Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
A social worker in the Department of Community and Human Services, Mario Bailey was recently highlighted in The Seattle Medium, a local news outlet, for his stepping into the head coach position at Franklin High School. His coming forward allowed the students to play football this season, instead of possibly forfeiting after the original head coach had to step down. He is quoted in the article as saying: “When you’re a football coach you’re more than a ‘football coach,” says Bailey. “You’re like an uncle, a father, a best friend, a big brother – you’re… Read More
Soon more school kids will be able to get medical care without missing school. King County’s Best Starts for Kids initiative will help fund more school-based clinics. View the video below to learn more about how we are changing the lives of children in King County.
Crossposted from Metro Matters There are only 12 more days for the public to weigh in on Metro’s proposal for expanding and improving late-night bus service in Seattle. The proposal would offer new transit options for those getting to or from jobs, the airport and nightlife between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Metro has about 40 routes with some level of late-night service throughout King County. Of these, 20 provide trips after 2 a.m., including three Night Owl routes that loop through some Seattle neighborhoods only between 2:15 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. The Seattle Department of Transportation… Read More
Covering a spouse/partner on your medical plan? Learn about the Benefit Access Fee If you cover a spouse or domestic partner on your King County medical plan, a Benefit Access Fee is automatically applied each year. If you qualify for an exemption, you must confirm it annually during Open Enrollment—Nov. 1 – 15. The Benefit Access Fee is a monthly deduction from your paycheck. The amount depends on your benefit group and the medical plan you select. See the Benefit Access Fee flyer for a list of amounts and exemptions. If you… Read More
Human Resources Division’s Safety & Claims section held itsfirst annual Employee Engagement party on Thursday, Oct. 13, to celebrate the year-long commitment to build engagement in the workplace. The “Chicken & Waffles” celebration included waffle making, raffle prizes, and team-building exercises using KEVA planks. The party was an opportunity to solicit feedback from each of the staff members on the effectiveness of the Employee Engagement Committee in addressing employee needs and concerns. It was a great way to celebrate, reflect and think ahead on continuing to build engagement in the section.
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog Officer on deck! West Seattle Water Taxi riders already recognize deckhand Nick Williams, and know him for his great sense of humor and unflappable and easygoing attitude. Get ready to salute, though. Nick recently received his captain’s license from the United States Coast Guard, and last week started driving the West Seattle route as a relief Captain for the King County Water Taxi. “It was great to have all the support and all the compliments when I started driving. But it also will be great to not… Read More
Crossposted from For The Defense Update: Ezequiel Apolo-Albino was released from immigration detention yesterday, Oct. 5, and his immigration case has been terminated. Ezequiel Apolo-Albino spent eight years in prison wrongfully accused of a crime that never happened. Thanks to the tenacity and legal acumen of Department of Public Defense attorney Amy Parker and DPD investigators Molly Gilbert and Bettye Witherspoon, a Superior Court judge recently signed an order vacating his conviction on two counts of child molestation. Read more at For The Defense
On Thursday, October 20, King County will join with employers and other organizations statewide participating in the annual Great Washington ShakeOut earthquake drill. At 10:20 a.m., a PA announcement will go out in many County buildings asking employees to practice what they should do in an earthquake: DROP to the floor Take COVER under a desk, table, or other sturdy furniture HOLD ON until the shaking stops (or the earthquake drill ends). If you or your workgroup are not able to join in the drill on October 20 at 10:20 a.m., pick… Read More
With less than a week to go in the 2016 King County employee survey, just over half of employees have given their feedback on how we can make King County a better place to work and a more effective provider of services. Have you had your say? What do you think about career advancement opportunities at King County? Is your workgroup open to new ideas? Do your leaders communicate a clear vision for your department or agency? Now is your time to have your say – the survey closes end of day… Read More
Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) helps pets find forever homes! Follow Regional Animal Services of King County on Twitter today! Click here to view all King County social media pages.
Access to career advancement opportunities was a key theme in last year’s Employee Survey, with only 50 percent of employees saying they were satisfied with opportunities to achieve their career goals. One way that King County is making job opportunities accessible to more employees is by removing unnecessary minimum qualifications from job postings. “Shifting the focus from an education-based approach to a skills- and experience-based one “screens in” more applicants who have the skills to be successful in a role but don’t have a degree or certification that really isn’t needed,” said… Read More
For people who find themselves in the criminal justice system, transitioning back into society, including getting a job and accessing housing, can often be challenging. To ease that transition King County removed criminal history disclosure requirements from its employment applications early last year. At the same time, the County also began a partnership with Goodwill to better prepare County inmates for release. The partnership began with a Goodwill Job Training pilot at King County Correctional Facility. “The Goodwill Job Training program actually started out as a pilot at KCCF for about a… Read More
Shared from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s Employee Spotlight In the Fall of 2017, Corrections Officer William Antonius hopes to retire after more than 30 years with the Department. His career with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention (DAJD) began in 1985 after serving in the U.S. Army and National Guard during his senior year at Auburn High School. Married to his high school sweetheart, they raised four beautiful children and have 9 precious grandkids. A devoted family man and public servant, Officer Antonius also makes time to give… Read More
Closing Date/Time: Sun. 10/23/16 11:59 PM Salary: $43.59 – $55.25 Hourly Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp (TLT) Location: King County Airport, 7300 Perimeter Road S, Room 129, Seattle, WA 98108-3848, Washington Department: Department of Transportation – Airport Division Description: The Airport Division is looking for a skilled, knowledgeable, highly-motivated, and enthusiastic team player to independently lead an engineering responsible for providing engineering, environmental, and project management services to the Department of Transportation, Airport Division. This position works closely with Maintenance, Operations, Planning, Business Information Systems, and Finance sections… Read More
The County’s 2016 Annual Employee Giving Drive continues, and this year’s goal is to raise $1.82 million. King County employees have donated $286,165.44 so far, bringing the drive to 15.7% of the goal! The Employee Giving Program is a philanthropic resource for King County employees that benefits county employees by providing prescreened nonprofits, allowing you to plan your giving, making it possible for you to donate time (vacation or compensatory hours), and offering anonymity. In observance of King County’s Disability Awareness Month, the following are four nonprofits serving the King County area… Read More
SharePoint is one of the most powerful file sharing systems available to King County teams. Starting this week, KCIT is excited to start offering free in-person Basic SharePoint Training sessions. Bring your laptop Get the SharePoint basics under your belt in 2 hours. Meet KCIT’s new SharePoint trainer Learn how SharePoint can help your teams work better, smarter and faster. Basic training is Friday, Oct. 14 and Thursday, Oct. 27. Intermediate training is Tuesday, Oct. 25. You can even schedule custom training from our new SharePoint website.
How your work is remembered depends on you! This workshop will provide guidance to County employees on steps you can take now to preserve County history. Learn how you can document County programs to help future researchers make the most of records that are transferred to the Archives. The workshop will be held Friday, October 28, 2016 from 2 to 3 p.m. It will be in the Chinook Building, room 126. Click here for more information and to register. Topics will include using retention schedules to determine archival and potentially archival value,… Read More
Crossposted from Public Health Insider We are writing a three-part series on the health of one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in our region, the Chinatown-International District (CID). With a one year nationally-funded grant, The BUILD Health Challenge has led to a robust community partnership that will take a deep look into the health and vibrancy of the CID. To start us off, Nadine Chan, Epidemiologist from Public Health, shares some of her insights from taking a close look at what our health data can tell us about the neighborhood. The BUILD… Read More
Crossposted from Tails from RASKC RASKC is excited to share the first of nine segments which Univision Seattle, KUNS channel 51, will be proudly airing each Wednesday at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Univision is the fifth largest network in the U.S. with the largest Spanish-speaking audience in the world. This amazing opportunity, which starts by highlighting RASKC’s success in saving 9 out of 10 lives, will serve as a public service announcement to engage and inform the community on the various services provided by King County’s Regional Animal Services. Read more… Read More
Crossposted from Metro Matters Bus riders who are deaf or hard of hearing and use cochlear implants or hearing aids now can use a newly installed hearing ‘loop’ system at King County Metro’s Customer Service Office at 201 South Jackson Street in Seattle. The induction hearing loop system allows customers who use the system to better communicate with Metro employees when they are buying or reloading ORCA cards or getting other help to better ride Metro. Installing the induction hearing loop system demonstrates Metro’s continued commitment to accessibility for all of our… Read More