King County hit its highest response rate ever in this 2019 employee engagement survey and is narrowing in on its goal of 70%. As of today, the countywide response rate is 69%, an increase of 2% over 2017 and an increase of 10% since the first annual survey in 2015. All of the paper surveys will be counted and final response rates will be available next week when contest winners will be announced. Survey reports will be available the week of May 13. King County Executive Dow Constantine will communicate countywide results… Read More

One thing that’s different about King County’s new Department of Local Services is the Service Partnership Agreements it’s making with other King County agencies. The agreements will allow Local Services to serve as a “one-stop shop,” helping residents and businesses in unincorporated areas connect with county services while also gathering information about those services. On March 25, Jesse Kent joined the department as its Service Partnership Agreement Manager. He’ll oversee this part of the new department’s approach, managing working relationships with other King County departments and looking at the data they collect… Read More

Dear fellow King County employee, Last week one of our own employees was injured in the line of duty, a victim of a senseless act of gun violence. Eric Stark, a seven-year Metro Transit employee and member of the Amalgamated Transit Union, demonstrated extraordinary heroism when, after having been shot, he steered his Metro coach and passengers away from the shooter to safety. His quick thinking prevented further injuries and likely saved lives. Eric’s courage and selfless commitment to his passengers is remarkable and inspiring, and I know you join me in… Read More

During 2017, employees from the Public Health – Seattle & King County Community Health Services Division (CHS) suggested their Leadership Team spend more time with CHS employees getting to know them and their work. After viewing the results from the annual employee engagement survey, this seemed like a great opportunity to help leadership learn about the work being done by front line employees and share more information about roles across the division. This project became known as “What’s My Job?” and included a member of the CHS Leadership Team spending up to… Read More

Becoming a trauma-informed organization Patty Hayes, RN, MN is director of Public Health – Seattle & King County. She is responsible for the operations of the 9th largest public health department in the U.S. (ranked by population served); a staff of nearly 1500; six divisions; and delivery of public health services to the more than 2 million people who live in and visit King County.  Public Health touches King County communities in untold ways, including disease investigation and control, food safety through restaurant inspections, health and wellness services for low income moms,… Read More

Conflict Awareness in the Workplace, April 18: We all encounter difficult people. Whether you are a supervisor, a customer service professional, or have a challenging co-worker, it’s important to know how to rise above your initial emotional reaction and turn negative situations into positive outcomes. Topics include understanding why we label people as difficult, types of difficult people, tools and techniques for resolving issues, coping strategies for dealing with the effects of difficult people, and conflict management strategies. Register and learn more. Introduction to Organizational Performance Measurement, May 8: Have you ever struggled to create… Read More

As a part of the Master Labor Agreement and Investing in YOU, applications are now being accepted for Professional Development Scholarship Awards for training that occurs anytime between May 17, 2019 and December 31, 2019. This is the third of four application periods this year. The final application period will open on July 8, 2019. Scholarship awards are only available to King County employees who are represented by a union in the Coalition of Unions and who meet additional eligibility requirements. Scholarships are intended to support employees in growing their careers at… Read More

When Stef Frenzi, an educator consultant with the Department of Human Resources, saw an opportunity to strengthen team unity, improve employee engagement, and have fun at his last county role, he took it. “The thing that’s cool about a ukulele is that you can’t help but smile when you play it, because it’s a silly little instrument – you can’t take it too seriously,” said Stef. What started as a light-hearted conversation soon became a small group of people playing ukuleles together before blossoming into a movement within the workplace to bring… Read More