Employee News
Telling the stories of King County employees
Crossposted from Metro Matters As Metro’s EEO/Diversity and Inclusion Manager, Anita Whitfield has been breaking down barriers and instilling a shared sense of responsibility for promoting equity and social justice. Whitfield has worked to create a culture where employees feel safe to have difficult discussions about historical and current inequities. She’s led training for many employees (which she calls “shared learning opportunities”), and played an instrumental role in shaping a vision for making Metro and King County government more equitable for all employees and residents. Whitfield recently was honored by the Puget… Read More
King County Executive Dow Constantine today congratulated Department of Natural Resources and Parks employees for helping DNRP become King County’s first “Carbon Neutral” agency. Dear DNRP employee, Earth Week is a great chance to congratulate every Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) employee for helping DNRP become King County’s first “Carbon Neutral” agency! Please watch the video linked here (also available below) from DNRP Director Christie True and me, thanking employees not only for helping DNRP reduce and remove more greenhouse gas emissions than it generates, but doing it a year ahead of… Read More
Join us to kick off the activation of the Administration Building Plaza as a place for employees to relax and come together in the nicer weather. The event will feature guest speakers and a ribbon cutting, as well as foosball, ping pong and participation from vendors including the YMCA, Oxbow Farm, Snoqualmie Valley Farmers, 24 Hour Fitness and many more. Delicious food from a variety of food carts will be able for purchase as well. Friday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. west side of King County Administration Building For… Read More
Please join us for the second annual King County Administrative Professionals Recognition Day event on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. at the King County Courthouse, Room E-942, 516 Third Avenue. Register for the event today to ensure your spot. Please plan for travel time through the security checkpoint and elevators.
There has been a lot of talk recently about Internet Privacy. The other Washington is moving to change online privacy protections and this Washington is moving to protect them at the state level. No matter what the outcome, this is a good reminder that we should all take some basic precautions to safeguard our privacy while surfing the web. Check your ISPs Privacy Policy Your ISP is your Internet Service Provider (AKA Comcast, AT&T or Verizon). Every ISP has a policy which governs what they will do with your personal information. This… Read More
Earlier this year, King County launched a new employee emergency alert system called “KCInform”. This system, powered by CodeRED, allows us to reach you by phone, text, and email with timely information in an emergency or natural disaster. Your safety is our priority, whether you are at work or home, so having updated personal contact information (work cell phone and home phone, email, and/or cell phone) is critical for reaching you wherever you are. In January you were emailed a personal profile link to enter your information into KCInform. Many of you… Read More
Two King County corrections officers earned Gold in this year’s Healthy Incentives program, and they did it one step at a time up 12 flights of stairs each morning. Sonya and Randy Weaver are both corrections officers assigned to court detail with the County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. They have been with DAJD for 19 and 20 years, respectively, and have been a married couple for 10 of those years. Each work day morning, the couple climbs the 12-story stairwell of the King County Courthouse before their shift begins, and… Read More
Employee engagement is job #1 When Dow Constantine and Fred Jarrett asked me to serve as director of the Department of Executive Services (DES) seven years ago, I frankly was overwhelmed. How could I move out of operations and project management to lead the diverse set of agencies that make up DES? I told them, “I’m the person you put in a black suit and throw out of the helicopter with a specific mission, not the person in the planning room overseeing the operation.” But, they had confidence in me to make… Read More
Dwight Dively, Director of Performance, Strategy and Budget, visited the Auburn Public Health Center on Monday, April 17, to talk with employees about the services they provide and what King County can do to help them serve their clients better. Staff took Dively on a tour of the facility to showcase some of the services they deliver – such as Family Planning for teens and adults, and WIC nutrition plus maternity support for pregnant women and families. They discussed their work and raised issues they are encountering. “I really appreciate Dwight making… Read More
On April 3, the Facilities Management Division (FMD) went live with the new Customer Care Services to provide a single point of contact for service requests for all FMD Lines of Business. Customer Care Services will ensure the request is responded to by the appropriate FMD representative and will be able to provide updates on projects or outstanding items. Employees are encouraged to contact FMD Customer Care Services at 206-477-9400 or Customercareservices.fmd@kingcounty.gov for assistance with changes to a workplace, maintenance requests, additional space needs, keys and a work authorization or order. Hours… Read More
Sergeant Peter Boehme, with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, recently shared this memo in praise of employee Hizkiel Chibssa, with Maintenance and Supply, King County Correctional Facility. It gives me great pleasure to inform you that we at the King County Jail, Seattle division, have noticed Mr. Hizkiel Chibssa‘s outstanding performance in floor care. Mr. Hizkiel Chibssa’s enthusiasm and professionalism while performing his job is commendable and deserves recognition. We are truly impressed not only by his work ethic but the results are outstanding. In the last 6 months our… Read More
King County Information Technology is on LinkedIn and is a great resource for job opportunities, training opportunities, and technology news and information. Follow KCIT on LinkedIn today! Click here to view all King County social media pages.
Closing Date/Time: 4/16/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $34.33 – $43.52 Hourly Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week Location: King Street Center – 201 S Jackson St, Seattle, Washington Department: King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks – Water and Land Resources Division Description: About 877,000 acres, or more than two-thirds of King County, is forested with approximately 110,420 acres owned by small forest landowners. The King County Forester is responsible for promoting the growth and development of resilient forests by assisting forest landowners meet their land management goals… Read More
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Last week for National Public Health Week (April 3-7), the Public Health Insider featured unsung public health heroes who make our communities safer and healthier. Each day, they highlighted a public health worker through their own words, sharing their work and why they’re committed to serving our community. Tina Maestas, who serves as a Public Health Nurse based in Renton, is one of seven Public Health Nurses whose office is located inside a “CSO” – a state office where people can apply for assistance with cash, food, child support,… Read More
Sign-ups are now open for Health & Well-Being’s CSA@Work program. You can earn Healthy Incentives credit, support local farmers, achieve your healthy eating goals, and more! Available at 10 convenient King County worksites, CSA@Work connects eaters with local King County CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs that deliver weekly boxes of freshly harvested produce throughout the summer. Read Healthy Eating Project Coordinator Audrey Royston’s CSA@Work blog post to identify and sign up with the correct CSA for your work location, and find FAQ answers on the web sites linked above. If you have… Read More
There’s strength in diversity. Different perspectives bring new insights, benefits and relationships. They can also bring challenges. A team of translators at King County Elections experienced this, and decided to overcome it, with great success. “They come from four different countries and each one speaks a different language,” said Elections Supervisor Jacque Larrainzar. “Each of them has a different culture and way of looking at the world.” The interpreters have backgrounds from Mexico, Korea, Vietnam and China. At a recent staff meeting, these differences became more apparent when Jacque asked her team… Read More
Update provided by KCIT King County Information Technology is pleased to announce completion of the King County Main Courthouse Enhanced Wireless Network project. This means all floors and all devices – from 12 to the basement, laptop to smartphone – will now experience top-of-the-line, high-speed connectivity 24/7/365. Some of you may have already noticed that you can take your laptop anywhere and stay connected everywhere. It’s more than connectivity. You can download documents, check calendars, exchange email without standing next to a hot spot or returning to your desk. This project supports… Read More
King County is embracing mobile technology as it strives to help employees be more productive and efficient, regardless of where they are working from. Nearly 8,000 of King County’s 10,000 PCs will be laptops by the year 2020. “Laptops use less energy and allow more flexibility,” said KCIT Communications Manager Jamie Holter. “We have a goal of 80% laptop deployment by 2020, up from 27% a year ago.” Last year, KCIT moved forward to standardize on laptop and mobile devices to reduce annual County expenses by some $800,000, providing employees mobility and… Read More
Agencies across King County are stepping up to help implement the Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Strategic Plan. Most recently, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and District Court launched ESJ committees to further the goal of using ESJ values to guide King County’s operations, programs and service delivery. In February, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office (PAO) formally launched its inaugural Equity and Social Justice Team. With representatives from all divisions, the team focuses on: Providing training opportunities and equity-related events Documenting and measuring the equity and social justice work already being done in the… Read More
A new, one-day civics course on the criminal justice system was introduced to high school seniors throughout the city of Kent last semester. The course was launched by the County’s Department of Public Defense Misdemeanor Practice Director Twyla Carter and the Kent School District. All five Kent high schools participated, including Kent-Meridian – Washington’s most diverse high school. “The first Civics Day events at all the high schools in the Kent School District was a huge success,” said Michael Papritz, Kentridge High School Social Studies teacher, co-curricular leader, and school district project… Read More