2017 Benefits: Open Enrollment November 1-15
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 are eligible for an exemption to the Benefit Access Fee but you don’t select it during Open Enrollment, the fee will be automatically deducted from your paycheck each month beginning in January. If you notify us later that you qualify for an exemption, you can discontinue the fee, however, amounts already deducted will not be refunded.
For more information, go to Open Enrollment, call Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations at 206-684-1556, or email KC Benefits.
Share this:
Celebrating engagement efforts with chicken and waffles
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.
Share this:
The newest Captain in the Water Taxi family!
Crossposted from the Captain’s Blog
Pictured: Nick Williams, on the left, receiving Captains epaulets from Deckhand/Relief Captain GW Rogers.
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 get as wet!” Nick said.
Read more at the Captain’s Blog
Share this:
Defense team works to clear name of man wrongly accused and imprisoned
Crossposted from For The Defense
Pictured from left: Amy Parker, Bettye Witherspoon, and Molly Gilbert — the team that worked to clear Ezequiel Apolo-Albino’s name
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
Share this:
Earthquake drill
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 another time that works for you.
Before you come out from under cover, feel free to take a photo and share it on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #DropCoverSelfie! King County Emergency Management also invites you to practice DROP, COVER, and HOLD ON at home with your family in the evening. It’s also a good idea to take a few minutes to locate your home emergency kit and make sure you have everything you, your family, and your pets need.
Share this:
We’re listening: 2016 Employee Survey closes Friday, Oct. 21
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 this Friday, Oct. 21.Tell us how we can make King County better for you. We’re listening.
Thank you if you have already completed the survey!
To find the email link to your survey, search in your email under “King County 2016 Employee Survey” or contact the survey consultant, ORC International, atsupport@orcinternational.com.
Your responses are completely anonymous to King County and ORC, the consultant, only shares analyzed results, never individual responses.
Share this:
Social Media Spotlight: Regional Animal Services of King County Twitter
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.
Share this:
Removing barriers from job posting increases opportunities
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 Susie Slonecker, Interim Director of Human Resources Division.
This process will be an ongoing, long-term effort that will help remove barriers to obtaining employment with King County, broaden the pool of qualified talent, and increase internal movement by creating opportunities for employees to be more competitive.
Some County positions will still require degrees, licenses or accreditations but where an education level is not necessary attribute for a job, the County is removing these requirements.
Elimination of barriers to recruitment and promotion by shifting the hiring process to focus on core attributes rather than unnecessary education and experience requirements is one of the priorities in the 2016-2022 Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan.
See all current County job opportunities here.
Share this:
King County and Goodwill: Preparing inmates for release
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 year before being made available at MRJC,” explained Nancy Garcia, Project and Program Manager with the County’s Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention.
Nine students earned certificates for completing MRJC’s first Goodwill Employment and Reintegration Strategies job training class this July, and six others earned their certificates last month.
So far, five classes have been taught at KCCF – including two for female students – and Maleng Regional Justice Center has now held two classes. Nine students earned certificates for completing MRJC’s first Goodwill Employment and Reintegration Strategies job training class this July, and six others earned their certificates last month.
Participants in the seven-week program meet for two and a half hours twice per week to learn how to prepare to find jobs upon release. The program includes training in resume writing, interviewing and disclosure of criminal history. In order to complete the class, students must meet both attendance and participation expectations, as well as demonstrate abilities to perform competencies including: developing strategies to explore careers, being competent in job search activities with a conviction history, and completing both a resume and a mock interview.
Cameron Carl, Program Facilitator and Case Manager with Goodwill, is the Employment and Reintegration Strategies job training instructor. “Goodwill provides quality, effective employment and basic education to individuals experiencing significant barriers to economic opportunity,” said Cameron.
She invests a lot into the program, and the support for the students does not end with a certificate. Upon release, Cameron says, “students receive up to three months of case management services from any of the Seattle Goodwill Job Training and Education Centers located in our five counties; King, Kitsap, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom.” Case management services include transportation assistance as well as assistance with basic needs (housing, healthcare, clothing, etc.). As a case manager, Cameron resumes working with the students once they are released and makes the necessary connections and referrals to resources and employment specialists.
Nancy sums it up best by saying, “It is a wonderful story to tell!”
Share this:
DAJD Officer William (Ken) Antonius shares his hobby with community
Shared from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s Employee Spotlight
One of many highlights in his life, Officer Antonius and his grandkids spontaneously performed with The Dapper Dans at Disneyland!
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 back to the community and does so in one of the most unique but also most enjoyable ways possible: as a king!
They’re called the Federal Way Harmony Kings, a barbershop Chorus and a chapter of the nationally recognized, Barbershop Harmony Society, established in 1938. With hundreds of chapters across the country and around the world in countries such as Sweden, London, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia; barbershop quartet is a spectacular world of it’s own.
Officer Antonius has been with the Harmony Kings for 17 years. One of the many exciting perks of being a member of this traditional, all-American phenomenon is the opportunity to compete with and meet others from around the globe. The competition starts in the Spring time at the divisional level for choruses and quartets; Seattle and Tacoma. From there, it moves on to districts; Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, British Colombia, and Alaska. If the quartet survives that round, they advance to the International competition for Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Judging is based on singing, presentation, and musicality.
“We never make it too far though,” he chuckled. “To get at that level, it’s like another fulltime job. Between work and spending time with my family, I can’t imagine.”
But what Officer Antonius humbly left out until much later in our conversation is the community outreach and volunteer work they do. Being a non-profit organization, they host an annual show to fundraise for teens and young adults between 12 – 20 years of age to attend Harmony Explosion, a 3-day summer camp held at Pacific Lutheran University.
“There’s about 250 attendees every summer, but what’s astonishing is that it started with maybe about 20 kids when it first started many years ago. It’s a youth movement.”
The camp teaches them to ‘Sing for Life’ as they build confidence, teamwork, and leadership through performance. Programs like Harmony Explosion are important as research finds that children who sing in choruses receive significantly better grades than those who have never been a part of a choir. Parents of choristers report that it has also contributed to other positive qualities such as good memory, good practice and homework habits, and high levels of creativity.
The Harmony Kings rehearse every Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Church in Federal Way. Guests are always welcome to watch their acapella singing and can even learn the craft. When they’re not rehearsing, volunteering, or competing for that international title, they could be doing other major things like singing Christmas carols for the Alzheimer’s Unit at retirement homes; opening for Grammy award-winning artist and music legend, Patti Labelle; auditioning for one of America’s favorite television shows, America’s Got Talent, and making that special someone smile when performing specially ordered singing grams to him/her; Valentine Grams are Officer Antonius’ favorites!
Officer Antonius, second to the left, and fellow Harmony Kings after singing a Valentine Gram.
The Department will surely miss Officer Antonius when he leaves us next year, but we’re thankful that he shared a part of his story with us. When I asked him what message he’d like to pass on to his colleagues, he replied “Please don’t take your work home with you. You must find ways to alleviate the stress.”
He went on to share how grateful he is for the 30 plus years of amazing friendships he’s built at DAJD and how that has helped him stay positive throughout the decades.
“There are five or six of us. We get together for a movie and dinner at least once a month, outside of work. You just gotta do it. It’s how you keep going.”
He also accredits his first and foremost passion, the love of his life; his wife.
“Forty-two years together. She’s my rock.”
Mrs. Antonius, we thank you, too, for sharing your husband with us at DAJD!
Employee News 