The Foreign Service Journal, February 2010

F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 15 approached with my EFM hiring con- cerns apologized, but neglected to mention any recourse I might have. Only later did I learn that such situa- tions can be grieved through the de- partment’s Human Resources Bureau. At a minimum, there must be con- sequences, as in other situations, for embassy employees who do not adhere to federal policy. Better yet would be incentives to significantly improve spousal employment, like awards es- tablished for embassies with high spousal employment, or including im- proved spousal employment as work objectives in more embassy staff job descriptions and performance reviews. Putting Words into Action FLO’s recent efforts to promote family member employment—such as the Professional Associates Program and the Global Employment Initiative — are both innovative and promising. However, demand for the Professional Associates Program far outstrips the supply of jobs; and the nascent GEI program has yet to place significant numbers of FS spouses overseas in ca- reer-enhancing jobs. S P E A K I N G O U T At the end of the day, an effective EFM employment program requires commitment from all of State’s employees.