Employee News - September 1, 2020

King County Employees sent this bulletin at 09/01/2020 02:45 PM PDT

A service of the King County Department of Human Resources

Highlights

Support setting up remote workspaces

Many King County employees are teleworking through Jan. 8, 2021, as we try to limit the transmission of the novel coronavirus and slow its spread.

Remote work has its challenges. To support teleworking employees, King County will provide assistance, where needed, with equipment to support telework. This assistance may take four forms:

Taking equipment home from work
Purchase of home office equipment
Furniture, equipment, or supplies for a medical accommodation
Connectivity support

Necessary furniture and equipment can be purchased prior to the end of 2020, and the County will provide computers and technology to support teleworking. Employees can procure necessary office furniture and equipment through County supply contracts and/or purchasing cards (P-Cards) with supervisor approval. Purchases should be made through the standard work group protocol via blanket contracts or other vendors that include delivery to the telework site. Read more.

Announcements

Make the most of your FSAs during the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted many aspects of daily life, and may have affected the amounts you are spending on day care and health care. The following reminders can help you make the most out of your Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), which allow you to set aside pre-tax money for day care and medical expenses.

Day Care FSAs

With many schools and daycare facilities closed, many employees are struggling to find a provider who can watch their children during working hours. If your day care expenses have changed due to the COVID pandemic, you can enroll in an FSA outside of the normal enrollment period, or, you can adjust your current Day Care FSA election without a qualifying life event. Read more.

Resources for parents and caregivers during COVID-19

Being a parent or caregiver during this pandemic is tough. Between school schedules, naps, entertainment, meals, finances, and work, 2020 is one big balancing act for employees caring for kids.

Balanced You understands the toll that this stressful and unprecedented time is taking on working parents and caregivers, and we want to make sure employees know there are resources available from King County to help you through this. A summary of available resources can be found in this Balanced You blog post. If there’s anything else Balanced You can do to support you, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at BalancedYou@kingcounty.gov.

King County OEM delivers live webinar on preparedness to celebrate National Preparedness Month

September is National Preparedness Month. Over the next few weeks, the Office of Emergency Management will be reaching out to residents around the County to make sure that they are taking actions to prepare themselves and their loved ones for disasters. As we all continue to face the daily challenges of living through a global pandemic, it is important not to lose sight of other natural disasters that could occur in our region. Earthquakes, flooding, and severe weather, to name just a few, could have an impact on our families, friends, and loved ones, and by planning ahead we can reduce the impacts those emergencies can have on our lives.

Making a preparedness plan is an easy step we all can take. To learn more, register for a live webinar on getting prepared, Thursday, Sept. 3 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Join the webinar here. Read more.

Rev Up For Retirement online session, Sept. 22

It’s never too soon to start retirement planning. If you’re considering retiring in the next few years, the Rev Up For Retirement class will provide you with a basic understanding of Medicare and Social Security to help you make wise and informed decisions.

Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 8 -10:30 a.m. Register here.

At this online event, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and meet guest speakers Kirk Larson from the Social Security Administration and Jean Cormier, who will discuss your Medicare and Social Security options. This will be an online session and you will be provided a confirmation email the week prior to the seminar.

Registration is required. Please note attendance is strictly voluntary, on your own time, and non-work related. For more information, contact King County Retirement Navigator Carmen Johnson at Carmen Johnson or 206-263-1096.

Upcoming learning opportunities this fall

Learning and Development has a diverse collection of classes to choose from. Employees
can view the King County Eventbrite page for current listings, and visit the Learning and Development website for other opportunities from various agencies. Current offerings include:

Brain-based Time Management Online – This three hour class is $50 and space is limited.

-Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020, from 1-4 p.m. Register here.

-Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020, from 9 a.m. to noon. Register here.

-More options for this class available on the King County Eventbrite page.

Grantwriting 101 Online – Offered through North Seattle College, this course is $99 and is four sessions. The series takes place every Tuesday beginning Sept. 29 through Oct. 20. Register here.
Accounting and Quickbooks Online – Offered through North Seattle College, this course is $215 and is six sessions. The series takes place every Thursday beginning Oct. 1 through Nov. 5. Register here.
Facilitating Effective Meetings Online – Facilitated by Lenny Borer, this class is $65 and takes place over two days, Tuesday Oct. 6 and Wednesday Oct. 7. Register here.

For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at
KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit www.kingcounty.gov/Learning.

Tech Tip: Reminder to complete 2020 Cyber Security Awareness Training

All employees are required to complete KCIT’s Cyber Security trainings. Each employee should have received an email titled “King County 2020 Cyber Security Awareness Training,” which includes details on accessing this mandatory training. The training contains several short modules and will help all employees keep King County’s online systems safe and secure. Please note some departments will begin training this month.

For questions or more information, contact the KCIT Helpdesk or call 206-263-4357 (3-HELP).

Pet of the Week: Bagheera

Look who has their eyes on the prize… it’s Bagheera, our Pet of the Week! This young boy was brought in by a good Samaritan in early August. Bagheera likes to think he’s a panther – because he looks just like one! But that’s all just appearances, though, because Bagheera is actually a gentle and loving cat who likes to take things slow. So, he’s one of our “Bashful Blue” pets – one that would do best in a nice quiet home. He may get nervous in new situations, so he’s looking for a family that understands he might need some time to warm up.

Read more and view all available pets at www.kingcounty.gov/AdoptAPet. Have you or someone you know adopted a pet from RASKC? Let us know. We’d love to tell your story.