The Foreign Service Journal, January-February 2015

50 JANUARY FEBRUARY 2015 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS The Burden of the BlackBerry: AFSA Addresses Email Overload On Nov. 4, AFSA hosted a discussion aimed at helping foreign a“airs agencies for- mulate guidelines to address a common problem: email overload. Titled “No Relief: The Challenges of 24/7 Email,” the event featured a panel of speakers, with AFSA Govern- ing Board member Homeyra Mokhtarzada as emcee. Panelists were AFSA State Vice President Matthew Asada, Bureau of Informa- tion Resource Management’s Strategic Communica- tions Adviser Joel Wisner, Health and Wellness Pro- gram Manager Darrel Kniss from the OŸce of Medical Services, and Senior Human Resources Specialist Jacque- line Ridley. Asada initiated the dis- cussion with a presentation on AFSA’s interest in starting the conversation on issues of work-life balance: “We know that there are going to be times when after-hours work is necessary. But there are ways to ameliorate the demands and the impact on employees.” Panel members expanded on the various aspects of the problem, focusing on indus- try trends, employee well- ness and tips for reducing burnout. They also discussed what steps to take next to address the problem. The audience shared personal experiences and proposed solutions in the question-and-answer ses- sion that followed. To view the event, visit www.afsa.org/video. n —Brittany DeLong, Assistant Editor Panelists lead a discussion on the burden of after-hours emails. From left: Darrel Kniss, Joel Wisner, Jacqueline Ridley, AFSA VP Matthew Asada and AFSA Governing Board member Homeyra Mokhtarzada. AFSA/DANIELTHWAITES BOOK NOTES AP’s Former State Correspondent Speaks at AFSA Former AP correspondent George Gedda spoke about his 40 years on the diplomatic beat and his book on the same topic as part of AFSA’s regular Book Notes series. On Oct. 27, AFSA welcomed former Associated Press State Depart- ment correspondent George Gedda to speak on his recent book, The State Department: More Than Just Diplomacy , published in April 2014. Gedda shared stories from his 40 years on the diplomatic beat and recalled his travels to 88 countries while covering nine Secre- taries of State, from Cyrus Vance to Condoleezza Rice. Gedda arrived in Washington, D.C., in 1968, and was assigned to cover the State Department, with a focus on Latin America. On his style of reporting, Gedda explained his philosophy: “I was never that aggressive. I was supposed to cover and uncover stories, not o“end people.” Video of his presentation, as well as all previous Book Notes talks, are available at www.afsa.org/video. n —Sarah Kay, Communications Intern AFSA/BRITTANYDELONG