Employees in south King County got to learn more about what their colleagues are doing to promote Equity and Social Justice into their work at 2016’s third Equity and Social Justice Fair at the Maleng Regional Justice Center on Tuesday, May 24. This is the first year that three ESJ Fairs have been held for County employees, and the fairs provided great opportunities for employees to learn from one another’s challenges and successes in building equity and opportunity for residents and employees across the county. If you were unable to attend one… Read More

In 1991 the State of Washington turned to large employers like King County to help reduce the number of vehicles on Washington’s roads, and the impact those vehicles were having on air quality. That year, the Commute Trip Reduction Law was passed as part of Washington Clean Air Act, requiring employers who have more than 100 employees to offer alternative modes of transportation to and from work. At King County it started with offering employees free transportation on Metro buses. And it didn’t stop there.

This piece was featured at the top of the Seattle Times’ Rant and Raves list. Kudos to the Water Taxis for a job well done! “RAVE To King County Water Taxis and their crews for their work to accommodate the large increase in passengers due to the Alaskan Viaduct closure. From using larger buses for shuttles, coming up with ways to speed boarding, and adding the Spirit of Kingston to fill in when possible, their efforts are really appreciated by both regular and new passengers.”

Crossposted from the DES Express blog Like many of our region’s employers, King County is facing a “silver tsunami.” Members of the Baby Boom generation, born between 1946 and 1964, are set to retire in huge numbers in just a few years. Many of them have decades of institutional knowledge that could be lost when they leave. There’s also another demographic challenge facing the County: Millennials, those born between 1981 and 2000, are more likely to pursue tech-oriented careers. Many Millennials aren’t even aware of the lucrative job opportunities available in the… Read More

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will begin construction to rehabilitate the Yesler Way Bridge, located at the intersection of Yesler Way and Terrace St. over 4th Ave S. Construction is scheduled to begin as soon as May 23 and expected to last through fall 2017.  As a result of this project, some transit routes may be affected during construction, including KC Metro routes: 27, 111, 114, 212, 214, 216, 217, 218, 219, 252, 257, 268, 304, 308, 311, 312, 355; Sound Transit routes: 510, 511, 512, 513, 554, 590, 594, 595; Community… Read More

This article is featured courtesy of the King County Department of Information Technology To make the King County website more accessible and useful for residents with visual and hearing challenges, King County Information Technology (KCIT) staff met with deaf and blind residents and advocates on April 26 to learn how to make existing and planned websites and mobile apps more user-friendly. KCIT Director and Chief Information Officer Bill Kehoe took part in the conversation, along with the KCIT Business Solutions teams, and King County’s ADA Compliance Officer Melony Joyce.  Their discussion was… Read More

For human resources professionals, there is nothing more frustrating than overseeing an extensive recruitment process, only to lose your top candidate thanks to unnecessary delays in the hiring approval process. That’s what was happening to King County recruiters when they sought to hire successful candidates above step one of a position’s pay scale. The process often took weeks, with the County code requiring an approval process that often involved 15 to 19 handoffs before it could be completed. It was time-consuming and by the end of it, hiring personnel found that they were losing candidates. “Many people told us it was going to be impossible… Read More