Featured Coronavirus Information
Updated guidance for mandatory telecommuting (updated Oct. 29, 2020)
Emergency childcare for first responders & essential workers
Help needed to support COVID-19 efforts
Cleaning and disinfecting facilities during COVID-19
News
Executive Constantine thanks employees and applauds their 2020 accomplishments
King County Executive Dow Constantine has released a video message to thank employees for their tremendous efforts and achievements in 2020. “I am grateful for your flexibility, creativity, and hard work which enabled us to pivot quickly and respond to the needs of our community,” Executive Constantine said in the video message. “We have a way to go in this journey to normalcy – and things may get worse before they get better – but they will get better.” In addition to reflecting on the achievements of employees in 2020 – including… Read More
Video: Dr. Jeff Duchin on COVID-19 trends and vaccine distribution
Crossposted from Public Health Insider As the first doses of COVID-19 vaccine arrived King County this week, Health Officer Dr. Jeff Duchin answered questions and shared the latest information on rollout and distribution of vaccines. For more on COVID-19 data trends, visit our data dashboards: https://www.kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data.aspx For more on COVID-19 vaccine planning in King County: www.kingcounty.gov/covid/vaccine Watch the video
Honoring the 2019 Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards honorees
King County today announced the honorees for the 2019 Executive’s Performance Excellence Awards, recognizing employees and teams for their exceptional contributions to performance, leadership, service, and innovation, and for helping make King County a best-run government. “These awards honor employees and workgroups for their exceptional contributions in performance, leadership, and innovation,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said. “They recognize people who are helping to build a best-run government at King County, people who show us what good looks like – what best-run government looks like – and what we can all do… Read More
Training Spotlight for December 22
Winter classes are now available. Please visit our King County Eventbrite website and our Learning and Development website for available opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
PeopleSoft HCM Outage Notice, December 23
To allow for system maintenance, the PeopleSoft system will not be available starting at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 23. During this planned outage, the Business Resource Center (BRC) will apply vendor updates and maintenance. This work will begin on Wednesday, Dec. 23 at 3 p.m. and is scheduled to be completed by 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec 24. The system will not be available for access by any County staff during this outage window. There will be a communication sent out to all County staff when the system becomes available. We… Read More
New COVID-19 Child Care Reimbursement Program
Dear King County employee, We are excited to announce that, in response to the overwhelming impacts of COVID-19 on working parents, including the closure of many in-person schools and child care providers, labor and management have agreed upon a COVID-19 Child Care Reimbursement Program to help those in the Regular Employees Benefits Plan with child care expenses incurred during the 2020-2021 school year. This groundbreaking agreement, first proposed by a King County Coalition of Unions, will cover approximately 10,400 union and non-represented employees who receive the Regular Employees Benefits Plan through the Joint… Read More
Thank you to you, our employee audience
Our top stories and videos for 2020 Throughout 2020, the Department of Human Resources Employee Communications Team highlighted the professional accomplishments and successes of our employees, resources to help them navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, learning and advancement opportunities, and important events. These were shared in our twice weekly Employee News newsletter, the KC Employee News blog, and the King County Employees YouTube channel. Additionally, these same stories were also shared on the KCEmployees Twitter account and the King County, WA LinkedIn account. Thank you to all our readers for engaging with our content, sharing it… Read More
Tech Tip: Teams Breakout Rooms are here
Microsoft Teams offers users the option to use a Breakout Room. Meeting organizers can use Breakout Rooms to break meeting attendees into small groups during you meeting. Breakout Rooms rolled out the week of Dec. 7. Meeting organizers should now see the icon in their meetings. Only meeting organizers can create and manage Breakout Rooms. Anyone in a Teams meeting can participate in a Breakout Room though. To use Breakout Rooms, as a meeting organizer, select the Breakout Rooms icon (a square within a square). Follow the instructions that pop-up in the next screen. To learn more about Breakout Rooms, read this… Read More
Safe holiday activities for kids during the pandemic
If you have children at home, you may be wondering what types of activities you can do to provide entertainment and help them feel the spirit of celebration during the pandemic. Balanced You has put together a list of seasonal activities you can do as a family that foster connection and well-being while observing guidelines for staying healthy. Visit this Balanced You blogpost for more information.
Give the gift of safety this winter season
Crossposted from Public Health Insider As winter approaches, you may find yourself driving in the snow, skiing, snowboarding, sledding, ice skating, or giving gifts this season. Here are some tips for giving the gift of safety for the holidays: If you are giving a bike, scooter, skateboard, snowboard or skis, remember to give a helmet too! If you are giving a toy to a child, check the warning labels and instructions to make sure it’s age-appropriate. If you have a friend or loved one who owns a gun and want to give them… Read More
Creating Effective Application Materials online workshop, January 13
This one-hour virtual workshop will provide you tips and strategies on how to make your application materials stand out. Learning objectives include: Understanding the purpose of the job application, resume, cover letter and supplemental questions and how to make each of them more effective Deciding what to include in your resume and the best format to showcase your qualifications How to write a cover letter tailored to the specific position Identifying and showcasing your accomplishments This workshop will take place Wednesday, Jan. 13 from 1-3 p.m. Register here. For additional online workshops offered… Read More
Training Spotlight: Intro to Mindfulness for King County Employee COVID-19 Responders – Online
A special session for those working the front lines during this pandemic, in this one hour workshop, we will review the various aspects of mindfulness practice, the ways mindfulness can help reduce stress, reactivity and burnout, and the science that supports the practices. This training is free and takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 23, from 10–11 a.m. Register here using the password ERkingcounty. Please visit our King County Eventbrite website and our Learning and Development website for more opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at www.kingcounty.gov/learning.
Expansion of testing into the eastside of king county
Crossposted from Public Health Insider Starting this week, there will be a new option for convenient, free COVID-19 testing on the Eastside. A new site at Bellevue College will open on Tuesday, expanding efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 in east King County and along the I-90 corridor. This will be the first free, high-capacity COVID-19 test site on the Eastside. This site will be free and open to anyone, regardless of insurance or immigration status. If you have COVID-like symptoms or have had close contact with someone with COVID-19, Public Health… Read More
STAR-LA Interview Practice and Feedback, January 12
This 60-minute, virtual, small group workshop is designed to provide mock interview practice and feedback using the STAR-LA method as taught by King County Career Support Services. This workshop is ideal for participants who have attended the Strategic Interviewing Tips and Techniques workshop or have watched the 10 minute STAR-LA method video found on the Career Support Services website. This workshop will take place Tuesday, Jan. 12 from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Register here. For additional online workshops offered by King County Career Support Services (CSS), visit their Eventbrite page. For more information about CSS along with links to career related… Read More
In January, eligible PERS 2 members can switch to PERS 3
Each January, certain members of Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) Plan 2 have the opportunity to transfer to PERS Plan 3. You are eligible to transfer to Plan 3 if you meet all of the following criteria: You enrolled in PERS Plan 2 before Sept. 1, 2002. You are currently in an eligible position. You will earn service credit in January. Here’s how to switch: Use the resources on the DRS website to help you decide if transferring to Plan 3 is right for you. Complete a DRS Member Transfer Form and return it by email to kc.benefits@kingcounty.gov or by… Read More
First doses of vaccine arrive in King County
Crossposted from Public Health Insider It’s a remarkable milestone that the first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine are on the ground in our community. Public Health – Seattle & King County is one of several healthcare providers receiving limited quantities of COVID-19 vaccine this week. Hospital systems in King County will receive approximately 17,000 doses of vaccine in this first distribution, with Public Health scheduled to receive 3,900 doses. Across the state, the vaccine will be offered to workers in high-risk healthcare settings and residents and staff in long-term care facilities. In addition… Read More
Want to get employee emergency notifications? Sign-up for KCInform
During an emergency having timely information on what is happening is critical. King County employees can sign-up for KCInform, the employee alert and warning system, to receive information on incidents that can affect their work and safety. KCInform is used to reach County employees during an emergency with timely information about infrastructure disruptions, facility impacts, changes in your department’s business operations, and other critical impacts. Your King County desk phone and @kingcounty.gov email are already in the system. It is important to register your County-issued cell phone (if-applicable) and personal cell phone and email… Read More
Inslee announces updated school guidance for in-person instruction
Gov. Jay Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal today announced an update in the metrics used to inform local school district decisions for in-person learning. They also announced $3 million from set aside funds to be distributed to implement health and safety protocols. The update to the school health and safety toolkit comes after recent data showed limited COVID-19 transmission in school environments when state health and safety protocols are implemented. The Department of Health suggests three categories for re-introducing in-person learning: For schools in counties where COVID-19 cases are “low” (less… Read More
Pet of the Week: Rex
Hi, my name is Rex! I’m an 8 year old male domestic short hair cat (ID #A65307). I am the shy and sensitive type. But, once you start petting me I slowly but surely will rub into your hand. I especially enjoy getting little chin and neck scratches! I am neutered, current on vaccinations, and micro chipped. Also, as the Pet of the Week, my adoption fee has been waived and includes a free visit to the veterinarian of your choice. You can find out more about me and my friends at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Have you… Read More
Tech Tip: An important reminder about Microsoft Skype and Teams instant messages (chats)
Instant messages in Teams, called Chats, don’t instantly disappear when you close the Chat window—they’re typically held for 24 hours or more before deletion. That means they can be subject to Public Disclosure Requests during that time. Some chats last for up to a week, but KCIT is working on the issue. Even if you’re still using Skype, any IMs with coworkers on Teams will also be retained for 24 hours or more on their side. Remember: You may recall that our guidance for using Skype instant messages has always been “Don’t conduct work in instant messages.” The same is true in Teams Chats. They should only be used for transitory communication. What does this mean for you? When you move to… Read More
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We tell stories that highlight the work we do to support our residents,
build strong communities, and make our region a great place to live and work.
Our 15,000 employees work every day to make King County
a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
