Historically, companies and organizations created Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to address the impacts of alcoholism on employees. Fifty years ago, Washington was no different: The state EAP began in 1972 as the Employee Advisory Service to address alcoholism in state agency workplaces. Phil Parker, the service’s first director, was the…

When people have a disagreement with any one of over 50 state and local agencies in Washington, they turn to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). OAH resolves disputes with a process the public can access, participate in, and understand. …

Are you wanting to help your team create accessible documents and learning material? The Department of Enterprise Services has a great resource library for this purpose. Resources for developing accessible documents Four eLearning courses on Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel are available are available through the Washington State Learning Center: Create More Accessible Word Documents …

May 18 commemorates the 12th anniversary of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), which focuses on getting people talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion. Among other things, GAAD gives us an opportunity to reflect on the distance between our accessibility goals and our current state. There is…

Alliance Northwest is the largest business-to-government conference in the Pacific Northwest. Held annually, it’s a valuable networking opportunity for businesses who are interested in government contracts. Even though it’s been happening for 37 years, not all small businesses are aware of the opportunity it presents to help them grow their…

In 2022, the U.S. Surgeon General issued the Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-being in response to impacts of the pandemic. “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the nature of work, and the relationship many workers have with their jobs,” the framework notes. …

Resources from the Department of Enterprise Services (DES) can help public service agencies create more accessible documents and learning material. Accessible document training for employees Are you wanting to help your team create accessible documents? DES has a resource library that includes four eLearning courses on accessibility in Word, PowerPoint, Outlook and Excel. …

When people have a disagreement with any one of over 50 state and local agencies in Washington, they turn to the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). OAH resolves disputes with a process the public can access, participate in, and understand. …

“You can be both depressed and grateful — and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise — but you’re entitled to days where you don’t feel grateful at all.” — Heather Loeb, author Gratitude can be defined as shifting focus from what’s going wrong to what’s going right. Common ways of…