r/WAStateWorkers

Right at the top I’ll say I’ve already reached out to my union steward.

Curious, has anyone been in a situation where they knew their management was building a case against them to be terminated - or on the flip side, HR folks who have barred witness - any words of advice/things you believe should have been done differently if you could go back in time?

Currently facing a situation where the writing is on the wall… and what’s worse is that it feels like it’s been building for some time and that they’re receiving counsel from HR. I.e., the dos and donts - trying to clean up missteps on their end so they have a leg to stand on. all while trying to remain the “nice guy”. Ive been reassured everyone is being held under the same lens… i don’t think thats the case.

Words of wisdom appreciated

I applied for a position that was originally FT perm. Recently informed the position is now a non perm not to go past Dec 2026. What are some reasons why the role would change to a non perm? Is it even worth continuing with the hiring process in this role or should I keep applying to other positions?

Has anyone been retaliated against by management because they went to HR about working out of class?

I established a PERS2 plan in 2023 when I became a state worker & transfered my 401k balance into the DCP account at that time. As of next month my contribution to DCP will increase from 9 to 10%. Im just not sure if Im contributing enough... I'm a late saver & didn't start saving to 401k till I was in my mid 30s, & am a little self conscious of where Im at compared to other State Workers. How did you decide what percentage to set aside, & why?

As of right now I'm 43 with 115k in DCP, its a bit below average, but that average doesnt take into consideration the pension plan... *feeling like Bill the Cat*

Wow this new WATech AI training - responsible AI for public professionals: using generative AI in government - is so intensely pro-AI!

Why would this be the approach? Like did someone’s cousin get the contract?

We got through by phone today and got continuity of care set up for both me and my spouse. I need it for just my PCP but my spouse needs it for at least a couple of specialists as well, as they are mid-test for some possibly serious issues.

Regence said they'd send a letter confirming the continuity of care and it would be into August, so that gives us time to find more specialists if we need to.

I was torn between ticked off about not having good healthcare choices in an area where so many state employees live, and thinking maybe it's time to move north. Then realized I can do both at the same time!

Anyway, call and get your continuity of care set up! Then get your providers set up as soon as you can.

How those job cuts and reorg-to-assassinate-careers going?

Also, anyone feel anything strongly about the current Secretary?

The prior leadership felt like they at least valued staff. The vibe I get from this one is mostly insecure/inexperienced leadership-by-fear.

There's also a noticeable exclusion or lack of male executive staff I find curious - if it were flipped it'd be alarming.

Anyone else have any thoughts? Or need to vent?

I find myself wanting to scream into the ol abyss.

Our building is having the roof replaced. We work directly under it. The construction crew is blasting music and making so much construction noise (valid, we gavw no problem with thwm doing their job) all day. HR told us to use noise canceling headphones. We told them the noise is coming through the noise canceling and/or earplugs.

We are general service positions, but we aren't union classified.

I have a reasonable accommodation, but my supervisor won't let me use it.

We can't think or focus and I am on the verge of a panic attack.

I've been reading through the WA state workers right information and haven't found anything. If anybody could point me in the direction of a definition of reasonable working conditions or anything else that might help, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thank you,

I’m currently based in Alaska and hoping to relocate to Washington state. I’ve applied to jobs there in the past, but I either don’t hear back or things just kind of go quiet over time.

For those of you who’ve made a similar move (or hire in WA), how hard is it to land a job if you’re not physically located there yet? Does being out of state automatically put you at a disadvantage?

I have Comms/Marketing experience if it helps.

Would love to hear your experiences or any advice on how to make myself a stronger candidate from out of state.

Has anyone received a communication record before? I received a communication record for a high case load. Mind you my supervisor is worthless. Should I be worried about being fired? I have been with the state 6 years

Has anybody gone from DOR to another state agency and not regretted it? I always hear about how DOR is the best agency to work for, but I am very burnt out by large workloads and unrealistic expectations by management. Everyone in my office are working their butts off because of how short staffed we are, and it feels like the expectations for compliance are higher due to budget issues. I could easily go back to the private sector, but I really love working for the state. Curious what others’ experiences are.

Im 10 years into big tech in Seattle, coming to a transition point in my life where I want to downsize from my high pay/high burn Seattle lifestyle to something more predictable and focus on starting my family, especially sense big-tech is no longer a stable field. Private sector state-pension work seems like the next step for me.

Worried the challenges facing big tech job markets in Seattle (layoffs, huge hiring pool) have equivalent challenges in private sector (budget cuts, freezes, sizable subset of big-tech hiring pool?).

Even with my experience, is it reasonable to expect that finding a WA state job is not something I should be counting on right now as I plan my next moves?

We work 💯 remote and when I logged into work Monday morning I found out my immediate supervisor and her boss (Director) traveled out of state together for the entire week for a conference. They seem to have notified everyone else in our Division but me. Am I out of line for emailing my supervisor about this and asking if she would let me know in advance in the future?

This isn’t the first time she’s done this, but she’s not out very often and it’s usually just a day or two. This lack of communication frustrates me though, and I’d like to know when she’s going to be out for an extended period in advance so that I am prepared. Since it’s happened more than once, I felt like it’s reasonable for me to email her and politely request this communication in the future.

She replied with a very defensive email and basically made it look like my fault because we agreed to cancel our weekly meeting due to me being really busy. She said she informed the other two team members during their 1:1 meetings and since I didn’t have time to meet, that’s why she didn’t tell me.

First of all, she usually initiates the offer to cancel those weekly meetings more often than I request it. And if I request it I always preface it as only if you don’t have anything to discuss.

Second of all, there’s no reason why she can’t shoot me an email or Webex message to let me know. She remembered to physically cancel Monday’s weekly meeting on the calendar but gave no reason. It kinda feels deliberate.

But now I’m all in my head about it and feel like I did something inappropriate and I’m going to get in trouble for what my supervisor obviously perceives as being confrontational. I know our Director will always back her up no matter what. I feel like this should not be an offense that leads to a write up or discipline or something, but when people in power feel challenged or threatened, they sometimes assert their authority and want to make sure you know who is in charge.

Even if they don’t mention it again, I am paranoid that they are angry and will now look for any reason to target me in the future, even though I’ve worked there 25 years and have a very strong work ethic and have never been in trouble.

Just want to give a huge shout out to those who had to live through the Deputy AD of OEDC’s reign of terror. Congrats on his departure. And sorry to those who had to deal with him, he was a piece of work. The group that got him should be terrified. That is all!

Sixty-six employees eliminated. (Plus 31 vacant positions eliminated)

They eliminated 13 from just Aspire House in Centralia. They said it wasn't being utilized and needed. Which makes sense if it's true.

No word on others. I bet none of them were executives. Even though Chief Programming, Chief Transformation and Public Affairs could be spun down and their direct reports could go right under the Secretary. Tribal Relations already does. Heck maybe more of the "Chiefs" could go and bring the Secretary a layer closer to reality... I mean the people doing the actual work - rather than having information go through a filter of Chiefs first.

The Office of "Strategic Initiatives and Collaboration" and the Office of "Innovation, Alignment and Accountability" could be combined, and streamlined. The Social Justice/Racial Equity office has 3 emoloyees. A Director, an administrator and Program Specialist. Tell me that making all three of those Program Specialists and putting on in HR for employee issues, on in JR for JR Youth issues and the last in child welfare to manage their youth issues.

Or, get rid of the whole office and use employees we already have, who already manage other issues for the agency, handle these issues. HR should handle Racial Equity and Social Justice issues concerning employees anyway.

Harbor Heights is a poor answer to investing in the agency's infrastructure and capqcity by opening Naselle or expanding Echo Glen and Greenhill...

JR losing 24 filled positions and 17 Vacancies by removing "staff and counselors" while creating additional officer positions. The pay is so bad for officers that we're competing for new hires with places which require only a highschool education. The job where you're less likely to be stomped on and less likely to be accused of abuse is probably going to win out in the eyes of potential employees. Plus, if the agency is going to keep treating staff like 💩, a person may as well work for a faceless corporation where employee abuse is expected and feels less personal.

Our Union is useless, they've been notified this week. Think what you want about Teamsters, but they'd have been up in Senn's office raising a fuss as soon as they caught wind of this. WFSE has got the motivation and energy of a snorlax suffering from some sort of major depression. They need to get the boot. If you want a benchmark of their effectiveness look at the class salary ranges, specifically your range and step. Then subtract what WFSE members (you) make from what Teamster's members make.

Now ask yourself what is it WFSE actually does for you, because it's not get you paid anywhere near as well as Teamsters gets their members paid.

See if WFSE can answer why Juvenile Counselors and security staff make so much less than Classification Counselord and Correctional Officers. The environments are the same. It's not small potatoes either. A teamsters classification counselor in a prison names almost $20,000 more a year than a JR Counselor 2. What would your life look like with $1,600 more a month? That's almost a tank of gas. 🤣😔😭

The situation Kinda undermines the foundations of Washington's whole Equal Pay and Oportunities Act.

Anyway, any word on other positions eliminated? I'm very curious about top tier execs, top managers and middle nanagers.

Of the managers, I'm guessing the middle managers got it pretty bad.

Hello! I work for the state and there is an entry-level job that was posted for the agency I work for. Would it be inappropriate to message the hiring manager for a job posting that my friend applied for and say they would be a great fit for the position? Thus meaning they should give them a chance at an interview?

Thanks!

Hypothetical question I'm curious if anyone has experience with or might know about in regard to state law.

Can a state agency claim that bumping someone with less seniority than you to be an undue hardship on said state agency?