Employee Vaccine Clinic – Don’t forget to get your second shot Friday, April 30
If you received your first vaccine at the April 9 Employee Vaccine Clinic, remember to attend the April 30 clinic for your second dose.
The clinic will be at the same place:
- King County Metro South Training Center, 11911 E. Marginal Way S., in Tukwila.
- This clinic is only for those that received the first dose on April 9.
Please note: If your first appointment was after 2:05 p.m. on the first day, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health should have contacted you to reschedule your time on April 30.
Please check your email inbox and voicemail for their message. If you have questions or cannot make the April 30 clinic, please call Virginia Mason Franciscan Health at 253-792-2385 to schedule your second dose at a hospital clinic.
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Day Care FSA limits increased; enrollment and changes allowed in May
With the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), you are now able to contribute up to $10,500 — pre-tax — into your 2021 Day Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA).
In addition, during May 2021, new enrollments in the Day Care FSA are allowed without a qualifying life event. Find out more details here.
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Getting vaccinated just got easier
Reposted from Public Health Insider
Thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments are open across King County. Kent and Auburn sites now offer walk-in vaccinations and additional hours. To find a vaccine provider near you, visit kingcounty.gov/vaccine.
Read more of this post
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Parenting as the Pandemic Continues
Self-care webinar for King County employees
The pandemic has been an ongoing challenge for all of us, especially parents. Balanced You is continuing to help employees navigate through these challenging times with our self-care webinar series. These webinars are a space where employees can learn and ask questions about a range of personal self-care topics.
Join us for this free discussion event, where we will talk about some of the challenges parents have faced and are still facing as the future continues to be uncertain. Making Life Easier and self-care expert Heather Steffensen will share tools and tips on how to continue parenting effectively throughout the pandemic.
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Drop-in groups for stress and coping now available for BIPOC employees involved in the COVID response
BIPOC employees who are front-line or involved in the COVID response are invited to join hour-long group drop-in sessions to process stress, connect with others, and share coping strategies. These groups are voluntary for employees.
The groups are hosted on Zoom and facilitated by Mary Norman, a Mental Health Counselor from King County’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) team.
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 You're invited to a community conversation on COVID vaccines
“Why should I trust the vaccine? What’s the difference between the vaccines?” There are many common questions and concerns surrounding the vaccine. For many in the Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities, there are additional hesitancies around the vaccine due to medical trauma, language and access barriers, or historical racism in the healthcare system.
Public Health - Seattle & King County is hosting a panel event with local BIPOC leaders to help answer your questions live. Bring your questions about COVID-19 vaccines to this panel discussion and Q&A. This community event is open to all.
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Thursday, April 29 at 5 p.m.
- See event details and community resources on the Balanced You blog
 Watch your inbox for well-being resources every Wednesday
You may have noticed a new newsletter hit your inbox from Balanced You, called Wellness Wednesday. Wellness Wednesday is a weekly bulletin with tips, resources and events to support your overall well-being and provide guidance on how to use your King County benefits to their fullest potential.
If you haven’t seen the newsletter, make sure to check your ‘Other’ inbox for an email from Balanced You. From there, you can right click on the email and choose ‘Always Move to Focused.’ Email BalancedYou@kingcounty.gov with any questions.
UPDATE: King County employee retirement and financial plan participants
In the April 8 Employee News, we reported a possible scam alert regarding King County retirement plans. We indicated that we had not been able to verify that Cole Weaver was an Equitable employee but we have since been able to verify that he is.
We would like to reemphasize, however, that Cole Weaver does not represent any King County retirement or financial programs and that Equitable is not a provider of any King County retirement or financial plans.
Keep in mind, representatives for King County retirement and financial plans will not call you unsolicited. For security purposes it is recommended that you not give out any personal information to anyone you did not first contact.
You can find more information about King County retirement and financial plans and services here:
Should you be concerned about a possible scam or illegal action, please report the incident to: Sherry Stroud, Benefits, Payroll and Retirement Operations, at sherry.stroud@kingcounty.gov or call 206-263-9408.
If you have any questions or additional concerns about your Retirement Benefits, please reach out to KC.Benefits@KingCounty.gov.
King County fireworks ban approved by full council
The King County Council recently approved legislation that will ban fireworks in unincorporated King County starting in 2022.
The legislation will prohibit all types of fireworks, including sparklers and smoke bombs.
Read the full announcement here.
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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.
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.
Training Spotlight
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Communication Skills in the Workplace – Online – S Seattle College – Communication skills are vital in today’s workplace. In this course you will identify the four primary communication styles, learn how to recognize your style as well as the styles of others, and how to overcome common communication roadblocks and barriers.
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Facilitating Effective Meetings – Online – A common challenge faced by individuals in business is how to lead and facilitate meetings that are interesting and solicit active engagement. Join Lenny Borer in this TWO-day training covers the skills used by a facilitator to design and run an effective meeting. How to be a better participant is also discussed. Topics include specific facilitation skills, group decision making skills, and how to deal with disruptive behaviors. This class does not cover use Zoom or other electronic meeting platforms and lightly touches on certain aspects of video calls. In this class you will learn how to navigate difficult behaviors and keep meetings on track.
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Tuesday and Wednesday, May 11 & 12 from 1-4:30 p.m. both days
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Register here - fee is $65
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.
Tech Tip: WiFi? Why Not? VPN is your friend
Using free public WiFi at a coffee shop or airport hot spot is great for convenience, but bad for security. Most free access points do not make use of encryption. This is done for convenience and ease of access. If every person had to ask the barista or gate attendant for the WiFi key, it would get unruly, and no actual work would get done. Keep in mind that you are sharing those wireless airwaves with anyone that is within range of your wireless communications.
There is technology out there that allows you to view the wireless computer communications that are within range of your device. To the bad guys, this technology lets them see what you are doing, the data you are passing to websites, and your usernames and passwords.
UNLESS
- You are on websites with 'https' ... the little S is for secure. Its like speaking a language that only two people can understand (your computer, and the website).
- You are using VPN software to encrypt all your wireless communications
- You are using a wireless device from your cellular phone provider, 3G or 4G network access... This is not WiFi, and is not subject to WiFi Security Policies
Using a VPN client to encrypt and route your wireless communications allows you to create a secure channel for your computer to communicate. Even if you are accessing a website without HTTPS, your communication to that website is secured through your VPN connection. If there are any bad guys around you listening in on your wifi traffic, it will be safe.
VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. It is good practice to use a VPN when in a public networking spot such as wifi hot spots. This will create a virtual tunnel for your computer to communicate securely through the public network.
Before traveling for work, consult with your IT department about their data security policies when on the road, how to setup your VPN connection (if your company has VPN access), or how to obtain a 3G/4G cellular network card.
Pet of the Week: Skippy
Hi, my name is Skippy, a five-year-old black and white male Mastiff/Labrador Retriever mix. I'm about 95 lbs. of energy!
When I'm outside I'm an independent dog who likes to keep my nose to the ground. Inside, I'm a snugglebug! I am full of energy and love to play! I tend to calm down more when the people around me stay calm. I do best when I have lots of exercise and something to keep my mind busy.
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.
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Featured Job: Climate Equity & Community Partnerships Program Manager
Salary:$100,131.20 - $126,921.60 Annually
Location: Seattle, WA
Job Type:Career Service, Full Time, 40 hrs/week
Department: DNRP-Natural Resources & Parks
Job Number: 2021-13223
Division: Director's Office
Closes: May 16
King County relies on partnerships with public, private, and community-based partners to develop, communicate, and implement regional climate solutions. In coordination with other central climate and King County departments staff, this position will represent King County and lead the County’s work to develop relationships with communities most impacted by climate change and to build partnerships with a focus on those that help achieve the commitments to climate justice.
Learn more about this position or view all available positions.
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King County Headlines
The King County Eviction Prevention and Rental Assistance Program begins the first phase of enrollment
North King County COVID-19 vaccination site opening in Shoreline
Auburn drive-thru COVID-19 testing site relocated to Boeing facility
Seattle and King County receiving $26 million in Federal aid to address homelessness
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