Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
Your favorite nonprofit organizations have until April 25 to apply to be in the King County Employee Giving Program (EGP) for the upcoming year, which will allow you to support them during the Annual Giving Drive and other EGP opportunities. Now is the time to make sure they get into the Employee Giving Program! Once they are in, there are so many ways you can help them during the Annual Giving Drive, including: Giving through payroll, time, check or credit card. Sharing your story. Inviting them in to speak. Hosting a special… Read More
Crossposted from WTD’s Clean Water Stories Half of King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s valued employees are expected to retire in five years and one of the biggest questions we face is: How will those spots be filled? How can we reach out to the next generation? We want high school students to be aware of these career opportunities. We host two high school career events in the spring every year and hire 10 high school interns for a summer, and they do some amazing work for us, even if they choose a different… Read More
At the recent State Injury Prevention Summit, Safe Kids of Washington State presented Tony Gomez, Manager of Violence and Injury Prevention, with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Injury Prevention. Tony has shaped programs and policies in King County, Washington State, and nationally. His work has led to important reductions in child injuries and deaths. Tony is not just doing the work, he’s preparing the next generation of Public Health professionals by teaching, mentoring and consulting on capstones and thesis with university students.
A popular public-private partnership that provides direct transit service to hiking destinations Issaquah Alps will return April 21 with expanded service from Seattle to more trailheads. On May 19, a second transit service to Mount Si and Mount Teneriffe near North Bend will start at Sound Transit’s Capitol Hill Link light rail station. Trailhead Direct – a successful pilot project that provides transit service to trailheads along the Interstate 90 corridor – returns April 21 with expanded service in Seattle to more hiking destinations. The public-private partnership between King County Metro Transit,… Read More
Are your communication skills holding you back or helping you soar? Solid communication skills can be the difference between successful experiences and painful, unproductive encounters in the workplace. When you’re looking to serve customers, solve problems, and make an impact, being able to listen effectively, clearly express yourself, and adeptly handle conflict and defensive behaviors is key. The Human Resources Learning and Development group is hosting noted trainer, Lenny Borer, on April 26 to help attendees develop deeper communication and problem solving skills. Sign up now. Thursday, April 26 from 8:30 a.m…. Read More
Crossposted from The Downstream Blog The Point Williams Buoy On March 29, the crew of SoundGuardian, King County’s marine research vessel, re-deployed a water quality buoy that got loose earlier in the month at Point Williams, off Lincoln Park in West Seattle. In this video, watch Jim Devereaux, Bob Kruger, Houston Flores, and Christopher Barnes from the King County Environmental Laboratory re-anchor the buoy. The Point Williams buoy is one of four automated, high-frequency data collection systems used by King County in marine waters and is the only floating platform — with… Read More
Salary: $16.60 Hourly Location: Seattle, WA Job Type: Intern Department: Department of Transportation – Airport Division Job Number: 2018MD07974 Closing: 4/20/2018 11:59 PM Pacific Description: Seeking a highly motivated Engineering Intern to support project work across all Airport business units. This internship provides opportunity for an Engineering student to obtain experience that will further his/her education and/or career interests. The successful candidate must be a college Junior or Senior, working toward a degree in Civil Engineering. Working knowledge of AutoCAD is a must. Contact: For more information, contact Melinda Dickie at 206-477-3608 or… Read More
The Department of Natural Resources and Parks blog provides tips on wasting less, enjoying the outdoors, supporting local food and other everyday doable actions to positively impact climate change. The blog also showcases fun news, facts and stories about King County’s natural resources and environmental stewardship. It’s written by members of Public Affairs at King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, with contributions from many of the programs throughout the department’s four divisions. Follow the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks blog today. Click here to view all King… Read More
Crossposted from kchealthyincentives King County offers a variety of health and well-being options to support employees so you can feel good, get the most out of life, and do your best work for the people of King County. Regular physical activity improves your overall health and fitness, and reduces your risk for many chronic diseases. Fitting regular exercise into your daily schedule may seem difficult at first, but King County provides several options to support your fitness goals at work. Employee Health & Well-Being maintains Activity Centers in over 15 King County… Read More
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC Introducing Bindi, our Pet of the Week! This eight-year-old Boston Terrier mix came to us because her previous family could no longer care for her. Bindi is a very smart girl, and already knows sit, stay, and come. She becomes very attached to and protective of her family, and would do best in a low-traffic home with no children. Bindi loves to go on walks, but does have some leash aggression. She gets along with other small dogs and cats, but would still do best with a… Read More
KCIT and Amazon Web Services are joining forces for another Government Hackfest April 23-24 at Amazon. Our January Hackfest with Microsoft brought us cool ideas including a chatbot for King County webpages. Check out KCTV’s story here. The chatbot is under construction right now. If you have an idea, a problem, or a use case that you’d like us to tackle in this 48-hour hackathon, please contact Jamie Holter at KCIT and we’ll get you connected with some of the best minds in the business! It’s open to all local governments.
After a nationwide search, Executive Constantine selected a former senior Amazon manager to lead King County’s Department of Information Technology, recognized last year as the Best IT County in the Nation. Tanya Hannah will lead the 450-person team that was selected as Best IT County in the Nation last year by the National Association of Counties. Hannah, who joined King County IT in June 2017 as Deputy Director, was selected after an extensive nationwide search in which more than 300 candidates applied. “Our award-winning team of IT professionals has established King County… Read More
To provide safer access to your information, employees need to be inside the King County firewall to access their W-2 tax forms through PeopleSoft. This year King County contracted with ADP to make W-2 forms available on the ADP portal so employees are ensured access from any location. This access to ADP additionally allows W-2 data to be transferred to tax programs such as TurboTax, eliminating the need to actually manually enter your data. To access your W-2 outside of the County firewall, you need to register on the ADP portal: Go… Read More
Consider expanding your retirement savings through the Deferred Compensation Plan, a voluntary 457 account offered to King County employees. The plan allows you to defer a portion of your paycheck to a variety of investment options before taxes are deducted, reducing your taxable pay now and helping you save for the future. You and your spouse or significant other are each invited to attend one of the webinar education sessions scheduled throughout the year. For details and registration, go to Deferred Compensation Plan webinars. You are also invited to attend the following in-person… Read More
The Untold Story project, in support of the county’s commitment to lead with racial justice, invites employees of color to submit a 750-word story of how racism has affected them and their sense of self, belonging, or worth. Examples can be found on the project website. Stories are due May 25. Submitters are cautioned that this project is not a forum for discrimination or sexual harassment complaints, which must be legally addressed by Human Resources. The second in a series of three lunchtime workshops to assist potential submitters in writing their story… Read More
Are you too young to think about retirement? Think again! This retirement overview is for anyone who thinks they may retire in the next few years. With increasing concern over the future of Social Security and the stability of retirement plans, it’s a good idea to stay informed and prepare in advance. Join us for a three-hour seminar featuring guest speaker Jean Cormier, who will discuss your Medicare choices and options, and representatives from the Social Security Administration and the Retired Public Employees Council of Washington. We’ll also talk about the current… Read More
Crossposted from the KCYouthJustice blog By John Knicely, KIRO 7 News Juvenile justice now falls under the direction of King County Public Health. On Wednesday, King County Executive Dow Constantine unveiled plans that have been in the works since November. The idea is to focus on healing and rehabilitating the youth offender to have charges reduced or thrown out. Jahila Moody is a prime example of the desired outcome. “Summer of 2016, I had a felony and a misdemeanor,” Moody told KIRO 7. Now she’s a high school graduate working at the… Read More
Crossposted from the Election Connection blog On Wednesday, March 28, we held a press conference to share our proposal for prepaid postage with local media. The press conference featured our director Julie Wise, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Councilmember Rod Dembowski. “When I was elected, one of my commitments was to remove barriers to voting,” Julie said. “As we increase access with prepaid postage and ballot drop boxes, we’re beginning to see a real impact.” Our proposal builds on the successful work we did testing prepaid postage early last year. Our… Read More
KING 5 News tweet: King County program helped 4,000 people from becoming homeless http://kng5.tv/2FTw8Pr “The numbers are in — and county leaders say a new program aimed at homeless prevention has had great success in its first year. The “Best Start of Kids” initiative prevented 4,000 people from becoming homeless.” Congratulations! Here’s to many more successful years!
Crossposted from the King County Youth Justice blog Jimmy Hung, a senior deputy prosecuting attorney in the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, sees the juvenile justice system from the inside. He has a passion for helping youth in crisis, and he’s been instrumental in bringing restorative justice practices to this work. Via King County TV, learn more about Jimmy Hung and how he’s helping kids make better decisions and stay on a positive path. Read more at King County Youth Justice