The Foreign Service Journal, May 2012

A nannual surveyby thePartnership forPublic Service ranks the State Department among the “best places to work” in the U.S. government. The same survey ranks State among the worst in terms of “family-friendly culture and ben- efits.” In part, that is a result of the questions asked in the sur- vey. But comments received in response to AFSA’s own annu- al survey underscore the fact that many FS members feel State does not do enough for families. To be fair, the bar for State and USAID (which also ranks near the bottom) is higher than it is for most agencies. Those withmost or all of their employees statesideneedonlyworryabout child care, simple wellness programs, and such family-friendly initiatives as alternative work schedules or teleworking. Withmost FS employees serving overseas, Statemust add to this list Eligible Family Member employment opportunities, schools, residential safety, transportation, basicmedical services, emergency care, elder care, commissaries or consumables, recre- ational facilities and evenpets. And this has significant resource implications for the department. The nature of embassy work often makes it difficult for employees toarrange alternativework schedules or telework. And the dramatic increase in the number of unaccompanied posts adds the strains of separation and worry — both of which can have deep and profound effects on families and family mem- bers. The Office of Employee Relations’ Work-Life Division, the Family LiaisonOffice, the Office of Medical Services, the Office ofOverseasBuildingOperations, andother divisions of State take these matters seriously and are working hard and creatively to address many of the issues described in this article. But it will never be as easy, or as cheap, for State to be family-friendly as it is for the vast majority of government agencies. Equally important is the philosophical questionmost agen- ciesneverhave toask:Towhatdegree shouldagovernment agency spend taxpayer dollars on familymemberswhoarenot employed by the government? The short answer is that the ForeignService requires itsmem- bers to reside overseas, and to develop skills that mature with greater overseas experience. It would be impossible to recruit or retain enoughpeople to do this kind of workwithout a guar- antee that their familieswill be provided as safe an environment as possible alongwith the same benefits (for example, a free edu- cation through high school for their children) that any American citizen resident in the U.S. would take for granted. AFSA’s member surveys are clear: for employees who share ahouseholdwith familymembers, fam- ilyconsiderations areprimarywhenbidding, formoraleanddecid- ing whether or not to stay in the Service. Because ourwork in the ForeignService requires us to spend the bulk of our careers abroad, support for families is evenmore important than it is for the military. Yet while Congress will- ingly funds facilities for military families, it is much less gener- ous to the Foreign Service. Ironically, many areas of key inter- est toAFSAmembers are either relatively inexpensive to address, or involve costs that can be spread out. State employees may currently use annual or sick leave, or leavewithout pay, formaternity purposes. While thismaywork for those with enough leave, it doesn’t work for newer employ- ees. The military offers paid parental leave under the authority of the SecretaryofDefense; State shoulddomore toobtaina sim- ilar benefit. Overseas safety is another concern. While some risks are inevitable, others are not. For instance, many members com- plain that posts are absurdly shortsightedwhen it comes to child- proofing residences. Investment in safety gates, covers for elec- trical outlets and reductions in the space between balcony rail- ings canbe spreadout overmultiple family residences, and should be part of the routine to make every house in a post’s housing pool ready for occupancy. Work-life balance is important — not just for families, but for singles, as well. The department pays excellent lip service to making time for anoutside life, but it continues to support a cul- tureof 10-hourworkdays and six-dayworkweeks for anyonewho expects to advance. In some skill codes, overtime is required to receive full benefits. Singles also complainof being unfairly bur- dened with holiday duty on the assumption that, being single, they have no other life. EFMemployment opportunitieswill not improve until State adopts a centralizedviewof the functionandabandons the archa- ic idea that it ismake-work designed to keep “the little woman” happy. The department and chiefs of mission at posts should workwith other agencies to develop fair employment strategies to increase opportunities for family members. Foreign Service employees spend a lifetime supporting the interests of theU.S. government. In sodoing, they leave behind their homes, extended family members, a spouse or partner’s career, their children’s playmates, and their friends to live inunfa- miliar overseas environments. The bar may be higher for State than for other government agencies, but that is no excuse for failing to reach it. Making the FS Truly Family-Friendly V.P. VOICE: STATE BY DANIEL HIRSCH MA Y 2 0 1 2 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 43 A F S A N E W S Views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the AFSA State VP.