We have worked hard to create a positive workplace, not just for the Mayor’s Office but across the City. Having a workplace where every employee is valued is essential for city workers to be able to best serve the residents and businesses of Seattle.  All employees come to a workplace with different life and job experiences, and it’s been important to me that the City creates a workplace culture that is employee centered and values every employee.  Workplaces are human endeavors, and there is no office that is free of workplace issues – it’s why we must create a culture and a system that promotes respect, empowers employees to be able to raise or discuss concerns and then appropriately address issues that may arise. 

These principles have driven me while in private practice and serving as US Attorney. Since coming to office as Mayor, improving the city's workplace culture has been a priority – it is why in the first few weeks as Mayor, I established the Anti-Harassment Interdepartmental Team to review the City’s harassment and discrimination policies to create more accountability, transparency, consistency, and equity.  I then signed an Executive Order to implement changes, including the creation of an independent investigation unit and the creation of the Office of the Employee Ombud.   

There’s been recent reports about two separate HR matters in the Mayor’s office. In both cases, senior leadership in the Mayor’s Office worked with Seattle Department of Human Resources to listen to the employees and work to reach a fair and respectful solution aligned with the employees’ desired outcomes. One matter arose out of a short office surprise birthday celebration for someone in the Mayor’s office. While my recollection of this brief interaction is different than the employee's, I learned this moment caused the employee to re-experience past pain - for that, I’m sorry. Even though there are differing perceptions of the interaction by the people gathered at the party, it is an important reminder how impactful any interaction can be in a workplace.  

This again underscores the importance of building an environment – not only in the Mayor’s Office but citywide - where our 12,000 employees can discuss concerns or report behavior that impacts them. While I have worked hard to ensure we have a safe, welcoming, inclusive workplace, we also must continually ask how we can improve. In addition to the continued work of the IDT, the new Director of the Office of Employee Ombud will play a crucial role in providing both a neutral place for employees to go, and to have a strong voice on how we can improve.