Equipping employees to advance equity and social justice
King County is helping employees build their equity and social justice (ESJ) skills and knowledge by offering a new and updated suite of ESJ learning opportunities.
The Department of Human Resources’ Learning & Development (L&D) team is offering foundational ESJ learning opportunities throughout this year.
Click here to meet ESJ educators Tynishia Walker and Keith Clarke, and learn more about how this journey began.
|
Understand your options for scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine appointment
COVID-19 vaccine eligibility is currently open to those who qualify under Phases 1A and 1B Tiers 1-4, but starting Thursday, April 15, all Washington residents age 16 and up will be eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
Under Phases 1A and 1B Tiers 1-4, those currently eligible includes all people age 60 and older; people 16 years or older with two or more co-morbidities or underlying conditions; people, staff and volunteers in certain congregate living settings; and additional high-risk critical workers in certain congregate settings.
Read more here.
|
DeAnna Martin named Metro Chief of Staff
DeAnna Martin, who has been the driving force behind numerous transformative initiatives at King County Metro, was selected to be the agency’s Chief of Staff.
Martin has been with King County for the past 10 years, starting at the Department of Transportation (DOT) in 2011, then joining Metro in 2017 as the Public and Employee Engagement Manager in the General Manager’s Office.
Read the full announcement here.
|
PeopleSoft system outage April 9-11
The PeopleSoft system will not be available the weekend of April 9-11 due to maintenance work.
This work will begin on Friday, April 9 at 3 p.m. and is scheduled to be completed on Monday, April 12 by 6:30 a.m.
The system will not be available for access by any County staff during this outage window. There will be a communication sent out to all County staff when the system becomes available.
|
Scam Alert! King County employee retirement and financial plan participants targeted
Recently, several employees have reported being contacted by a man calling himself Cole Weaver and claiming to be a representative of Equitable financial services. He stated he represents King County employee retirement plans and attempted to get the employees to provide their personal financial information.
This person does not represent any King County retirement or financial programs and has not been verified to be employed by Equitable. In addition, Equitable is not a provider of any King County retirement or financial plans. Should Cole Weaver -- or anyone else -- claiming to represent King County employee retirement or financial services contact you directly asking for personal information without your permission, do not cooperate with them.
Report any incident to: Sherry Stroud, Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations, at sherry.stroud@kingcounty.gov or call 206-263-9408.
You can find more information about King County retirement and financial plans and services here:
Representatives for King County plans will not call you unsolicited. As a reminder, you should never give out any personal information to anyone that you did not first contact. If you have any questions or additional concerns, please reach out to KC.Benefits@KingCounty.gov.
|
Is it true? COVID-19 vaccine fact checking
It is easy to come across incorrect information about the safety of the coronavirus vaccine. Some of the misinformation circulating online and by word of mouth is unsettling. It can be hard to know what to believe, so Public Health – Seattle & King County created a webpage to help you understand the facts.
FACT: The COVID-19 vaccines do not contain tracking chips, fetal tissue, pork products, harmful metals or potentially toxic ingredients.
Misinformation: The internet is full of false claims about what’s in the vaccine.
Reality: The key ingredient in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is a genetic material called mRNA. The vaccines also contain lipids, salts, acetic acid (main ingredient in vinegar), and sugar. In the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine, the key ingredient is a common cold virus, but modified so it can’t cause illness. The J&J vaccine also contains stabilizers (salts, alcohols, polysorbate 80, hydrochloric acid) and amino acids. These vaccines have fewer ingredients than the average bag of potato chips!
Get the facts and answers to your questions here.
|
by Public Health Insider
King County has reached a milestone: One million COVID-19 vaccines delivered.
King County community organizations have worked to connect vaccines to people who face challenges making appointments due to barriers related to internet access, language access, and past experiences of racism in the medical system.
Read the full story here.
|
Culture, Karma and Pandemic Times:
Dangerous Myths, Notorious Lies, and the
Quest for Freedom in the Asian American Experience
SPARKS! Film screening and discussion.
Join our Conversation Series on equity, social justice, or cultural fluency related to a topical feature film or documentary. Special guest Naomi Ishisaka, the Seattle Times’ assistant managing editor for diversity, inclusion and staff development, will be joining us for the discussion. All King County employees are welcome to attend.
In this engagement, we will return to the origin of some of the most notorious stereotypes of Asian identity, and how/why those images were deployed to control multiple populations considered “unfit” for true American citizenship. We will also consider more recent evolutions of myth-making that, although perceived by many as positive, actually serve the same ends.
We’ll trace the role of early films rooted in these racist ideologies and how the fallout from those images have lingered. Interviews, archival footage, and commentary from current movement leaders are included to tell the whole story.
- Friday, April 9 from 3:30–5:30 p.m.
- Contact Cecelia Hayes for the Zoom link
|
Free Mindful Leadership class April 15
Mindfulness is a practice that uses breath work, visualization, and other skills to support you in reducing stress at work and at home.
A mindful leader embodies leadership presence by cultivating focus, clarity, creativity, and compassion in the service of others.
This two-hour workshop introduces techniques specifically designed to explore the intersection of mindfulness training and the qualities associated with leadership excellence. With dedication and practice, employees transform their leadership abilities and their environments into places of increased innovation, greater focus, improved productivity, and widespread compassion.
PLEASE NOTE: Zoom information will be emailed by the facilitator prior to the class. If you do not receive the zoom link the day prior to the class please check your spam folder.
|
Balanced You Online Fitness Classes
Spring is almost here and many of us are busy trying to get moving again. Balanced You is still offering online exercise classes in partnership with our vendor Vivecorp.
We have a yoga class for those who want more mind/body connection and we offer a Total Body Strength if you want a faster pace. To find out more and to register, visit vivecorp.com/balancedyou.
Please Note: The Total Body Strength class is moving to 7 a.m. on Mondays.
|
Training Spotlight:
-
Leader Mindset – Online – Leader Mindset for King County supervisors and managers sets a foundation that leading a team starts with understanding yourself and your responsibility to create a team culture of belonging where all employees can thrive. In this interactive webinar, participants will take part in engaging activities, small group discussions and action planning. This training is free and will be offered on multiple dates. The next session is:
-
Communication and Problem Solving Skills – Online – Join instructor Lenny Borer for this two-day training. He will address communication and problem-solving skills with the public and with co-workers. This class covers skills for effective listening, speaking, dealing with conflicts, and with defensive behavior.
- Tuesday, April 20 and Wednesday, April 21 from 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. daily
-
Register here - fee is $65.00
- Attendance both days is required for completion of the class
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.
MS Teams trainings
Microsoft continues to lead Teams training sessions for King County employees, and the new Teams 200 class is a hit with Teams users looking to get more out of this great tool.
These live, one-hour training sessions will continue for King County users on many critical features of Teams for just a few more weeks. Here are the next two weeks. Feel free to drop into any of the following Teams Live Events:
-
Teams 100, an overview of all the fantastic collaboration and communication features in Teams.
-
Teams Calls and Chats, including working together between the Teams and Skype platforms.
-
Teams 200, a deeper dive into managing your Teams, channels, tabs and files.
There’s no need to register ahead of time. Simply create a reminder on your calendar and paste the appropriate link into it.
Security Tips - Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
What is sensitive information? Sensitive information is privileged information which – if compromised through alteration, corruption, loss, misuse, or unauthorized disclosure – could cause serious harm to an individual or organization. You must always give the highest level of protection to privileged information. Here we discuss Personally Identifiable Information, or PII.
What is Personally Identifiable Information? For the purpose of data protection, PII is defined as any instance of an individual’s first name (or first initial) plus the last name, and any one of twenty-nine additional confidential items. An example of these twenty-nine additional confidential items include: Social Security number, driver license, credit card number and expiration date, date or place of birth, wage and salary information, vehicle identifiers including license plate numbers, and medical history.
Is it PII? The key to remember is, if the information can be used to uniquely identify a specific individual using non-public information, it’s considered PII and must be protected.
Example: John Smith was born on January 1, 1965. Which listing below would be the example of PII?
-
A) John Smith – DOB 1/1/1965
-
B) John S. – DOB 1/1/1965
-
C) John Smith – DOB 1/1/xxxx
The answer is A; B and C are not examples of PII on their own.
Employees who do not take care of sensitive information can lead King County into fines, increased operating costs, loss of customer confidence, and even more governmental regulation. Do your part to keep sensitive information safe at all times. If you have questions, please contact KCIT at kcitcsat@kingcounty.gov.
Pet of the Week: Capone
My name is Capone! I am almost 14 years old with beautiful gray and white short hair. I’m quite the lovebug who solicits all the petting you will give me!
I am a gentle and loving cat who likes to take things slow. I may get nervous in new situations, so I am looking for a family who understands that I might need some time to warm up. Once I get to know you, I will be a very devoted friend!
You can find out more about me and my other friends on our website at www.kingcounty.gov/adoptapet. Note that RASKC has moved to adoptions by appointment only. If you have more questions, you can contact RASKC via phone at 206-296-7387 (PETS) or email pets@kingcounty.gov.
|
Featured Job: Public Health Nurse Child Care Health Program
Salary: $73,985.60 - $101,088.00 Annually
Location: Seattle
Job Type: Special Duty Assignment or Term Limited Temp
Department: DPH - Public Health
Job Number: 2021AC13158
Division: Community Health Services
Helping youth learn, develop and grow is a special honor nurses carry. Join the continued movement here at Public Health in this position where you will consult with parents, childcare providers and community members on a range of topics promoting health, safety and emotional well-being for children.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
|
King County Headlines
King County Officials Unveil 30-Year Forest Preservation Plan
Allen Foundation donating $1M to improve vaccine equity in King County
KCIA punches up its “FOD” program to keep runways clean
|
