Executive proclaims April as Arab American Heritage Month

In recognition of contributions to all aspects of society by Americans of Arab descent and Arab immigrants, including science, business, culture, and social services, King County Executive Dow Constantine has proclaimed April 2023 to be Arab American Heritage Month.

Read the full proclamation here.

Enhance workplace culture and increase equity in King County by participating in Identity-Based Affinity Spaces

Federal Public Health Emergency ends May 11

President’s Biden’s administration has announced that the current federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 will be lifted on May 11, 2023. This means that King County’s obligations under the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) will also end as of that date.

Currently the county is prohibited from discharging, replacing, or discriminating against high-risk employees for seeking accommodations or utilizing leave to limit their risk of exposure to Covid-19. Because of the improved conditions in the community which have led to the announcement of the lifting of the state of emergency, as of May 11, the County will no longer be required to accommodate high risk employees under HELSA. Depending on the employee’s type of work and work environment, this may result in a return to the workplace for employees who are currently being accommodated under HELSA.

Until the state of emergency is officially lifted, the County will continue complying with HELSA. The county will soon be communicating with currently accommodated employees to discuss next steps.

Annual Employee Engagement Survey postponed to 2024

King County will not conduct an Employee Engagement Survey in 2023. The annual survey usually occurs in March of each year. However, due to staffing challenges the survey will not take place this year.

In lieu of a survey this year, the new engagement survey team will take a fresh look at the survey and adapt it to current needs, recognizing that much has changed recently. They will also evaluate options for a survey vendor and develop standard practices for future surveys, so that new survey team members can onboard rapidly. Read more.

Griffin Creek flooded but now farms and fish return following completion of innovative project

From Keeping King County Green

Heavy rainfall in 2019 and 2021 caused more than just water from Griffin Creek to surge over the banks and fan out across farmer Todd McKittrick’s fields.  

Sand, gravel, and rock swept across 15 acres of McKittrick’s fertile land along Griffin Creek, rendering the acreage unusable for farming. The torrent also left adult coho salmon returning to the creek’s spawning grounds stranded in a field amidst the debris and grass, with many of the fish dying before they could complete their journey. 

Projects such as Griffin Creek are at the center of the Snoqualmie Fish, Farm, and Flood accord. The cooperative approach dates back a decade to when King County Executive Dow Constantine brought together Snoqualmie Valley representatives to discuss ways of getting past conflict and obstacles between groups that in the past had not always agreed on priorities when it came to land-use management, flood-risk reduction actions, and salmon recovery. Read more and watch the video.

Balanced You Wellness and Self-Care Challenge

Join Balanced You and fellow King County employees for a Wellness and Self-Care Challenge during the month of April.

Today’s Challenge: Try meditation

Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace, and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. Try stopping, taking deep breaths, and focusing on something that brings you peace.

We will give attention to our wellness by incorporating three self-care habits a week. Follow along in Employee News and Wellness Wednesday each week for the challenge of the day or download the wellness challenge journal to track your progress and take notes.

Second Professional Development Scholarship launches May 8.

The second and final application period for the 2023 Coalition Labor Agreement Professional Development Scholarship Program opens May 8 - June 4, 2023. The Scholarship Program is a benefit offered as part of the 2022 – 2024 Coalition Labor Agreement and is only open to employees represented by one of the unions in the Coalition.

Applicants should familiarize themselves with the revised supplemental questions, rating criteria, and Individual Development Plan, which is highly recommended but not required. Scholarship award recipients who did not receive the full $3,000 from the January/February 2023 period may reapply to receive the remaining difference this period to pay for additional training.

The Scholarship Program is part of the County’s commitment to Investing in YOU, and is designed to assist eligible employees with their professional development by providing financial assistance towards obtaining training, certificates, degrees, licenses, and certifications.

Free rapid COVID-19 self-tests are still available through May 11

If you feel sick or have COVID-19 symptoms, it’s important to get tested right away, even if you're vaccinated. Now is a good time to stock up on free at-home rapid tests, while supplies are still available and covered by insurance. 

Read where to request free tests and more details about COVID-19 self-tests on the Balanced You blog.

Attend an upcoming mindfulness class

Mindful Relationships: How do you relate?

How do we cultivate the feelings of safety, security, and well-being we need to feel connected? Mindfulness can help. We feel it, and neuroscience proves it: human beings need connection to thrive in all relationships–at home, at work, and in the world. By bringing mindfulness to our interactions, we can enrich all our relationships through the cultivation of safety, security, and well-being. Get to the root of harmful relationship patterns such as blame, defensiveness, avoiding conflict, and shutting down in this workshop on bringing mindfulness to how you relate to others.

• Wednesday, April 19 from 2 to 4 p.m. Register here.

Navigating a Mindful Workday

Our full, complex workdays can have a feeling of inevitable stress and exhaustion. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Learn tools and practices guided by a comprehensive handout on how to navigate your workdays more mindfully. Explore pacing, find ease, and shift your perspective on how workdays unfold.

• Thursday, April 20 from 9 to 11 a.m. Register here.

View the full mindfulness schedule here.

StormFest is seeking volunteers

StormFest is an outdoor learning event for sixth and seventh grade Highline School District students using STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and stormwater lessons for hands-on learning. At this outdoor event, students learn about their local watershed, sources of pollution, and engineering solutions to prevent stormwater pollution.

The application deadline to volunteer is May 8.

Check out this past StormFest video to see how students interact with environmental education. Volunteers gain experience in best practices for environmental education and interacting with students from a variety of cultures. Bilingual station educators and interpreters will be paid stipends. Eligible employees can use leave for volunteer hours.

 For more information and to apply, click here.

Featured Job: Traffic Count Engineer II