The Foreign Service Journal, May 2007

my” with only ISMA (and, if they had school-age chil- dren, the at-post education allowance) were the most unhappy. They typically lament the lack of access to APO, the health unit, etc. A careful reading of their comments, along with those from families left behind at posts during normal temporary duty assignments, reveals another issue — a sense of aban- donment or shunning from embassy colleagues and for- mer neighbors. Some TDY employees also complained of “being punished for volunteering,” and of the lack of sup- port at their home post when returning from the high-risk assignment. It is far too soon to predict how the recent provision for 12-month assignments to Iraq and Afghan- istan PRTs will play out, but this could be a wake-up call to department management to set the tone for welcoming back these colleagues. Employees were more apt to cite inadequate time or money when it came to transitioning to or from the unac- companied tour; they also registered problems with get- ting travel orders, shipments or payroll changes processed in a timely fashion. Foreign Service personnel are keenly aware of the toll their tour takes on their loved ones. Respon- ding to an open-ended question of what challenges they themselves faced, three times as many respondents referred to the emotional toll — guilt and worry regard- ing their separation from family — as cited a crushing workload, security issues, communications problems or lack of support from D.C., red tape, etc. When asked what challenges they thought their families faced, employees specified anxiety over their safety or disturb- ing media reports; emotional stress or loneliness; coping with logistical, practical issues that the employee usually handles; and suddenly being single parents. The majority of family members who commented on FLO’s outreach efforts have said, “We’re doing okay — sad sometimes, a little lonely, anxious at times — but F O C U S 30 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / M A Y 2 0 0 7 B ased on the results of the survey and other feedback, FLO has identified the following priorities to support employees on unaccompanied tours and their families, and is working on them in cooperation with many other offices in the department: • Expand the Diplomatic Security Antiterrorism Course training to unaccompanied posts beyond Iraq. A new course, “FACT: Foreign Affairs Counterterrorism” has been offered to those going to other high-risk posts. • Station a mental-health counselor at high-risk posts. Since December 2005, a licensed clinical social worker from MED/ECS has been based in Baghdad, and travels to the PRTs in Iraq. • Provide more out-briefings for employees returning from high-stress assignments, and improve attendance. The director general’s office looked into this after receiving a memo from FLO’s director, and steps are under way to improve attendance. • Improve Human Resources and payroll functions. • Increase ISMA and provide TSMA (Involuntary and Transitional Separate Maintenance Allowances, respective- ly). Proposed changes have been drafted and are being circu- lated at the time of this writing. • Establish a Community Liaison Officer at every unac- companied post. Riyadh has had a CLO since December 2006; one is being hired for Kabul; and the step is being dis- cussed for Islamabad and Baghdad. • Inaugurate an e-newsletter for the unaccompanied-tour community. Monthly distribution of Keeping Our Heads Above Water began October 2006 in conjunction with Managed Health Network. Priority Initiatives Table 1 Behavioral Changes Since Announcement or Commencement of Unaccompanied Tour Rank among Rank among ALL EMPLOYEE ALL FAMILY BEHAVIORAL CHANGES RESPONDENTS MEMBERS Working excessive hours 1 6 Fatigue 2 1 Change in sleep patterns 3 2 Consuming extra carbs, fats, alcohol 4 8 Change in appetite 5 9 More organized, focused 6 10 Disengaged 7 5 Prone to angry outbursts 8 4 Being weepy/emotional 9 3 Demanding attention 10 7 Increased energy 11 11