The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2023

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JULY-AUGUST 2023 23 Speaking Out is the Journal ’s opinion forum, a place for lively discussion of issues affecting the U.S. Foreign Service and American diplomacy. The views expressed are those of the author; their publication here does not imply endorsement by the American Foreign Service Association. Responses are welcome; send them to journal@afsa.org . data (the latest year released publicly), roughly 50 FSOs per year on average are voluntarily separating for reasons other than retirement. Most of them presum- ably don’t ever seek reappointment. So changing the policy will not solve the department’s upskilling issues, but for that matter neither will it break the system. While sometimes we need the kind of big thinking involved in blue-sky proposals like a Foreign Service reserve, most institutional improvement hap- pens as piecemeal incremental change. Expanded reappointment is one such small step. For many of the needed changes, such as current moves to remove skill code and grade restrictions, all that is required is a change to the SOP. Foreign Affairs Manual changes would be sufficient for much of the rest. How to Stick the (Return) Landing The department is in the early days of rethinking the process for reappoint- ment, and many policy elements have not yet been settled. Time limits for seeking reappointment, ways to recog- nize experience gained while away, and the interests of employees who stayed all appear to be under consideration. Let’s be honest, there are some possi- ble pitfalls to welcoming former employ- ees back. If they have not interrogated their own motivations, the reasons they left the first time may sow the seeds for another departure. Policies may change while employees are away, so they will need reorientation and mentorship to help them reintegrate and reach full performance. And the department needs to be care- ful not to treat the returning employee as the “prodigal son,” showering them with benefits to the resentment of employees who stayed. To that point, one conten- tious discussion is whether reappoin- tees should be granted rank or grade increases commensurate with experience gained while away. AFSA representatives have told me that while support for more liberal reappointment is quite high among their members, support for pay or rank increases for returnees is low. There are reasoned arguments for and against, but I predict that the ultimate decision will be to offer reappointment at the same grade and step the employee reached before they exited. The department could find other ways to incentivize those with the most in- demand skills to return. One idea would be to award points toward rehiring for experience gained while away, much like language proficiency points are used on the A-100 register. Another would be to waive the requirement to serve a directed assignment for those with the most- needed skills. A related concern is that officers would use reappointment to sit out administrations or policies they dislike. With the caveat that my sample is non- representative, all the FSOs I connected with who had considered or sought reappointment had resigned principally for family reasons or professional oppor- tunities, not partisan protest. It would be more likely that senior policymak- ers would return via a different avenue, given that reappointment is envisioned for FS-2 and below. Building an Alumni Ethos I loved my years in the Foreign Ser- vice, but I don’t plan to seek reappoint- ment. Why, you might ask, do I still care enough to spend my free time dissecting what some see as an esoteric personnel policy? From day one, I knew that serving my country was an immense privilege. And despite no longer being employed by the State Department, I am still representing the Service. Hardly a week goes by that I don’t have a call with a young person consider- ing a career with the department, speak on a panel where I’m asked about my time overseas, or connect with former colleagues or contacts looking for advice. More than a “former FSO,” I am a department alumna. I have seen this sense of loyalty and belonging repli- cated in dozens of other alumni who left for myriad reasons. For myself, and for them, it would be an honor to see behind us an open door to serving at our alma mater again, even if most of us never step through it. n The department is in the early days of rethinking the process for reappointment, andmany policy elements have not yet been settled.