Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
During challenging budgetary times, King County’s Voluntary Separation Program (VSP) allows approved agencies to offer retirement-eligible regular employees a financial incentive of $20,540 to leave County employment in a mutually beneficial agreement. Currently, there are a few agencies that have been approved to offer the program for a limited time in 2020. In order to be eligible for the program, an employee must: Have at least five years of continual current County service, Not be a temporary employee, and Be eligible to apply for a pension from the Law Enforcement Officers and… Read More
King County Emergency Management (OEM) is like an orchestra, with a conductor directing the work of many virtuosos. Their work is helping us carefully move forward in Washington’s Safe Start plan, so we can all get back to our favorite tunes. Stand together, six feet apart. Learn more in the video below and visit the OEM website here.
Here’s looking at you, cat! This is Peter, our Pet of the Week. This young shorthair was brought in by an animal control officer in late June. Peter’s personality color is “Rambunctious Red,” meaning he is a spirited cat with a fun-loving personality. He is an independent kitty who likes to do his own thing, and prefers getting attention on his terms. Peter can get overstimulated with petting, so his new family will need to keep an eye out for signs that he might need a break. Because of this, he would do… Read More
Crossposted from the DES Express It takes a lot to keep PeopleSoft, the software the county uses for timekeeping, payroll and a host of other services, updated and usable by all departments and DES divisions. “We’ve been striving to keep it up to date. Oracle moved it to continuous release, putting out updates four to five times a year,” said Hannah Gacey, PeopleSoft Release Set and Project Manager in the Business Resource Center. “We make sure that the new stuff aligns with our business processes.” Read more.
Salary: $80,870.40 – $102,523.20 Annually Location: Seattle, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: DLS – Local Services Job Number: 2020AF11817 Division: Road Services Closing: 8/16/2020 11:59 PM Pacific Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
The coronavirus is fundamentally changing the way millions of people live and work. Facing the challenges of the new workplace landscape, King County retirement educators Carmen Johnson and Matt Munson have made innovative adjustments to better meet the needs of employees looking toward retirement. Carmen and Matt, members of the Benefit Engagement Team supervised by Brian Czerwinski, began modifying their retirement classes, Road to Retirement and Rev Up for Retirement, so they could be offered to employees who are telecommuting or working different schedules. “We identified a set of urgent challenges facing… Read More
Salary: $23.07 – $29.25 Hourly Location: Various Locations throughout King County, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: DPH – Public Health Job Number: 2020ML11890 Division: Community Health Services Closing: 8/10/2020 11:59 PM Pacific Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
Crossposted from the DES Express As COVID-19 unfolded, the Facilities Management Division developed a strategy to manage changing security needs in the county. The county originally contracted out security to help secure about 18 locations that were set up quickly in the pandemic, including Isolation and Quarantine sites, Assessment Centers/Recovery Centers, de-intensification sites for the homeless, and other COVID-related sites. “As part of our effort to ensure the highest level of service and support, FMD began a recruitment process for security officers to augment contract security at the sites. We’ve been able… Read More
King County Executive Dow Constantine today thanked the partners, volunteers, and employees who surpassed the goal to plant one million trees throughout the region nearly a year ahead of schedule, achieving a major milestone for the county’s Strategic Climate Action Plan. Executive Constantine in August will send the King County Council his proposal for the 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan, which will include a 3 Million Trees initiative that will maintain the accelerated pace for tree planting, protect forests and natural areas before they are lost forever, and prepare native forests for the impacts… Read More
Microsoft Teams webinars are now available multiple dates through Sept. 9, and include classes such as Getting Started with Teams, Collaboration Across Office 365, and others. Learn more and register here. Please note, this link will not open in Internet Explorer. If you are using Internet Explorer, copy and paste the link into a different browser. Teams Pro tip of the day: Did you know that you can send emails directly to your Teams channel? Click on the three dots next a channel Click Get email address Copy the address and paste into “To” on… Read More
Salary: $102,537.34 – $129,972.34 Annually Location: Seattle, WA Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Department: DES – Executive Services Job Number: 2020AB11850 Division: RALS – Records & Licensing Svc Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
King County Elections (KCE) mailed out ballots to over 1.3 million voters. If you have not received your ballot, you can access and print your ballot online and return it by mail or drop box, as you usually would. There is a long list of important races on the Primary ballot this year, 52 offices to be exact. Drop your ballot in one of the 69 drop box locations across the county by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, August 4; drop it in the mail to be postmarked by Aug. 4; or visit a Vote Center.
As we continue to move through the pandemic that has disrupted many of our lives, it is important that we get the right nutrition and enough exercise to keep us healthy. Join us for this free, live, interactive webinar as we talk to two experts who will give you some great ideas on how to keep family meals interesting and how to keep the family moving. Wednesday, August 12, from 10 – 11 a.m. Register here. For questions or more information, contact Balanced You at BalancedYou@kingcounty.gov or call 206-263-9626.
Often when we think of vacation, we think of traveling. With travel restricted right now, it might be tempting to conclude that we don’t need to take a vacation from work. This might feel especially true if your favorite or dream holiday destination is temporarily off limits. A vacation from work allows the body and mind to rest. It allows us to pursue other activities and think about things unrelated to our jobs and careers. We can focus on our family, share laughter with friends, and devote energy toward our communities. And… Read More
Crossposted from Public Health Inisider On July 24th, 2020, Dr. Jeff Duchin gave an update on the COVID-19 outbreak in King County as the current seven-day average of new cases reached the highest level since the beginning of April. Dr. Duchin addressed the importance of minimizing the number of close contacts people have outside the house and emphasized the need for making long-term behavior changes. Read more.
A lay-off may be difficult to cope with mentally and emotionally. Some feelings you may experience include grief, anger, sadness, hopelessness, or relief. Any feelings you experience are valid. Remember that there are steps you can take and resources you can access to support your mental health and emotional well-being during this process. Visit the Balanced You blog for more information.
Crossposted from the DES Express Kevin Nuechterlein, Capital Project Manager, and Matt Sykora, Properties and Business Development Administrator, are both back at the airport after having served as part of the Donations Management Team at King County Emergency Management’s Emergency Operations Center during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nuechterlein was part of the first small group of employees who, under Senior Emergency Management Program Manager Janice Rahman’s leadership, worked with KCIT in March to develop a web-based platform to match donors with those who needed personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer or other items. Read more.
On Friday, July 24, King County Executive Dow Constantine released his annual State of the County address, in which he discussed King County’s historic challenges and changes, and announced new actions in human services, the criminal legal system, and the environment. His announcements included: Maintaining the nearly one-third reduction in adult detention we have achieved during the COVID-19 crisis, and beginning a phased closing of the King County Correctional Center after the pandemic. Proposed investments to help create safe and community-based solutions for the increasingly difficult youth cases that remain, fully converting… Read More
Sunday, July 26, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which enshrined the civil rights of people with disabilities into law. King County Executive Dow Constantine filmed a short message to celebrate the milestone, which you can watch here, or below. We also put together a short video that highlights some of the County’s work to expand opportunities for people with disabilities, which you can watch here.
Look fast because here comes Bullet, our Pet of the Week! This nine-year-old boy came to RASKC because the people in his previous home couldn’t keep up with his active lifestyle. He lived in a home with children, but would prefer older kids who can respect him and his space, or an adults-only home. His previous owner described Bullet as active, gentle, and loving. Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Have you or someone you know adopted a pet from RASKC? Let us know. We’d love to tell your story.