The Foreign Service Journal, October 2012

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2012 19 access might not be the perfect candi- dates for extensive teleworking, that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. Some of our colleagues in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research successfully telework by using “classified buddies.” Under this system, employees use their e-mail and phone autoreplies to identify a colleague who can assist clients while they’re out of the office. The Value of Flexibility Beyond telework, many of us know that the department allows for flexible work schedules and job-sharing. (Anec- dotally, it appears employees in func- tional bureaus have more success with setting up such arrangements than those in regional bureaus.) But is it as easy as it should be to secure these arrangements? And are as many people trying flexible work schedules as could be doing so? Why not set up a centralized place on the intranet that lists individuals seeking a job-share arrangement? Then there is the question of what guidance State Department managers use to decide whether to approve such arrangements. A few colleagues have told me that they were denied such arrange- ments solely because “If I approve your request, then everyone will want to do it.” I don’t think the Foreign Affairs Manual imposes a cap on the number of employees allowed to follow flexible work schedules or telework. But even if it did, this logic is flawed. First, not everyone wants to have an alternative work schedule, job-share or telework arrangement. Second, it should not be OK to dismiss a request out of hand rather than take the time to evalu- ate it on the merits. Supervisors should consider granting an FWS or telework arrangement on a trial basis and give their employees the chance to succeed. They may be surprised by the positive effect on their employees’ energy and dedication. Child Care Then there’s the child care issue. Few subjects evoke greater angst in parents than the lack of child care resources. On returning to Washington, D.C., for an assignment, I was shocked to learn of two-year waiting lists for day care place- ment—ironically, the length of my tour. Diplotots, which has only about 100 spots, has between 600 and 1,000 chil- dren on its waitlist. Nor does it have an electronic-based, transparent system for handling those awaiting placement. State should consider investing in a contract similar to the one at the National Insti- tutes of Health, which allows for auto- matic quarterly updates of one’s status on the waitlist, and provides assistance finding other non-NIH day care options if no spaces become available in the time frame needed. Like many other officers returning to Washington, I ended up hiring a nanny. Not only was that option more expensive than a day care facility would have been, but lining her up consumed most of my maternity leave—when I should have been enjoying my son rather than stress- ing about finding suitable care. Realizing that this is a major headache for Foreign Service and Civil Service employees alike, the department is in the process of opening up a new child care center in the new Consular Affairs building; as luck would have it, that space already housed such a facility. Ideally, the new site will include a waitlist manage- ment component in its contract. The department also pays for a ser- vice through InfoQuest to help identify sources of emergency backup care when