Looking ahead to the next stage of our operations
Dear fellow King County employee,
Just over three years ago, as the world emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, I ended mandatory telework for Executive Branch employees. The mandate was put in place early in the pandemic to limit the spread of the virus and keep our staff and customers safe.
Along with the rest of the world we learned to use teleconferencing, and we discovered the efficiency and convenience that can come with being able to be in two places at once. We will continue to benefit from that technology. At the same time, we learned the value that is lost when we aren’t together as a group; when our conversations are never face-to-face, other than on a screen.
Over the past three years, more and more of our workforce has returned to County worksites regularly, and we’ve seen the many benefits of in-person interaction and collaboration in areas like creativity and innovation, inclusion and belonging, employee development, and service delivery.
To further leverage these and other benefits, I have asked all executive branch [1] department directors to be in person, on site at a King County worksite, at least three days a week starting in November.
I have also asked these leaders to develop a plan by the end of this year to allow for an increased on-site schedule for hybrid workers, starting in 2025. Each department has unique operations and business needs, and leaders will consider their department’s space considerations, lines of business, work schedules, and other factors when designing more in-person work strategies.
More than three-quarters of our employees already work in person at County facilities every day. The remainder work a hybrid schedule, spending portions of time on-site and remotely. Many benefits to working on site are easy to name, if difficult to measure. They include increased cohesion, collaboration, and creativity; greater visibility and access to developmental opportunities; a stronger sense of belonging; and deeper connections across teams and with the people we serve. We also know that hybrid work has created more opportunities for more people to do more things more flexibly. The goal is to build on what we’re learned, and realize the greatest value from both.
With almost one-quarter of our workforce having started their King County career since the beginning of the pandemic, it is important that we do all that we can to build a strong culture and sense of belonging, connection, mutual learning, and inclusion for all employees.
King County has been a regional leader in how we recover, rebuild, and rebound from the pandemic. As we enter this next stage, our directors and senior personnel will lead by example as we develop a phased approach for more on-site and in-person work moving into 2025.
This is not a mandate for all employees to spend a fixed number of days each week at a King County worksite. Rather, it is the beginning of the next stage of our recovery from the pandemic, where we consider current and future delivery models for our services – Plan, Do, Check, and Adjust in action.
As an employer, centering equity across our workforce and job functions is crucial, and we continue to lead with our True North and values when considering future operations.
I look forward to building on what we have learned from in-person and hybrid work to ensure we continue maximizing the benefits for employees, residents, and our region.
Sincerely,
 Dow Constantine (he/him/his)
King County Executive
[1] This announcement applies to departments that report to the County Executive: Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention, Department of Executive Services, Department of Community and Human Services, Department of Human Resources, Department of Local Services, Metro Transit Department, Department of Natural Resources and Parks, Department of Public Defense, Public Health – Seattle and King County, Executive Department, King County Information Technology, and the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Separately elected agencies and the other branches of County government – Department of Assessments, Department of Judicial Administration, King County Elections, Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, King County Council, District Court, and Superior Court – will continue to manage their operations.
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