King County joins campaign to end human trafficking
On Friday, Jan. 18, King County Executive Dow Constantine joined leaders representing King County, Port of Seattle, City of Seattle, Sound Transit, Delta Air Lines, and Alaska Airlines to launch a unified public awareness campaign to stop human trafficking, encouraging survivors to call a national hotline for assistance.
The campaign is modeled after a successful campaign led by the King County Council in 2013 that dramatically increased the number of trafficking survivors who called for resources, including medical care, financial assistance, and housing.
“Today, we stand united – public, private, and nonprofit sectors joining forces to stop labor and sex trafficking in our region,” Executive Constantine said at the launch. “I know we’ll succeed again because we have the dedicated employees, the strong partnerships, and the shared commitment to stop labor and sex trafficking our region once and for all.”
Employees will soon see awareness-raising posters appear at their worksites encouraging victims and survivors to call the national hotline at 888-373-7888, text 233-733, or visit WATraffickingHelp.org for help. Click here to learn more and to download additional copies of the posters in multiple languages.
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As he dons a robe, Judge Naylor reflects on his years in public defense
Marcus Naylor began a new chapter in his legal career earlier this month, when he was sworn in as a judge for the county's Northeast District Court in Redmond. Donning a robe marks a big shift for this long-time public defender, but he sees his new position as a continuation of what he has long done and always loved.
“I went into public defense as a way to touch people’s lives,” he said. “I see a judicial position as a way to continue to have an impact.” Read more.
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Enhancements coming to 2019 employee survey
Since 2015, the annual Employee Engagement Survey has been used to hear from employees about how to make King County a better place to work, and how to provide services more effectively to residents. The learnings form the basis of Investing in YOU, a strategy to build a workplace where employees have the tools, support, and opportunity to do their best work.
Four years into this journey, it’s time to reflect, learn and look at where improvements can be made. 2019 will bring some exciting changes and a relationship with a new vendor, Confirmit.
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Annual administration of the survey is switching from fall to spring. Based on your feedback, the survey will be administered in spring of each year instead of fall. This year, the survey period is March 11-29 (March 11-22 for Transit employees).
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The survey is shorter. The survey was reduced from 70 questions to around 49 by removing redundancies, ambiguous questions and questions that were not useful to action planners.
Risk Management sets the pace for other governments to follow
As part of our work to become a best-run government, King County is taking a new look at how we operate, and finding ways to do things better. "We've always done it this way" is no longer enough - especially as needs grow and resources shrink.
Jennifer Hills, who leads the Office of Risk Management Services (ORMS), is one of those people who are helping the county examine policies and procedures through a new lens. Thanks to her team's work, we now have an Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) program that encourages county agencies to acknowledge and embrace risk. As Jennifer says, "Balancing risks and opportunities is good - it allows us to take smart risks that add value to our organization."
King County's work in this area is being recognized across the nation. Most recently CAM-I, the Consortium for Advanced Management International, awarded Jennifer for her work on risk and value management. Now, even the "other Washington" is looking to King County for best practices. AFERM, the Association for Federal Enterprise Risk Management, recently talked to Jennifer about our ERM program, how we're embracing smart risk, and how these changes are helping King County better manage limited resources. Listen to the podcast here.
Employee Giving Program: Year-round opportunities to stay involved!
Did you know that the Employee Giving Program (EGP) operates year-round? The fun and satisfaction of getting involved with your coworkers and your community doesn’t have to stop when the Annual Giving Drive comes to a close. Now is a great time to get involved with the Program. Read more.
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King County employees can now access discounted pet insurance through Hartville Pet Insurance, brought to you by Liberty Mutual Insurance. Employees will receive up to 10% off a single pet plan and 20% off multiple pet plans. Visit www.hartvillepetinsurance.com/kingcounty to get a quote and access discounts (the discount code is embedded within the URL). Learn more here.
See all available discounts on the Employee Discount Program website.
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Training Spotlight
Lean Problem-Solving Basics, Feb. 5: Do you feel like you tackle the same problems over and over again? In order to effectively solve problems once and for all, they must be solved at the root! Attendees will learn basic A3 Problem Solving, the powerful method borrowed from the Toyota Production System (TPS), learn techniques to incorporate problem solving and continuous improvement in daily work and build on existing Lean practices within your organization. Register and learn more.
Introduction to Strategic Planning, March 13: This training provides an overview of what strategic planning is, when and why to develop a strategic plan, and how it fits with other management systems and functions. The basic elements and processes used to develop a strategic plan and key issues that need to be addressed with implementing strategic plans will be described. Participants will be provided with several planning tools to help with a planning effort. Register and learn more.
Pet of the Week: Dave
Delightful Dave is our Pet of the Week!
This handsome boy is a cuddly couch potato! He’s also very smart, and already knows how to “sit,” “stay,” “come,” and “shake.” What’s more, Dave is always willing to learn when treats are involved! Read more.
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Featured Job: 10 Week Summer Legal Intern (Rule 9 Licensed)
Department: Department of Public Defense
The Department of Public Defense (DPD) is now actively recruiting 2nd year law students to begin a 10 week paid internship in our Family Defense Units beginning in June 2019. This is an excellent opportunity for students contemplating pursuing a career in public defense or interested in learning more about public defense. This is a rolling application – the four internship positions will remain open until filled. We are an institutional provider of family defense representation, which allows for specialization in this important area. Our family defense practice represents parents and children in cases in which the state has alleged child maltreatment and sought the removal of the child/ren from the home and/or termination of parental rights. Employment at DPD offers the chance to practice public defense at a very high level, while living in a vibrant urban environment surrounded by unparalleled natural beauty.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
KC Headlines
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