King County Executive proclaims National Police Week

In recognition of King County's law enforcement officers serving the community, Executive Constantine has proclaimed Sunday, May 14 through Saturday, May 20 National Police Week. 

"I urge King County residents to join me in honoring the dedicated members of the King County Sheriff’s Office and all law enforcement officers for their service," said the Executive.

View the full proclamation here.

Metro Matters: Service you can count on

By Michelle Allison, King County Metro General Manager

King County Metro is the largest transit agency in the entire Northwest. We provide bus, paratransit, vanpool, and water taxi services. We also operate Seattle Streetcar, Sound Transit Link light rail, and Sound Transit Express bus service.

We are proud to be part of Executive Dow Constantine’s broader vision to continue to expand our regional transit network by putting people first. We’ve earned recognition ranging from Best Large Transit Agency in North America in 2018 to Most Equitable Large Transit Agency in Combatting Climate Change just last year. Most importantly though, our shared success is due entirely to our community members, our customers, and our employees. So, especially in challenging times, you deserve to know what’s working, what’s not working, and how we’re fixing it. Read more.

We're ready for warmer weather - but our bodies might not be

Cross-posted from Public Health Insider

Our bodies may be more sensitive to heat when they haven’t had a chance to adjust to warmer temperatures. And people flock to rivers and lakes when the weather turns warm – but the shock from unexpectedly cold water can lead to accidental drowning.

You can prepare for the heat by knowing if you or your loved ones are more sensitive to heat, paying attention to any signs that you are overheating, and being careful around cold water. Read more.

An industrial mechanic at home at West Point Treatment Plant

Cross-posted from Clean Water Stories

Shane Hamilton, an industrial maintenance mechanic, knows West Point like home turf. At 33, he’s been in this line of work more or less since he was a 15-year-old intern.

Shane grew up in Federal Way. In high school, his friend’s father was Mike Lindsay, an industrial maintenance mechanic at South Treatment Plant in Renton. Mike saw in Shane a hard worker who was willing to learn, and when time came for Shane to do a job shadow for school, Mike worked out an internship at South Plant. The rest is history. Read more.

2023 Pride t-shirts are ready to order

For 2023 Pride, King County employees will be able to purchase t-shirts online through a new vendor. Employees will pay the vendor directly, and receive their t-shirt in the mail by June 20.

This year's Pride Parade theme is Galaxy Love. A big thanks to Communications Specialist Meg Sykes for providing her design skills again this year.

T-shirt sales will close Thursday, May 25. Employees are encouraged to order their t-shirt as soon as possible. 2023 Pride t-shirts can be viewed and ordered here.

For more information and questions, email Leah Holland at leah.holland@kingcounty.gov.

Mental Health Accommodations for King County Employees

King County is committed to supporting employees with mental health conditions in the workplace. A key part of this focus is to provide employees who experience limitations due to a mental health condition with reasonable accommodations in the workplace to be able to perform their job duties productively and effectively. Examples of reasonable accommodations that may be provided to employees with mental health conditions include the following:

• An employee with depression may benefit from noise-cancelling headsets to help with concentration and focus.

• An employee coping with an anxiety disorder may need to have flexible or additional breaks built into the workday to step away when feeling overwhelmed.
• An employee in a treatment plan may need a flexible work schedule in order to access medical care.

These are just a few of the many examples of reasonable workplace accommodations King County has provided to employees with mental health conditions to stay at work or return to work. For more information on Mental Health Accommodations, view the Balanced You blog. If you need assistance with accommodation in the workplace, talk to your Human Resources representative, supervisor, the Department of Human Resources’ Disability Services staff at 206-263-9329 or DisabilityServices@kingcounty.gov, or the Metro Transit Department’s Disability Services Staff at TransitDisabilityServices@kingcounty.gov. 

Professional Development Scholarship Program: Why rating criteria?

The second application period for the Coalition Labor Agreement Professional Development Scholarship Program is open until June 4, and it is beneficial for employees to understand the rating criteria used to evaluate the applications. 

The first rating criteria is centered around having a career development plan and works in tandem with the 70/20/10 learning model: 70% of development activities should be experience-based; 20% should be from learning with others, such as a mentorship program or professional association; and 10% should be from training. The intent of the first criteria is to ensure you have a plan that includes ways you can bring your training to life so you can achieve your King County career goals.

It is highly recommended for applicants to create an Individual Development Plan (IDP). The IDP is a tool used to roadmap your own professional goals and can greatly assist with responding to this first rating criteria. For support in creating an IDP, reach out to Career Support Services at CareerSupportServices@kingcounty.gov.

Click here to view the scholarship listing and apply. Scholarship questions? Please email scholarshipfund@kingcounty.gov.

VMAG monthly meeting May 17

The King County Veterans and Military Affinity Group (VMAG) monthly meeting will feature a presentation by Path with Art. This non-profit organization fosters the restoration of individuals, groups, and society from the effects of trauma through arts engagement and community-building.

• Wednesday, May 17 at noon via Teams

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.

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