The Foreign Service Journal, May 2010

W ithout question, service in such Critical Priority Countries as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq demands a great deal from Foreign Service personnel. It is taken for granted that the hours will be long and, to a large extent, uncompensated. FSOs make these sacrifices willingly for reasons of patriotism and loyalty. However, at a certain point, the demands can become pathologically stressful and counterproductive. That is the conclusion of a recent State Department Office of the Inspector General report on Afghanistan, “Stretched to the Limit.” The OIG found that members of the civilian surge were beset by low morale due to “the stresses of an almost 100-percent personnel turnover, a massive civilian buildup at a frenetic pace, the redesign of development assistance programs and the continuing high volume of official visitors.” The report observes that it is “not uncommon for staff to put in 80-hour work weeks, with no days off.” OIG even reported that “video teleconferences with senior admin- istration officials in Washington can keep FSOs awake until 4:30 a.m., reducing productivity.” In response to concerns from USAID FSOs, AFSA released a general notice in February outlining the legal obligations of federal employers to pay overtime and compensatory time off to untenured employees who do not receive the 20- percent special differential that tenured FSOs get. While untenured FSOs are al- lowed up to 24 hours per pay period of premiumpay (overtime, holiday worked or compensatory time), the reality is that a great number of untenured FSOs regularly exceed this limit and go uncompensated. At this point, let me be clear. FSOs are not complaining to AFSA about los- ing money in the process. They have accepted the unusual circumstances of their work. But they — and all of us — must take care that abusive working conditions are not allowed to develop. The “Rambo”mentality is unhealthy and counterproductive. FSOs, tenured and untenured, need time off to decompress and maintain their effectiveness, as well as avoid burnout — as evidenced by the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder experienced by many of our staff returning from CPCs. Severe understaffing has exacerbated this problem, preventing FSOs from scheduling downtime over the course of their grueling workweek. Management must ensure adequate staffing at CPC posts and remember that USAID FSOs are civilians trying their best to serve their country. Routinely pushing them to the breaking point is not smart power. ❏ 54 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 1 0 A F S A N E W S FSOs have accepted the unusual circumstances of their work. But they — and all of us — must take care that abusive working conditions are not allowed to develop. V.P. VOICE: USAID ■ BY FRANCISCO ZAMORA FSOs Are Not Rambos Great Negotiations Book Event, May 24 AFSA’s new book discussion series, “Book Notes,” is off with a bang! Our first event featured Ambassador John Limbert speaking on his book, Negotiating with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History, to a capacity crowd (see April AFSA News ). On May 24, we welcome author Fredrik Stanton, who will discuss his new book, Great Negotiations: Agreements that Changed the Modern World , recently re- leased through Westholme Publishing. Stanton has written for the Boston Herald and the United Nations’ A Global Agenda . He served as an election monitor in Arme- nia, the Republic of Georgia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Azerbaijan. The book focuses on the most important diplomatic negotiations in American his- tory, including the Louisiana Purchase, the Congress of Vienna, the Paris Peace Con- ference and the Reykjavik Summit. All AFSA members, as well as the gen- eral public, are welcome to attend this special event on Mon., May 24, at 11 a.m. at AFSA headquarters (2101 E St. NW). AFSA Scholarship Fund Appeal AFSA would like to thank those of you who have already made a donation to the AFSA Scholarship Fund, and to remind others that you still can make a contribu- tion to support college scholarships for children of Foreign Service employees. Since 1932, AFSA has been assisting fami- lies to help keep college affordable. This year we expect to aid 100 students by providing Academic and Art Merit Awards and need-based Financial Aid Scholarships totaling $190,000. AFSA NEWS BRIEFS