The Foreign Service Journal, January 2011

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 1 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 17 Not Yet Ready for Prime Time An even bigger problem is the re- quirement in each Employee Evalua- tion Report that the reviewer com- ment on relations between rater and employee. Should a disabled em- ployee protest unfair treatment by a supervisor to the next-higher level, the situation may be remedied but, in all likelihood, it would create animosity. Moreover, come EER time, the re- viewer is obligated to report that the relationship with the supervisor is troubled. Realistically, that negates any chance of a promotion. For all these reasons, that particular require- ment should be removed or expanded to include an assessment of the rated employee’s relations with subordi- nates. With all that in mind, I would tell any disabled individual considering a career in the Foreign Service that it is an adventurous life, offering not only the opportunity to meet fascinating people, but also to be part of history. However, they need to know that struggling to overcome the limitations of their particular disability, coupled with the department’s hesitance in tak- ing a leadership role in making the working environment equitable, will cause them disappointment and frus- tration. They also face the risk of being pushed aside while watching their non- disabled colleagues get plum assign- ments and career advancements. Unlike employees in the private sector, there is no bottom line to prove their worth to the organization. To borrow the famous line from the early days of “Saturday Night Live”: When it comes to accommodating the disabled, the Foreign Service is not yet ready for prime time. However, I look forward to the day when the Foreign Service will be more comparable to an- other show: “Happy Days.” ■ Michael Bricker, an FS-1 information management officer currently serving in Vienna, joined the Foreign Service in 1990. His previous assignments include Warsaw, Monrovia, Seoul (twice), Lon- don and New York. The views ex- pressed here are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of State or the United States government. S P E A K I N G O U T