Employee News - March 9

A service of the King County Department of Human Resources

King County Employee News

PRINT THIS EMAIL or VIEW THIS EMAIL IN YOUR BROWSER

Highlights

2021 Engagement Survey video

County leadership wants to hear from you

The 2021 Employee Engagement Survey is now underway, and King County leaders want to hear from you about what is going well and where we need to improve.

King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Council Chair Claudia Balducci, Assessor John Wilson, and Elections Director Julie Wise recorded a short video about why participating in the Employee Engagement Survey is so important.

Translations available. The survey is available in multiple languages this year: Amharic, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Watch the video or click here to learn more


Chinook Building

Phase 1 Future of Work plans submitted for review

King County departments have submitted the first phase of their “Future of Work” plans as part of efforts to look ahead to the needs of operations, employees, and customers once the risk of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.

The plans draw on the experiences and lessons learned from the last year operating amid COVID-19 and incorporate input from employees using a variety of mechanisms, including surveys, all-hands meetings, and focused breakout discussions, with a particular emphasis on equity and employee health and safety.

Read more here


Announcements

Spring forward clock

Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend

Remember to move your clock forward one hour this weekend. Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday morning at
2 a.m.

Daylight Saving Time in Washington will be in effect from
2 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, until 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021.


Hope & Joy

Balanced You wants to share what brings you hope & joy

At the start of the year Balanced You launched the Hope & Joy Campaign to support each other by finding ways to connect and share stories. As we continue to navigate through the pandemic, it's important we acknowledge the difficult times but also keep each other encouraged by staying connected.

We want to know what brings you joy! Whether it’s a fun dance, a favorite dish, walking your pet, or the view of a sunset from your balcony, we have created an easy-to-use platform for you to share your content.

Take a look at the newest Hope & Joy videos from fellow King County employees and learn how to share your own joy on the Balanced You Blog.


Coin Jar

Balanced You Self-Care Series: Financial Wellness

Did you know that 41% of Americans can’t put their hands on $1,000 in an emergency situation? We are living in uncertain times and it is important to ensure your family’s financial wellness.

This event will provide an opportunity for King County employees to hear tips and resources from a My Secure Advantage (MSA) financial expert on how to secure your financial future. We hope you will join us for this important discussion!


Training Spotlight

Brain-based Time Management – Online

Do you procrastinate, get distracted, have a hard time prioritizing, or feel overwhelmed? What we do and how we do it are driven by how our brains are wired. Neuroscience tells us we have 10 brain skills and each one of us has skills that are strong (and skills that are not strong). In this class, you’ll hear about each of these skills so you can identify where the weak areas are for you and most importantly, learn what you can do about it. This class is $50 with multiple sessions available. The next session takes place

Please visit our King County Eventbrite website and our Learning and Development website for more learning opportunities. For more information, contact the Learning and Development Team at KCTraining@kingcounty.gov or visit Learning and Development at www.kingcounty.gov/learning


Career Support Services

  • STAR-LA Interview Practice and Feedback This one-hour VIRTUAL, small group workshop is designed to provide mock interview practice and feedback using the STAR-LA method as taught by King County Career Support Services. This workshop is ideal for participants who have attended the Strategic Interviewing Tips and Techniques workshop or have watched the 10 minute STAR-LA method video found on the Career Support Services website
  • Creating Effective Application Materials – This two-hour virtual workshop will provide you tips and strategies on how to make your application materials stand out.  Learning objectives include: 
    • Understanding the purpose of the job application, resume, cover letter and supplemental questions and how to make each of them more effective 
    • Deciding what to include in your resume and the best format to showcase your qualifications 
    • How to write a cover letter tailored to the specific position 
    • Identifying and showcasing your accomplishments 
  • Thursday, March 25 from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. 
  • Register here 

For additional online workshops offered by King County Career Support Services (CSS), visit their Eventbrite page. For more information about CSS along with links to career related tips and resources, visit www.kingcounty.gov/CSS


Tech Tip

Back-to-back meeting fatigue? Build in automatic breaks with Outlook

With many operating under mandatory telework, employees sometimes find themselves scheduled in back-to-back meetings without breaks. This can sometimes result in employees not getting sufficient time to step away from their screen, even for the most essential of needs.

There’s a simple solution. When scheduling meetings, consider ending them five minutes early (for 30-min meetings) or 10 minutes early for (60+-min meetings). Outlook makes it easy to build in the time automatically with these short steps:

Outlook > File  >  Options  >  Calendar  >  End appointments and meetings early

Break times will then be automatically applied to end all meetings early. And employees will be able to work comfortably throughout the day.

Outlook meeting breaks CROPPED

Featured Job

Assistant Drug & Alcohol Program Manager

Salary: $78,977.60 - $100,110.40 Annually

Location: Seattle, WA

Job Type: Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week

Department; MTD - Metro Transit

Job Number: 2021AA12670

Division: Enterprise Employee Services

Closes: March 17 

Responsible for in-house drug screening and breath alcohol tests pilot program; assist w/ drug & alcohol test and education program to ensure compliance with federal regulations and King County policies.

Learn more about this position or view all available positions.


King County Headlines

Facilities employees keep critical sites accessible during major snowstorm

County updates Risk Appetite Statement to reflect pandemic

Dr. Jeff Duchin on COVID-19 trends and vaccine distribution updates - March 5, 2021

King County district forges ahead on smartphone voting after 'staggering' increase in turnout

Looking for back issues?

Click here for previous editions of the Employee News e-newsletter going back to 2019.

Contact us!

Interested in sharing a news story, or have a news tip? Click here to submit an item to Employee News. For questions or suggestions, please contact KCEmployees@kingcounty.gov.