Grievances

King County’s Personnel Guidelines emphasize the importance of settling employee grievances promptly and fairly at the lowest level of supervision, and state that an employee must not be retaliated against for filing a grievance. Employees who are not covered by a collective bargaining agreement may file grievances under the procedure outlined in Section 17 of the Personnel Guidelines. The procedure directs that the employee present a written grievance to the employee’s supervisor within 20 calendar days of the action being grieved, and that it describe the grievance, the provision that has been violated, and the remedy sought. The supervisor must then meet with the employee and respond to the grievance in writing within 21 days. If the employee is not satisfied with the supervisor’s decision on the grievance, the employee may appeal the decision, including up to the county’s Personnel Board for some matters. See the Personnel Guidelines, Section 17, for more detailed information about employees’ grievance rights and the grievance process.

The County’s Ombuds Office is also available to employees with complaints about most matters concerning the county. Employees may contact the Ombuds Office anonymously if they want to remain unidentified.