Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
Crossposted from Public Health Insider With COVID-19 continuing to spread rapidly in King County, Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin shared the latest data and took questions from reporters during a media briefing on Friday, December 4, 2020. Dr. Duchin also offered advice on flattening the curve going into the December holidays, and discussed what we know about vaccine planning. For more on COVID-19 data trends, visit our data dashboards. For more on COVID-19 vaccine planning in King County, visit www.kingcounty.gov/covid/vaccine
Winter classes through Seattle College campuses are now available. See the new lineup here at the King County Eventbrite page. Please visit our King County Eventbrite website and our Learning and Development website for more opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
Sure a lot has changed in 2020, but all King County employees are still required to file public records in Content Manager (even if you’re working from home). Complete these easy steps and cross electronic records management off your “to do” list: Delete transitory records from your inbox, SharePoint, or drives. File records with 2020 year-end cutoff dates into Content Manager. Your records will count toward your agency’s year-end filing stats. Don’t know the retention period for your records? See the King County Retention Schedules. Set up your folders for records with… Read More
The Council of State Governments (CSG) and the State Exchange on Employment and Disability will present a webinar on “Disability Employment Etiquette” as part of CSG’s 2020 National Conference. The webinar will focus on interacting with people with disabilities and creating inclusive workplaces. Friday, Dec. 11 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register here. Additionally, the Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology has released “Making Documents Accessible,” a resource to ensure documents are designed so people with and without disabilities can easily access and edit them. View “Making Documents Accessible” here.
I was nominated as the Pet of the Week on December 3, 2020. This means that my adoption fee has been waived. I am a sweet, elegant lady who is looking for a quiet home where I can be given space to do my own thing, and solicit attention on my terms–I am very affectionate once I warm up to new humans, and my purr is loud and true! I also make excellent biscuits, and I have the prettiest eyes in all of the cattery. My personality color is RED. I am a spirited… Read More
King County is currently in the midst of an exciting move from Skype to Microsoft Teams for all communications needs, including calls, meetings, and chats/instant messages. Some employees have already made the switch to Teams, and the remainder will move by the end of the year. “Microsoft is ending Skype, and Teams is a great replacement tool,” Scott Helke, KCIT training program manager said. “In addition, critical federal CARES Act funding was available if we moved to Teams in 2020; hence our quick turnaround.” Microsoft Teams helps employees working remotely and increases workplace efficiency by combining several features into one tool. Users can attend meetings, call, chat and share documents, plus connect to other Microsoft tools like Outlook and SharePoint. … Read More
Facilities Management Division (FMD) is in the final phase of installing touchless restroom fixtures throughout King County facilities to create a more hygienic environment for employees and customers, in keeping with COVID-19 best practices. FMD’s goal is to provide minimal restroom contact for people using facilities in public-facing buildings and mitigate potential restroom touchpoint contamination during the current pandemic, while saving energy and water. FMD will replace nearly 1,000 wet fixtures in public-facing restrooms by the end of 2020 to take advantage of federal CARES Act funding, which must be used this year. Thanks to technological advances, today’s touchless fixtures limit water output and are equipped with solar panels that utilize restroom… Read More
Mindfulness and Emotional Resilience – Online – This 2-session 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 training takes place on Dec. 10 and 17, from 9-11 a.m. each day. The training is free and space is limited. Register here. Mentorship Lunch and Learn – Online – Would you like to have a mentor, someone who can help you grow professionally? Do you want to strengthen your coaching skills? As a Mentee, you… Read More
King County is currently in the midst of an exciting move from Skype to Teams for all communications needs, including calls, meetings and chats/instant messages. Most employees will move by the end of the year, and it is a big undertaking. To keep the move to Teams orderly, users are being moved in carefully selected groups. When a user receives Service Alerts about their move, please do not forward these alerts to anyone else. Doing so can confuse other staff about their scheduled time to move to Teams. Thank you to all employees for your cooperation.
It is important for employees to update and review their personal contact information in PeopleSoft by Jan. 1. A W-2 form and other important benefits and payroll information will be sent to the Mailing Address indicated in PeopleSoft. To update PeopleSoft personal information: 1. Sign in to PeopleSoft here, or access it from home at ess.kingcounty.gov. 2. Go to Personal Details 3. Make sure all items under Addresses, Contact Details, and Emergency Contacts are up-to-date. Employees can also choose to complete the Ethnic Groups, Disability, and Military Status fields. 4. Save any changes. By making… Read More
This 60-minute, virtual, small group workshop is designed to provide participants with several rounds of mock interview practice and feedback sessions using the STAR-LA method. To get the most from these mock interview practice sessions, it is strongly recommended that participants have attended the Strategic Interviewing Tips and Techniques workshop and/or have reviewed the 10 minute STAR-LA Method video. There are two opportunities to attend this online workshop: Thursday, Dec. 10 from 1-2 p.m. and Tuesday, Dec. 15 from noon to 1 p.m. Register here. For additional online workshops offered by King County Career Support Services (CSS), visit their Eventbrite page. For… Read More
Salary: $75,332.82 – $95,489.26 Annually Location: Multiple jail facilities in King County, WA Job Type: Multiple job types-career service and/or temp Department: DAJD – Adult & Juvenile Detention Job Number: 2020CB12498 Division: Community Corrections Closing: 12/13/2020 11:59 PM Pacific Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
This two-hour virtual workshop will provide you tips and strategies on how to make your application materials stand out. Learning objectives include: Understanding the purpose of the job application, resume, cover letter and supplemental questions and how to make each of them more effective Deciding what to include in your resume and the best format to showcase your qualifications How to write a cover letter tailored to the specific position Identifying and showcasing your accomplishments There are two opportunities to attend this online workshop: Monday, December 14 from 1-3 p.m. and Wednesday, January 13 from… Read More
As we move into the winter months of this pandemic, many people are experiencing increased isolation and stress, which can contribute to deteriorating mental health. If you or your loved ones are struggling emotionally, Balanced You wants you to know that you are not alone, and that professional help is available from the safety of your home through telehealth. For more information on how to access mental health support via telehealth, check out this Balanced You blogpost.
Crossposted from Cultivating Connections With COVID-19 case counts rising throughout the region, King County is preparing to re-open the Kent Isolation and Quarantine Facility located on Central Avenue in Kent on Nov. 30. The Kent facility has been temporarily deactivated since earlier this summer. The I/Q facilities currently open in Issaquah and Aurora (Seattle) are still accepting admissions, but are serving more guests than normal. Current guests include individuals and several families. With the addition of the Kent hotel, total room availability will increase to 200. King County is opening the Kent Facility… Read More
As part of the Hope and Joy Campaign, the Balanced You team is hosting a series of informal, virtual zoom sessions, called “Coffee Connections”, to provide spaces for employees to connect over fun topics and events. The first Coffee Connection’s theme is “Pet Meet and Greet.” It will be held on December 10, from 10-10:30 a.m. Join us then to introduce your pet to other employees and meet their furry friends. Click here to join the Pet Meet and Greet via Zoom on Thursday, Dec. 10, from 10-10:30 a.m. Use passcode 205737…. Read More
System updates are now complete. We appreciate your understanding and support.
Crossposted from Public Health Insider The dramatic recent increase in COVID-19 cases in King County reflects a wide range of activities and settings where people may be getting exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes COVID-19. Instead of a few “hotspots,” COVID-19 risk is dispersed across homes, businesses, and other places where people gather. Currently, with a case-rate above 380 cases per 100,000 residents – more than five times what it was in early October – the virus is widespread in King County. It’s fair to assume at this time that… Read More
Salary: $77,126.40 – $93,246.40 Annually Location: Multiple locations in King County, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: DNRP – Natural Resources & Parks Job Number: 2020RB12472 Division: Wastewater Treatment Closing: 12/8/2020 11:59 PM Pacific Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
King County Superior Court announced the retirement of Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Paul L. Sherfey today. CAO is the highest non-judicial officer role in King County Superior Court, and Mr. Sherfey has performed it since its creation by Superior Court judges more than 20 years ago. “Paul Sherfey has been an incredible asset to King County Superior Court, and more broadly, to the people of King County,” said King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Jim Rogers. “His skillful leadership and calm demeanor have steadied Superior Court through countless challenges and achievements. On behalf of King County Superior Court,… Read More