A warm thank you to our employee audience
Our top stories, videos, and social media posts for 2019
Throughout 2019, the Department of Human Resources Employee Communications Team highlighted the professional accomplishments, challenges and successes of our employees, as well as King County opportunities and important events. These were shared in our weekly Employee News newsletter, the KC Employee News blog, our KCEmployees Twitter account, the King County, WA LinkedIn account, and our King County Employees YouTube channel.
Thank you to all our readers for engaging with our content, sharing it with others, and helping us to be successful in providing you the information needed to succeed in your career, live a healthy life, and make King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
We invite you to revisit the top 10 stories of 2019; you just might run into a story about yourself, your colleague or your department. If you would like your work to be featured in the Employee News newsletter in 2020, please email us at KCEmployees@kingcounty.gov.
The 10 most-clicked Employee News newsletter stories for 2019 were:
10. Executive Constantine joined 1,000 volunteers for Count Us In, the annual point-in-time count for people experiencing homelessness – 618 views
9. Activity centers offer employees exercise and healthy workout options – 621 views
8. Metro takes action to address racial disparities and the climate crisis with bold direction from community – 642 views
7. At DPD, a new unit helps people reclaim their lives – 716 views
6. Overcoming a life changing injury with strength, dignity and a committed team – 906 views
5. Fighting for justice: Two public defenders worked for years to get their client acquitted– 1,003 views
4. Department of Retirement Systems notice on public records request – 1,017 views
3. Did you know you had this benefit? Employee discounts– 1,108 views
2. Stress less this holiday season: Self-care tips to consider during this busy time of year – 1,157 views
1. Halfway through the Employee Survey, who’s leading the participation contest? – 1,861 views
The three most-watched videos were:
3. How the Employee Engagement Survey Works – 860 views
2. King County Affinity Groups – 990 views
1. Nondiscrimination, Anti-Harassment and Inappropriate Conduct Policy – 1,952 views
The three most-clicked LinkedIn posts were:
3. King County is honored to announce that Derrick Wheeler-Smith will lead the County’s ongoing work to achieve Zero Youth Detention! Join us in welcoming him to the team! http://ow.ly/ZnsQ30oCm0j #KingCounty #ZeroYouthDetention #Leadership #GoPublic
2. Five years ago, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of our King County Drug Diversion Court with participants, graduates, friends, family — and Macklemore! Since Drug Court launched more than two decades ago, 2,561 graduates — representing more than 2,708 dismissed felonies — have completed the program. You’re invited as King County Drug Diversion Court turns 25! Please join us for inspiration, music and food as we celebrate graduates, current participants, service providers and our community partners. The celebration is 3-5 p.m. Oct. 30 in the King County Courthouse, Room E-942. #KCDDC25
1. King County Executive Dow Constantine stopped by to thank Facilities Management Division employees this morning, many of whom have been working eight days straight with 4 a.m. start times to clear paths around our facilities!
The three most-interacted with Twitter posts were:
3. Seattle Magazine highlights a new approach to help reduce homelessness in King County. #Community #HelpOneAnother http://ow.ly/fF8A50vDR5X
2. The viaduct closure starts next week! Are you ready? Check out this article from @seattletimes to learn more about how businesses are preparing for gridlock. https://t.co/HVEC8jhBOb #Realign99 #SeattleSqueeze #Carmageddon
1. Don’t forget about Ride2. King County is offering innovative ways to help residents get to and from work during the viaduct closure. #KingCounty #Innovation #BestRunGovernment #SeattleSqueeze #Realign99 https://t.co/ZxrskZKzrQ
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Celebrate New Year’s Eve with free rides on King County Metro
King County Metro will help riders safely usher in 2020 with free bus rides from 7 p.m. on New Year’s Eve through 4 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Free rides on Metro service are sponsored in part by Seattle Center, which draws thousands of people for New Year’s Eve festivities. In addition to Metro buses, rides are also free on Via to Transit Southeast Seattle, DART, Seattle Streetcar, Community Van, Community Ride, and Access paratransit.
“There’s no better night to leave your car at home than New Year’s Eve, and with free fares you can ride Metro transit, celebrate late, and not have to worry about parking or a safe ride home,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. Read more in the official press release.
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New overtime rules for salaried workers adopted by the Washington Department of Labor and Industries
The Washington Department of Labor and Industries announced rule changes to raise the income threshold of salaried workers eligible for overtime compensation. The Dec. 11 rule change is the strongest in the nation and is expected to cover an estimated 250,000 workers once fully implemented. The previous threshold of $23,660 per year will now be tied to minimum wage and will increase to $83,356 by 2028.
“Working Washingtonians should be able to count on fair treatment and fair pay. Modernizing overtime protections will help make that promise real for thousands of workers and families,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “I support this rule – the nation’s strongest – because it is the right thing for workers, and because rebuilding the middle class will strengthen our region’s economy.”
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Department of Retirement Systems notice on public records request
The Department of Retirement Systems (DRS) will release information in response to a public records request DRS received for certain items of information “for each person currently employed by a public employer in Washington,” and has asked employers to share this notice with employees.
The DRS advises that some of the information items requested are subject to public disclosure and will be released to the requesting organization on Jan. 3, 2020. Read more on the DRS website. For information or questions, contact DRS at 844-704-6780 or drs.pdrnotice@drs.wa.gov.
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Have you completed Cyber Security Awareness Training?
All King County employees are required to complete Cyber Security Awareness Training in 2019. Have you taken it yet? There are 12 training modules, and it takes approximately 50 minutes to complete all 12. Each module is only a few minutes long.
To start your Cyber Security Awareness Training, please login at https://sso.securingthehuman.org/kingcounty
Your account for Securing the Human:
- Username: King County email address
- Password: King County email password
For more information about Cyber Security, please visit our Sharepoint site.
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Featured Job: Feedback and Analytics Manager
Salary: $116,494.98 – $147,664.19 Annually
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type: Appointed
Department: EXEC – Executive’s Office
Job Number: 2019SWMJ10999
Division: Office of Perf Strategy & Budget
Closing: 1/6/2020 11:59 PM Pacific
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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Pet of the Week: Jojo
Jojo is a 1 year-old, brown, female, Doberman Pinscher mix (A601685). Her personality color is RED, meaning she is a spirited dog with a fun-loving personality. Jojo can be very hyper and is still working on her manners, so she would do best with a family who is willing to work with her and help her become the best dog she can be! Jojo is a very friendly girl who loves to play.
Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet.
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Focus on values: We focus on the customer
Dear employee,
As public servants, “We focus on the customer” is not only one of our core values – it’s also part of every employee’s work, whether their customer is a member of the public, or another county employee.
Over the past eight years, through training, collaborating, and learning from employees about their experiences and challenges, we’ve created a common understanding of what excellent customer service looks like in King County.
There are of course minor variations between departments due to different mandates and regulatory roles, yet we all have a common goal. Our Customer Service Promise summarizes the shared goals for every interaction with every customer in every department and agency: service that is courteous, efficient, and equitable.
Please consider how you can “focus on the customer” in your daily work, and take a moment to watch our fellow King County employees discuss what “We focus on the customer” means to them in the short video below.
Having a shared understanding of great customer service (or how to recover when things go awry) is important for every team so we can share and consistently use what works, and support each other when it doesn’t. Every interaction helps build public confidence in King County and create a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
Sincerely,
Natasha Jones
Director of Customer Service
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Reduced Link service for 10 weeks from Jan. 4 – March 15
From Jan. 4 to March 15, Sound Transit is building new tracks that connect downtown Seattle to the Eastside. When open in 2023, East Link trains will serve 19 stations from Northgate to Redmond, including 10 new stations in Judkins Park, Mercer Island, Bellevue and Redmond.
Trains will continue running during heavy construction, but there will be reduced service for 10 weeks. Here are the basics:
- Trains will run every 12 minutes, every day of the week
- All trains will have four cars
- Riders traveling through Pioneer Square Station will change trains on a new center platform
- Bicycles will be temporarily prohibited at Pioneer Square Station
- Buses will replace Link between Capitol Hill – SODO Jan. 4-5, Feb. 8-9, and March 14-15
Here’s how riders can prepare:
- Sign up for Rider Alerts and visit the Connect 2020 website for more info
- Look for helpful staff ambassadors or security personnel to answer questions
- Look out for new signage
- Allow extra time for trips, especially the first week from Jan. 4-10 as riders adapt to the changes
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Employee representative needed for Deferred Compensation Board
The King County Employees Deferred Compensation Plan Board is seeking a King County employee for a three-year term as a board representative. Applications are due Jan. 31, 2020. In keeping with the vision of the King County Strategic Plan for Equity and Social Justice, the board is keenly interested in broadening the diversity of perspectives represented on the board.
The employee representative must currently participate in the King County Deferred Compensation Plan—prior board experience is not required. As a board member, you will:
- Attend monthly meetings
- Devote a reasonable amount of time to working on plan business
- Monitor plan fund performance
- Communicate about the plan to participants and non-participants
- Assist with plan policy and design issues
For additional information, go Deferred Compensation Plan board position. If you have questions or are interested in applying, please contact Osceola “O.C.” Collier, plan administrator, at 206-263-9250 or KC Deferred Comp.
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