36 SEPTEMBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL back and forth for signature between a multitude of offices. Electronic signatures will allow officers to track and proactively support approvals, which will likely make the process much faster and relieve a lot of officers’ stress and anxiety during job transitions. GTM is aware of other challenges officers face and is working to resolve them. It is improving its data management capacity, so it can better understand its DETO population and make informed policy changes to better serve the department’s workforce needs. In April, GTM released a cable announcing that they had removed the “same-status” policy that inadvertently disadvantaged tandem couples assigned to long-term FSI training, a move that will offer more flexibility to families when one officer is returning from DETO or leave-without-pay status. By all accounts, GTM is making good on its word to take care of people in collaboration with employee advocates. “I am feeling hopeful,” Neyland said. “Our advocacy effort worked because it included so many dedicated individuals from across the State Department,” she said, adding that this integrated grassroots approach could help solve other seemingly intractable problems. Teleworking is clearly here to stay. It’s good for officers, it’s good for families, and it’s good for the State Department. As we’ve learned from the CS pay disparity example, we all have a vested interest in making the overseas teleworking environment a better place. And by working together, we just might succeed. n Michelle Neyland was instrumental in galvanizing efforts to advocate for pay equity for Civil Service employees serving on DETO assignments. COURTESY OF AMELIA SHAW
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