Black Lives Matter. What’s next? 

A personal, reflective piece by Dr. Gloria Ngezaho, Workforce Equity Manager, Department of Human Resources

It was just a couple of weeks ago that I, alongside the world, witnessed the murder of George Floyd at the hands, or should I say knees, of a White police officer. I sat in silence, along with my family, angry and not knowing what to do. It wasn’t too long after that I decided to share my thoughts with my network. This was a space I needed in that moment, because my entire family was hurting, and I needed to let out the fire that was in me. The following morning, as I prepared to go on my usual morning jog, my four-year-old said, “Daddy, can I kiss you?” At first, it sounded innocent and normal, until he followed the kiss with “Daddy, please be careful. I don’t want you to die.” Right then and there, I knew my kids were scared. Witnessing George Floyd call for his mom while gasping for that last breath was a moment that’s deepened those scars. 

Although I held myself in the moment, I shed a few tears and went about my jog. I spent the rest of my jog thinking about what was next. What else? More than just posting and sharing with my network? “I have to do more! I have to for my kids! For the future! I can’t just be here and be angry." As my thoughts wondered in many different places, suddenly, I got a text from a dear friend: “You are not alone.” Her message was timely because even though I was walking alone, there were plenty of folks holding me in their thoughts. This text reminded me of the following points I’d like to share with everyone, as reminders about best ways to remain constructive while advocating for change. Read more.

Navigating grief during COVID-19 

Crossposted from Public Health Insider 

The COVID-19 pandemic may be introducing new layers of loss – social isolation, disrupted routines and cancelled future plans, financial strain, illness, and perhaps death – to everyday life. On top of COVID-19 and its varying effects, you may be feeling loss and pain as you process the continued harm and injustice to Black communities. Experiencing or realizing the layers of oppression and systemic racism communities are facing within this ongoing pandemic is painful, complex, and full of grief. Grief is the response you have to losses in your life, and it is as unique as the individual experiencing it. No one else has the same emotional and physical connection, or story linked to the experience of your losses. 

You may be feeling a variety of feelings as well as experiencing these losses in different ways. Grief is complex and unique – and during COVID-19, even more so. Below are strategies and suggestions to consider as we navigate this complex time. Read more.  

Financial resources for King County employees 

COVID-19 has resulted in urgent financial needs for many households. Fortunately, there are ways King County employees can receive financial help. Read this Balanced You blog post for information on T. Rowe Price and My Secure Advantage. 

Free webinar: Coping with COVID-19 and Beyond, multiple dates 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our schedule and daily lives dramatically and potentially affected our mental, physical, and emotional health. It is especially important during this time to care for YOU. This one-hour webinar from Kaiser Permanente will focus on ways to cope with this pandemic and tricks to build resilience during this time of uncertainty and change. 

Webinars will be held on various dates between now and July 2, from noon to 1 p.m. Register here. 

Webinars are open to all employees and have limited capacity. You must register to receive the link to join. If a webinar is full, you can join a waitlist or choose a different date/time. A confirmation and reminder email will be sent prior to your scheduled webinar with the link to join. 

Lean Transformation Tuesdays webinar series, weekly at 2 p.m. 

In Finance and Business Operations, our employees use Lean tools and thinking to continuously improve. We’ll discuss the successes (and failures!) we encountered on our Lean journey to complete our recent Yellow Belt projects, and how Lean methods have helped us re-examine our daily work routines.  

Join us for this special webinar series that examines Lean transformation in action, every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Please use the links below to register for the sessions: 

• June 23: Reporting Emergency Purchases & Eliminating Work: No More Contract Extensions, register here. 
• June 30: Contract Purchase Agreement (CPA) Attachments + Small Contractor & Supplier Certification (SCS) Application Improvement, register here. 
• July 7: Improving Interface from Debt Manager System to General Ledger + Immaterial Prior Period Adjustments, register here. 
• July 14: Reducing Duplicate and Lost Invoices in Accounts Receivable + Petty Cash/Impressed Fund/Change Fund Forms, register here.  
• July 21: Reducing Invoice Production Time + ePay the Lean Way + Property Tax Administration System (PTAS) + Improving Access to FPIC by Facilitating Navigation, register here. 

Visit the new FBOD Lean page to view descriptions for each session, and access Lean tools to tackle your own process improvement project. 

Tech Tip: Report Phishing button and available training 

Recently, all King County Outlook email users received a new button called Report Phishing placed on the ribbon bar of their Outlook screen that they can click to quickly and easily report suspicious emails that may be phishing attacks. Click the Report Phishing button anytime you believe the email you received is a phishing email or a potentially dangerous email.

Users also received an email invitation to learn more about how the Report Phishing button works, and what type of emails to report with the new button. The email came from the following address: “King County <do-not-reply@kingcounty.gov>” A link was provided in the email for you to securely access the training site. The username to access the training is your email address. Your password will be the same one you use for your email. 

King County, like other governments, constantly fights off cyberattacks. Many attackers seek usernames and passwords so they can attack private bank accounts or business government networks to install ransomware, steal data or cause outages. Reporting suspicious emails keeps King County data and files more secure. Read more.  

Pet of the Week: Sunny 

Even when it’s gray and rainy outside, our Pet of the Week Sunny is ready to brighten your life! 

This seven-year-old boy was brought in by a good Samaritan on May 12. Sunny is a gentle and loving cat who likes to take things slow, so he’s one of our “Bashful Blue” pets. He may get nervous in new situations, so Sunny is looking for a family who understands that he might need some time to warm up. Once he gets to know you though, he will be a very devoted friend! 

Sunny is neutered, current on vaccinations, and microchipped. He also has a few medical needs, and our staff would be happy to chat with you about those when you visit. Read more.