Indigenous Peoples’ Day to be an observed holiday beginning in 2022
Starting in 2022, King County government will observe two new paid holidays, Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, subject to available funding resources, bargaining, and potential impacts to existing county services.
Read the full announcement for more information.
|
Celebrating 2021 National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Every October, King County celebrates the many contributions made by people with disabilities, and how they strengthen our workforce, our communities, and our country.
With this in mind, the King County Executive and King County Council jointly honored their contributions by proclaiming October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Read more here and review the proclamation.
|
Video on how to get your vaccination verified
King County has produced a short video that walks you through the process for submitting proof of your vaccination to meet the Oct. 18 deadline.
Check out this video for details on how to provide verification, and reach out to your HR Manager if you have any questions.
|
|
 |
Matt Canady receives Executive’s People Leader Award
Each year, Executive Constantine holds the Performance Excellence Awards, which honor employees and workgroups at King County for their exceptional contributions to performance, leadership, and innovation. These leaders embody the Executive Branch values and strive to reach our True North: Making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive.
The People Leader Award honors a leader below the department or division leadership level who directly manages staff and encourages and empowers their team to push for outcomes that make King County a better place for our employees and the people we serve.
The 2020 recipient of the People Leader Award is Matt Canady, a Transit Chief, with King County Metro Transit Facilities. Click here to read the full announcement.
|
Disability Awareness Month: Ableism and ally-ship in the workplace
For people with disabilities, navigating a society constructed by and for people considered to have “typical” abilities can be a constant battle, and one that further entrenches the discrimination they face.
According to the 2010 census, nearly 1 in 5 Americans experience a disability. Despite the wide variety of disabilities and the high percentage of Americans with disabilities, disability discrimination remains widespread and entrenched. This is partly due to what is called “ableism.” Click here to learn more about what ableism is and its affects in the workplace.
|
COVID-19 Facts: Delta variant
- Delta is 50% more contagious than the original strain of SARS-CoV-2. The rate of contagion increased from one person infecting 2.5 people to one person infecting 3.5-4 other people. Mathematically that grows exponentially.
- People who are infected with the highly contagious Delta variant are twice as likely to be hospitalized as those who are infected with the Alpha variant, according to a large British study.
Sources: Yale Medicine, New York Times
Employee Giving Drive Expo on Oct. 13
King County Employee Giving Program’s 2021 Annual Giving Drive is underway. Because we’re inspired by the belief that the actions we take today help build a better future for all, this year's theme is Hope - The best time is NOW!
Find out the many ways you can take action in support of the participating nonprofits who are doing great work in our community and around the world.
Online Nonprofit Expo: Social and Economic Justice
The next session in the series of expos focuses on agencies in the areas of Social and Economic Justice. These organizations are as diverse as the people they support, ranging from Amnesty International to your local YWCA.
For more information, visit the Employee Giving Program at www.kingcounty.gov/giving.
|
ADA 101: Employment and Public Service
Michelle (Mell) Toy, Interim Director of the Northwest ADA Center (NWADAC) will lead a free one-hour webinar training and live Q&A on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and how it applies to employment and public service.
The training content includes: History and Purpose of the ADA; An Overview of the five ADA Titles; Title I: Employment (Reasonable Accommodations); Title II: State and Local Government (Program Access/Reasonable Modifications);
All King County employees and community associates are welcome to attend. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and Zoom auto transcription services (closed captioning) will be provided.
|
Volunteer to close a Ballot Drop Box for the Nov. 2 General Election
The November General Election is fast approaching (look out for those ballots in your mailbox late next week!) and King County Elections is once again looking for volunteers to help close drop boxes on Election Day.
Drop boxes close at 8 p.m. sharp on Tuesday, Nov. 2 and there is often a last minute rush of voters looking to get their ballots in on time.
There are 'I Voted' stickers to hand out and fist bumps to give, in addition to providing customer service and helping make sure that last-minute voters have what they need to cast their ballot to make their voices heard.
Sign up and join us for a fun and fulfilling experience helping your neighbors participate in the excitement and community of casting their ballots.
You’ll be partnered with Elections staff and no experience is necessary. Have questions? Learn more here.
|
Sign up for KCInform to get employee emergency notifications
King County employees can sign-up for KCInform, the employee alert and warning system, to receive information on incidents that can affect their work and safety.
KCInform is used to notify County employees of emergency situations, infrastructure disruptions, facility closures, changes in department business operations, and other critical impacts. Your King County desk phone and @kingcounty.gov email address are already in the KCInform system. However, please register your County provided cell phone (if applicable) and personal cell phone and email address to ensure you don’t miss important, time-sensitive messages.
The service is free and your personal contact information is secure and protected. If you are not currently registered with KCInform, please contact kcinform@kingcounty.gov to request your unique registration link.
Test of KCInform: King County will conduct a test of KCInform on Thursday, Oct. 21 at 10:21 a.m. as part of the annual Great Washington ShakeOut drill to test earthquake preparedness.
Visit the KCInform website or watch our short video to learn more.
|
KCLx presents Trusted Partner Network Lunch and Learn on Oct. 12
The King County Latinx Affinity Group (KCLx) is hosting a lunch and learn with Trusted Partner Network (TPN).
TNP is an effort to reach every person living in King County with critical lifesaving emergency alerts, regardless of whether they speak English. Trusted community members trained in the TPN will convey urgent public messages and necessary information regarding natural and man-made disasters or other emergencies to their community.
The TPN aims to ensure more equitable outcomes after disasters.
For more information, please contact KCLx Event Co-Chairs Margarita Aguado at MAguado@kingcounty.gov or Sabrina Torres at SaTorres@kingcounty.gov.
|
How to foster mental wellbeing at work
In advance of World Mental Health Day, Oct. 10, Balanced You is sharing tips from Mental Health First Aid at Work on how to foster mental wellbeing at work.
Being open and honest about how we’re feeling at work can be hard. If you’re a little anxious, fatigued or even burned out, you are not alone. The pandemic continues to change the ways we work, learn and connect – and it can be a lot to cope with.
Tips in this article cover how to help reduce stigma, practice building a resilient mindset, make wellness a priority, and move forward together at work. Read the full article here.
|
Coffee Connections: A real conversation about nutrition
You are invited to the next Balanced You Coffee Connections on the theme attuned nutrition. We are excited to preview an upcoming program called Liberating Jasper with Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, Amber Lagerwey.
Join us for a real conversation all about nutrition. Learn what attuned eating means, how to freshen up old recipes, how to break free of myths such as “carbs are bad” and much more.
|
Groups in unincorporated King County that are trying to bring together the community can apply for grant money to help events become reality, via the Alan M. Painter Grant Program.
The grants fund community projects that allow residents of the unincorporated areas to participate in, and be more connected to, their communities.
Funded projects must demonstrate how activities are accessible to all residents regardless of race, income, or language spoken. Click here for application information.
Career Support Services
-
Strategic Interviewing Tips and Techniques – This two-hour virtual workshop will provide you with strategies and tips to help you to do your best during the interview. Learning objectives include such as how to prepare for a virtual job interview and the STAR-LA method. This is the final workshop scheduled for 2021.
-
Administrative Professionals “Casual Conversations” - Inviting King County Administrative Professionals to join our Casual Conversations with a County subject matter expert (SME). This is a bi-monthly series, drop-in conversation with a County SME revolving around a specific topic within the County. Meeting space will be open and flexible. Our goal is to provide a casual, open forum for Administrative Professionals to connect with SMEs across King County who can provide an overview of services, answer general questions, and the added benefit of connecting with colleagues. October’s topic is on Disability Services. This is the last workshop scheduled for 2021.
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, examples, templates and other resources, visit www.kingcounty.gov/CSS.
Tech Tip: Last chance! Discover innovative Microsoft tools to help you focus and get more done
In celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), KCIT invites all King County employees to join in a free online training series with our Microsoft partners to discuss accessibility tools in Office, Outlook, and Teams that people of any ability can use to focus and get more done. Personalize your settings to enhance your way of working!
Pet of the Week: Priscilla
Hi! My name is Priscilla and I am available for adoption.
I am a sassy lady with a lot of energy and love to give! I love to purr and talk with my human caretakers, play with toys and catnap the days away. I am looking for a home with cat-savvy humans.
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.
|
Administrative Specialist III
|
King County Headlines
King County Eviction Prevention and Rent Assistance Program distributes $46.3 million so far; keeps more than 4,600 households safely housed
|
