The Foreign Service Journal, October 2012

28 OCTOBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL G en Y FSOs (born from the mid- to late-1980s through the early 1990s) have a strong focus on technology. They are more at ease using e-mail as a medium of communication than State cables. This has caused information gaps as these officers do not realize how many different parts of the U.S. govern- ment still rely on cable traffic for coverage of fast-moving events. Moreover, most e-mail messages sent over the depart- ment’s system are not saved for historical records. The Office of the Historian will be hard-pressed to document how specific policy decisions were actually made due to these gaps in cable traffic. Gen Yers have a strong focus on quality of life: both their own and that of their spouse and children. They also have high expectations as to the quality of education available at post and are more resistant to sending their children to live and study at boarding schools. State has had to invest in the establishment of new schools at many hardship posts in order to attract a sufficient pool of bid- ders on these jobs. Spousal employment is a major consideration for Gen Y bidders. They have been vocal in their complaints about the quality of jobs available to their highly educated spouses and partners during tours of duty overseas. Their focus on quality of life has resulted in pressure on the department to extend Internet service to U.S. government residences at hardship posts. Gen Yers want to be treated as equals by their supervi- sors, even when they have far less experience in the sub- ject matter. They expect much more one-on-one interac- tion with their supervisors and with embassy leadership. They do not hesitate to express dissent, both inside the embassy and also on social media. Senior officers, mostly baby boomers, need to adjust the quantity and format of interactions with Gen Y officers to meet their needs and help them understand appropriate boundaries when placing material on social media sites. Failure to do so creates negative morale at embassies and can lead to curtailments and lower productivity. The Next Cohort Gen Z individuals (born from the early 1990s on) are only just starting to enter the work force or serving as interns at the department. Gen Zers have a strong focus on the Internet but, unlike Gen Xers, they use text messages or instant messaging more than e-mail. For a baby boomer or a Gen Xer, “snail mail”means letter mail handled by the U.S. Postal Service. For a Gen Zer, “snail mail” refers to e-mail. One implication of this is that their ability to draft lengthier e-mails or cables may be constrained by their lack of experience in the art of drafting. Some will also need to learn to distinguish between information related to their work that is suitable for posting on social media sites, and that which must be protected to safeguard national security. Frequently, Gen Zers lack a long-term strategy for managing their professional image on social media sites. Members of Gen Z have learned to operate in a highly sophisticated media world; but as a norm, they seem less able to digest information from various sources and to produce their own unique views. Gen Zers have no memories of a time when diversity was not the norm. This should make them much more open to practicing equal employment opportunity at work and in their personal lives. Finally, Gen Zers have worked, and some are still work- ing, their way through college in a time of economic reces- sion. Most of them will be burdened by student debt and worried about their personal financial security. This will likely mean that they will need to see a strong student loan repayment program as part of recruitment to the State, Department. It also means that once they join State they may be more likely to stay on its payroll for an extended time frame than their Gen Y colleagues. FOCUS THE NEW FS GENERATION Ambassador Eileen Malloy retired from the Foreign Service in 2008 after a 30-year career and continues to work as an inspection team leader for the Office of the Inspector General. In this capacity, she has visited numerous posts and has enjoyed meeting hundreds of new hires serving around the world. The views expressed in this article are hers alone and do not represent the views or conclusions of the OIG. Gen Y, and On to Z BY E I L EEN MAL LOY