Last chance! Select your 2023 benefits by midnight tonight

If you haven’t already completed Open Enrollment, be sure to go in and finish up before midnight tonight, Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Don’t miss your opportunity to put the right benefit options in place for you and your family next year. For information about your benefit choices—and what’s changing next year—go to Open Enrollment.

2023 Larry Gossett Service Award nomination is now open

The 2023 Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration will be held Jan. 12. Community members and King County employees are invited to join in honoring our nation’s foremost human rights leader and King County’s namesake. 

As part of the celebration, the Larry Gossett Service Award nominations are now open. The award recognizes and affirms an individual or organization that has made significant contributions in the areas of racial equity, social justice, and/or human rights in King County.

For more information about the celebration and the award nominations, click here.

What does it take to manage VIP visits?

Cross-posted from Plane Talk

Vice-president Kamala Harris and Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS), both flew in and out of King County International Airport for visits to Seattle recently. For folks who work at the airport, VIP visits, as they are known, can bring mixed emotions and an intense workload.

VIPs can include heads of state, sports teams, or other public figures such as members of Congress. It's a unique situation that few people can say they've participated, but also requires the highest level of security. Read more.

Vanessa Chin named chair of AAAE's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

Cross-posted from Plane Talk

Vanessa Chin has been selected as the Chair of the Northwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives' (AAAE) Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE and I) Committee. Vanessa is Business Information Management Manager at King County International Airport.

“My whole goal in serving as the chair of the DE and I committee is to establish the human and foundational work of equity and social justice and apply that at the Northwest AAAE,” Chin said. Read more.

Friday, Nov. 18, is the last day of the 2022 Annual Giving Drive

With more than 1,200 nonprofit organizations in the program and five ways to give, it’s fast and easy to support the causes you care about.

The Employee Giving Program would like to thank you for continuing to support causes that are important to you, such as climate change, animal welfare, and food security. It all makes a difference.

View this website for all the ways you can participate.

Mail Services HQ new location as of Nov. 16

Beginning Wednesday, Nov. 16 Mail Services will have new headquarters on the second floor of King Street Center. They are in the process of identifying a new hub location to serve the Chinook Building and Courthouse sometime early in the new year.

In the meantime, Mail Services will maintain occupancy (though not always staffing) at both the current Admin Mailroom (on the fourth floor of the Admin Building) and in the Chinook Mailroom, near the Chinook Building loading dock.  

Mail Services assures that while much is changing, one thing that won’t change is the level of friendly, reliable mail service that customers have come to expect. They also anticipate continuing current routes and schedules, adjusting as needed, and informing customers along the way.

Please send any questions you have about the new Mail Services HQ or service delivery to mailroom@kingcounty.gov. Mail Services values your input and strives to deliver excellence in all they do.

Mindful Communication 2: Underlying Issues

Balanced You partners with Mindfulness Northwest to provide free virtual mindfulness courses for King County employees. The next session is on Mindful Communication. When we communicate mindfully, every interaction is fresh with opportunity and open to discovery. Mindful Communication helps us break down the complex process of communication, increase awareness of what's really going on, and bring greater clarity and kindness to our interactions.

In this session, participants will investigate underlying challenges and issues that hinder good communication with the tools of mindfulness. Can be taken on its own or as a follow-up to Mindful Communication 1: Recognizing the Inner Life.

•  Friday, Nov. 18 from 2 to 4 p.m. Register here.

V-MAG monthly meeting is Nov. 16

The King County Veterans and Military Affinity Group (V-MAG) monthly meeting will  honor Veterans Day, paying tribute to all those King County employees who have served and are currently serving in the US military.

There will also be a presentation by The Hitching Rail Wellness Center and Retreat, a place where veterans, first responders, and families can go to heal physically and mentally.

•  Wednesday, Nov. 16 at noon. Join via Zoom. Meeting ID: 848 5343 5901; passcode: 686182

The meeting is open to all employees who are currently serving or are former members of the military and their allies, as well as their family members and partners. To be added to the meeting invite send an email to: vet.milag@kingcounty.gov.

Professional Development Scholarship Information Sessions

Career Support Services is hosting general information sessions for the Coalition Labor Agreement’s Professional Development Scholarship throughout November to help you prepare for the first application period in January.

The event will cover eligibility criteria, 2023 timelines, an Individual Development Plan, and more. There will also be time for questions. The next sessions will be:

• Thursday, Nov. 17 from noon to 1 p.m. Register here.

Can’t attend live? Watch the video here. The video and additional information can be found on the Scholarship Program page.

Ask Miss Rona: Updated COVID-19 Boosters

Ask Miss Rona is a Q&A series on Public Health’s Instagram account to respond to community questions related to different topic areas of COVID-19.

Questions about COVID-19 vaccines for babies and young children were submitted last week by King County residents and answered by subject matter experts at Public Health – Seattle & King County. Read more.

Health Information Management Program Manager