mask requirements are evolving with changing federal, state, and local public health guidance, and will continue to be updated as needed. Effective immediately, King County employee mask policies are as follows: If you are working indoors or in an enclosed space with others (for example, multiple people in a vehicle): You must wear a mask whether or not you have been fully vaccinated. On May 18, the King County Public Health Officer directed all individuals – regardless of vaccination status – to continue wearing face coverings over their noses and mouths when… Read More
No need to wait for a COVID-19 vaccine
If you’ve been waiting to get vaccinated against COVID-19, drop-in vaccination is available at vaccination sites across King County, no appointment needed. Vaccination in your car is available every day at the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital and on Mondays at King County’s Auburn Outlet Collection clinic. The Auburn clinic is open until 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, and several sites are open on Saturdays and Sundays. Please see the list of sites below for more details. As of May 13, everyone ages 12 and older is eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Learn more about vaccination for youth… Read More
King County Security Tips – Wire Transfer Fraud
What would you do if you received an email from your CEO or CFO asking you to make an immediate or urgent wire transfer of funds? If you are the person in your organization who is responsible for such tasks and receive requests like this regularly, you may not think twice. However, with the increased sophistication of hackers and cybercriminals, you must Stop, Look, and Think before deciding how to proceed. Business Email Compromise is an advanced form of spear-phishing which targets employees of businesses that routinely perform wire transfer payments or… Read More
Could you use a vacation?
Updated June 23, 2021 A year ago, at this time, if you had a vacation planned for 2020 you probably cancelled it or were considering cancelling. If you hadn’t planned one, you were probably wondering if and when you would get to travel again. With almost half of all U.S. adults fully vaccinated, many people have begun traveling again or are making plans to do so. Some have accumulated robust vacation leave balances because of postponed or canceled travel plans. If you are wondering if it is safe to travel, the answer… Read More
Mask requirements remain in force for King County employees
On May 13, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities – large or small – without wearing a mask. Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced full alignment with the CDC masking guidance, and provided for businesses to retain the right to require customers and employees to wear masks. At King County, our existing mask mandate for employees remains in force while we review and update our policy guidance. Under our Temporary COVID-19 Personnel Policy, “Employees must wear… Read More
King County Security Tips – Is That Email Really from HR?
One of the easiest ways the bad guys trick you into falling victim to their fraudulent scams is to exercise a sense of trust by pretending to be someone you know. More than likely, you receive emails from your Human Resources team on a frequent basis. Scammers take advantage of this constant communication by crafting spear phishing attacks using emails that spoof your HR team. Spear phishing attacks are email scams that typically target an individual or organization by spoofing, or appearing to come from a trusted sender. Don’t blindly trust emails… Read More
Metro working with Public Health to get the word out to employees about vaccines
While COVID-19 vaccine availability has been steadily increasing in the region, the number of people getting vaccinated has begun to level off. Recently, Metro hosted a King County employee vaccine clinic at Metro’s South Training Center where Virginia Mason Franciscan Health vaccinated 575 King County employees. During the preparation for that clinic, Metro realized that some of their mission-critical workers are hesitant to get the vaccine. There are still many people in King County who have either decided not to get vaccinated or are still undecided. It’s normal to have questions or… Read More
Executive Constantine proclaims May as Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders Month
King County Executive Dow Constantine has issued a Proclamation recognizing May as Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders month. “We honor the invaluable contributions and leadership of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders across King County, whose communities are diverse and distinct in culture, ethnicity, history, language, nationality, racialidentity, religion, and a variety of complex identities – which means there is no single story of the AANHPI experience, but many different stories that strengthen our society,” Executive Constantine said in his Proclamation. “I encourage residents to join in this recognition of… Read More
Mandatory telework to end July 5, 2021
by Dow Constantine, King County Executive It has been more than a year since I instituted mandatory telework – for those King County employees whose work allowed for it – to slow the spread of COVID-19. I made this decision based on Public Health guidance for how we can make our workplaces as safe as possible for front-line employees and customers while continuing to provide essential in-person service. Your health and safety, and the health and safety of those we serve, continue to guide my decision making. Vaccines are clearly our best… Read More
Talent Acquisition steps up to the challenge
Finding the right job candidates during COVID-19 The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown many challenges at King County departments as they work to protect employees and customers from the virus while ensuring their services remain easily accessible. Continuing to recruit talented staff to fill the wide array of positions at the County, while maintaining social distancing is one of those challenges. Alongside the Talent Acquisition team within the Department of Human Resources (DHR), many departments at King County have their own recruiting teams. As you might expect, initial outreach to candidates is typically… Read More
Accommodations for mental health
As we recognize May as Mental Health Awareness Month, it is important to remember King County’s commitment to supporting employees with mental health conditions in the workplace. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), about one in five American adults, or roughly 43.8 million adults, experience mental illness in a given year. Approximately 39% of employees in the U.S. workforce have a mental health condition. And more than 50% of individuals with mental illness still avoid needed treatment. Untreated mental illness can result in other illnesses and behaviors, such as… Read More
Language Access Team provides information in multiple languages to support community needs
This year saw the first time that the King County Employee Survey was translated into multiple languages – six to be exact – and the feedback about this offering has been overwhelmingly positive. The translations are primarily an outcome of a busy, dedicated team that until a little over a year ago, did not even exist at King County. The COVID-19 Language Access Team has been receiving kudos and recognition within the enterprise as well as the community for their success in putting information into the languages that our diverse community needs…. Read More
Celebrating you during Public Service Recognition Week
from Dow Constantine, King County Executive Over the past year-plus, as the nation and world responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of public servants has come into clearer focus. I want to take the opportunity this week during Public Service Recognition Week to thank you for your service. When the pandemic struck, you stepped up to make sure that our community continued to receive the vital in-person services people count on. Our public health professionals, supported by employees and community partners across King County, provided guidance and care to help our residents protect themselves… Read More
Day Care FSA limits increased; enrollment and changes allowed in May
With the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), you are now able to contribute up to $10,500—pre-tax—into your 2021 Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA). For this year only, if you are currently enrolled, you can contribute up to $10,500 to your Day Care FSA, or $5,250 if married and filing separately. (Normally, per year, you can contribute up to $5,000 per household or $2,500 if married, filling separately.) This means you can save up to an additional $1,650 at tax time. In addition, during May 2021,… Read More
Support a Veteran in launching a civilian career
King County’s Vets 4 HIRE program, which launched in 2015 and receives funding annually from the Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy (VSHSL), provides six-month or longer on-the-job training experiences to help current and former military service members with their transition to civilian employment, and funding is available to support departments in recruiting veterans to their teams. Participating King County agencies provide their program participants with part-time or full-time, practical experiences in a variety of fields to help them become more competitive for King County and other civilian jobs. The VSHSL will… Read More
How to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment
All Washington residents age 16 and up are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, so how do you go about scheduling an appointment? There are several ways you can make an appointment for the vaccine: Go to vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to search for COVID-19 vaccine appointments near you by zip code. WA COVID Vaccine Finder covidwa.com is a volunteer-driven effort to help Washingtonians find appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine Call your doctor’s office or health care provider to see if they have available vaccination appointments. Whether you’re a Kaiser Permanente member or not, King County employees can follow these steps to get… Read More
Notice of King County Personnel Board Candidate Filing and Election
King County Elections will hold a candidate filing period for the elected member position on the King County Personnel Board. The candidate filing period will begin on Monday, May 3 at 8:30 a.m. and will end at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 7. There is a $5 non-refundable filing fee. Visit kingcounty.gov/elections/personnel-board for more information. The Personnel Board conducts hearings on appeals of certain personnel actions as provided for in Section 540 of the King County Charter. The Personnel Board consists of five members, four of whom are appointed, and one member… Read More
April is National Records and Information Management Month
As King County employees, we have the responsibility of managing our records all year long. So what makes April so special? “Records Management Month is the time we set aside to celebrate and recognize the important and valuable work that we all do as records managers!” County Records Analyst Lisa Mankin said. “Whether you’re a department director, an administrative specialist, or an inspector in the field, we are all records managers.” The records employees create and receive are valuable assets. “The Records Management Program is always happy to use the month of… Read More
COVID-19 vaccines: Providing reassurance to communities
This is an excerpt of an article in the Public Health Insider. Read the full article here. Many community organizations worked to reassure people who feared the vaccines were unsafe, even though they have been extensively tested. Online misinformation about vaccine safety has been rampant. Reaching people with such concerns requires trust, said Janice Deguchi, executive director of Neighborhood House, which supports immigrants and refugees, many of whom speak limited English. “Our staff speaks over 45 languages,” Deguchi said. “As a trusted messenger, we can combat rumors with accurate information.” The Ethiopian Community in Seattle has hosted three community clinic events, providing… Read More
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