THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2023 37 WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU ARE Expecting PARENTAL LEAVE Anne Coleman-Honn is the deputy director in the Office of Eastern Europe in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, and previously served in Chisinau, Stockholm, Panama City, Montreal, Manila, and Washington, D.C. She and her tandem husband have three children, ages 13, 11, and 7. Laura Hochla is currently deputy chief of mission at U.S. Embassy Vatican and the mother of a tween and a teen. Isabel Rioja-Scott is currently economic counselor at U.S. Embassy Madrid and has served in the National Security Council, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, and on the 7th Floor. She is the mother of a 9-year-old and a 12- year-old. Tips on managing parental leave and return to work from three accomplished FSO moms. BY ANNE COLEMAN-HONN, LAURA HOCHLA, AND ISABEL RIOJA-SCOTT Your family is expanding! Congratulations! Both moms and dads have considerations to bear in mind as they prepare for these unforgettable changes coming their way. Here we offer some practical suggestions on planning for parental leave and setting yourself up for a smooth return to the office after your family welcomes a new baby. As federal employees, we are eligible to take up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave at any time within a 12-month period beginning with the birth or adoption of a child or children (employees must have at least 12 months of qualifying federal government service to be deemed eligible). Before this monumental and long overdue development—passage of the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act, effective Oct. 1, 2020—we were also privileged among American workers in having the possibility to take a block FOCUS ON FS FAMILIES AT WORK
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