Featured Coronavirus Information
Updated guidance for mandatory telecommuting
Emergency childcare for first responders & essential workers
Help needed to support COVID-19 efforts
Cleaning and disinfecting facilities during COVID-19
News
Your top general election questions answered
Crossposted from the Election Connection Every election, voters call and email us with a number of questions. Why did I receive a ballot for the previous resident of my home? What do I do if I forgot to put my ballot in the security envelope? But each election fields a few questions specific to the races on that year’s ballot. Here are some of the most frequent questions we heard this election. I live in Seattle. Why aren’t any of the city’s candidates on my ballot? If you live in Seattle and… Read More
KCIT is looking for employee feedback
In 2014, KCIT asked employees about their satisfaction with Unified Communications tools like Skype for Business, Instant Messaging, Lync phones and headsets, conference calls and desktop sharing. In three years, KCIT has made many improvements. Now it is seeking employee feedback again to measure adoption and satisfaction level. This survey will take about 10 minutes and is very valuable to KCIT as it moves forward with employee communications tools. To access the survey click here.
Why now is a good time for a flu shot?
Crossposted from Public Health Insider With the holidays drawing near, many of us look forward to travel or seeing family and friends. And just as our schedules get busier, it’s also the time of year when the flu starts to circulate. We turned to Libby Page, manager of our immunizations program, to get the scoop on flu vaccine . Why is it important to get vaccinated now? LP: Autumn is often the time when flu activity picks up and it can take at least two weeks from the date of vaccination for most… Read More
Water Taxi’s fresh new look earns international award
Crossposted from The Captain’s Blog When we unveiled our new branding earlier this year, our riders offered rave reviews. This month, our new look received even more recognition when we were named a MarCom Gold Award Winner, an international marketing and communications competition! The honor is especially meaningful for us because our branding campaign – which features a new logo and program mark –was entirely an in-house effort that saved an estimated $30,000. We designed, produced and implemented the rebrand solely with King County talent. Read more at The Captain’s Blog
Executive Constantine directs Public Health to oversee King County juvenile detention reorganization
As part of King County’s commitment to reduce traumatization of youth in detention, eliminate racial disparities in the juvenile justice system and advance the goal of zero youth detention, Executive Constantine directed a multi-departmental team under the oversight and direction of Public Health – Seattle & King County to draft a proposal reorganizing juvenile detention services. In addition, Executive Constantine announced that King County will contract with a third-party validator, New York-based Vera Institute of Justice, to review its juvenile detention policies and practices, and recommend potential reforms. “By adopting a public… Read More
King County partners with Ballmer Group to expand access to outpatient mental health and addiction treatment
As many as 22,000 low-income people in King County will be eligible for same-day outpatient treatment for mental health and addiction services under an innovative new program announced today by King County, Ballmer Group and Third Sector Capital Partners, a San Francisco-based nonprofit advisory firm that collaborates with communities on how to contract for social services. The “Pay for Success” model will allocate $1.4 million a year in incentive payments to mental health and substance use treatment agencies that provide outpatient treatment on demand for people in need. “We are combining County… Read More
Special holiday discount for King County employees to upcoming Seattle Symphony performances
Employees are welcome to take advantage of an offer to receive 15% discount to select performances at the Seattle Symphony. Using promo code COMPOSER18, employees can purchase tickets to upcoming performances including: The Tenors: Christmas Together Tour – Saturday, November 25 Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 3 – November 30-December 2 Jeremy Denk in Recital – Sunday, December 3 Holiday Pops – December 8-10 To buy tickets employees can visit the website at www.seattlesymphony.org, contact the symphony at 206-215-4747 or 1-866-833-4747 (toll-free) or visit the ticket office at Benaroya Hall, on the corner of Third Avenue and Union Street. See all available discounts on the Employee Discount webpage.
Happy Thanksgiving to our employees, their families and community
We would like to take the time to say how thankful we are for our employees and their dedication to making King County a welcoming community and a great place to live, and for supporting and serving the 2.1 million people who call this part of the world home. You drive the way that we innovate, connect and excel in our service to our community and people across the region. King County never stops serving, and we send a special thank you to the employees – bus operators, jail guards, sheriff’s deputies,… Read More
Tech Tip: Unplug and take a break from technology
Did you know over 40 percent of us check our phones within five minutes of waking up in the morning, and nearly half check up to 25 times a day, according to a 2015 study by Deloitte? Consider detaching from your phone and other electronics this upcoming holiday season. This will give you more time to spend with loved ones, and help you sleep better. To get started, here’s seven ways to break your technology habit: End idle moments. Use tech to help you stay off tech. Don’t rely on willpower. Unplug before bed. Start small. Turn off notifications. Plan… Read More
Departments recognize employees for military service
In honor of Veteran’s Day, county agencies are recognizing their veterans and reservists throughout the month of November in unique ways. The Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP) held a department-wide recognition event on November 13. The event acknowledged employees based out of King Street Center who are veterans and reservists. DNRP Director Christie True and management team members provided their veterans and reservists with the King County “Veterans” thank you card and pin to commemorate their service. Employees were from the four DNRP divisions: Solid Waste Division, Wastewater Treatment Division, Parks Division and the Water… Read More
Giving inmates the skills to clean up at work and in life
This article is shared from the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention’s In Depth column and is featured courtesy of Linda Robson, Communications Specialist with the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention. Martin Douthit teaches janitorial vocational classes at RJC “I’m grateful. Truly grateful.” “I feel like being here is kind of a blessing in disguise.” “Extremely grateful.” “I really feel blessed to be here.” It was still early on a Wednesday morning, but the face of every student-inmate in Martin Douthit’s janitorial class was alert, intent, focused, and full of emotion. When… Read More
Join us in planting a million trees
If you are looking for a fun and rewarding team-building activity, how about boosting esprit de corps by helping King County plant a million trees? As part of the County’s “1 Million Trees” initiative, King County Parks is currently signing up volunteers for tree planting events this fall and winter on many of its properties. Planting a million trees by 2020 is a target action in King County’s 2015 Strategic Climate Action Plan. “Whether pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, cleaning contaminants from the air and water, preventing flooding, providing shade or… Read More
Employee discount WildLights at the Zoo and the UW Husky basketball game, February 3
Discounted tickets are now available to employees for the Woodland Park Zoo WildLights, through December 14. Tickets can be redeemed any night of WildLights. After December 14, no discounts will be available, so be sure to purchase your tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased at this link here. Adult tickets are $8.50 and children are $7.95. Buy early and save. Prices will increase December 15 to $11.95 (adult) and $9.95 (child). King County employees are welcome to take advantage of a discount on tickets to the UW Husky basketball game against the University of Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, February 3 at 7:30 p.m. The… Read More
Tech Tip: Multimedia version: Editing photos for free with Pixlr Editor
Not everyone has access to Photoshop, so to edit a photo in a pinch, many people use a free online photo editor app called Pixlr Editor. Pixlr is an online photo editing tool. It is fast, simple and has enough features to make this a great find for low- to moderate-level photo editing. Users can create a new image, upload an image, or grab one directly from a URL location. Pixlr is actually a web company that has various tools for working with pictures. The one used most commonly is Pixlr Editor, with the second most used tool also being a free photo editing app called Pixlr Express. To… Read More
Chinook Emergency Preparedness Fair, November 30
Employees are invited to learn about local hazards and what employees and residents can do to prepare. There will be information on purchasing kits, signing up for alerts, local hazards, and more, as well as door prizes and the chance to win emergency supplies! The event will be held Thursday, November 30 from noon to 2 p.m. in the Chinook Building room 121/123. For more information contact Michelle.Chatterton@kingcounty.gov or Angie.Hinh@kingcounty.gov.
Winter Weather Seminar receives warm reception
More than 100 regional stakeholders gathered together October 12 for our 6th Annual Winter Weather Seminar. Facing another La Nina forecast, NWS Seattle’s Ted Buehner said we can expect cooler and wetter than average conditions this winter season. Already we’ve seen snowfall at low elevations and stage 2 flooding in some areas. Professional experts assured participants we are ready for whatever Mother Nature sends our way. The event also provided an opportunity to reflect on past events and lessons learned. Of note was praise from King County Road Services for a collective response to… Read More
Featured Job: Health Information Privacy Manager/Analyst PPMIII
Closing Date/Time: Mon. 11/20/17 11:59 PM Pacific Time Salary: $80,405.31 – $101,918.13 Annually Job Type: TLT or Special Duty Assignment Location: Chinook Building, Downtown Seattle, Washington Department: Department of Public Health–Administrative Services Description: Health Information Privacy Manager/Analyst position resides within the Compliance and HIT/Epic Support Section of Public Health Seattle & King County. The purpose of this position is to manage the Health Information Privacy (hereinafter ‘Privacy’) Program for Public Health – Seattle and & King County. This position will manage the daily operations of the Privacy Program; provide leadership to Public Health on privacy; serve as a subject matter… Read More
KC eLearning improvements launched
If you haven’t checked out KC eLearning lately, it’s a great time to log on. With thousands of courses, books, and videos, there’s bound to be something to spark your learning, build your knowledge, and increase your skills. As part of our commitment to you, we’ve been listening and improving the portal to make it easier and more helpful. With home page curated collections and single sign on for employees with @KingCounty.gov email, you’ll get easy access to resources you want–including hundreds of smart, new pieces of content. Want to learn more? Read the rollout… Read More
About
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.
