The Foreign Service Journal, February 2009

A FSA’s annual opinion poll of our State active-duty membership worldwide took on special importance this year because of the U.S. presidential election and the prospect of sweeping changes in the leadership and manage- ment of the Department of State. The people of the Foreign Service clearly saw the survey as an opportunity to send a strong message to the new administra- tion about the priorities and initiatives that are important to our profession. The knowledge that AFSA would be meeting with the transition team during the same timeframe prompted a rush to provide feedback. As a result, this electronic poll got a remarkable, enthusiastic response that leaped above the numbers we witnessed in previous years. More than 5,500 For- eign Service employees at State —nearly half of the entire active-duty ranks — completed the survey. This included thousands of entry-level members, com- parable numbers of mid-level personnel and more than 500 Senior Foreign Serv- ice officers. As in past years, the respondents were divided among generalists and special- ists, and those serving overseas and do- mestically, in proportions that statis- tically match those of the entire State Department Foreign Service contingent. Responses came from every overseas post and every domestic bureau. Scanning the numerical results of yes/no and multiple-choice questions (reflected in the charts accompanying this article), as well as the thousands of free-form comments that people en- tered, one gets an unambiguous sense of the foremost concerns on the minds of U.S. diplomats. Many of the top issues relate to man- aging a career increasingly dominated by hardship and unaccompanied postings. Of high-ranking importance is the desire for fairness and equity in assignments, as well as apprehensions about guiding our families through the challenges of today’s Foreign Service life. Only a small minority of respondents (15 percent) think the department is doing enough to help separated families. Some 71 percent believe that people should be allowed to extend in an overseas or domestic as- signment to enable a son or daughter to finish the senior year of high school. And a strong majority (63 percent) want AFSA to advocate for official recognition and benefits for same-sex partners of our members. The people of the Foreign Service re- main frustrated over the worsening over- seas pay disparity and the outgoing administration’s neglect of the staffing and resource needs of our embassies and consulates all over the world. A large majority of respondents attach “high im- portance” to AFSA’s efforts to address these two problems. Significant majori- ties affirm that inadequate funding and staffing have made it more difficult for MEMBERS WANT CONCERNS ADDRESSED BY NEW ADMINISTRATION Annual Opinion Poll Yields Record Number of Responses BY STEVE KASHKETT, STATE VICE PRESIDENT F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 9 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 39 American Foreign Service Association • February 2009 AFSA NEWS Renovation Update In mid-December, AFSA staff moved out of temporary quarters at 1800 N. Kent St. in Rosslyn and were awaiting final checks on the renovated headquarters building at 2101 E St. NW before moving in. Despite a few of the glitches that seem to be part of every renovation project, we hope to be settling into our renovated offices this month. We’ll keep you posted! Continued on page 41 Many of the top issues relate to managing a career increasingly dominated by hardship and unaccompanied postings. Of high-ranking importance is the desire for fairness and equity in assignments.