STATE VP VOICE | BY HUI JUN TINA WONG Contact: wong@afsa.org | (202)-647-8160 Deconstructing Accountability at State Let’s take stock of the State Department’s Year of Accountability. Director General Marcia Bernicat told the workforce: “We all have a role to play to create a better workplace through personal accountability, and the supervisor’s role is to hold employees accountable for their conduct and performance.” The Bureau of Global Talent Management (GTM) resources are great, but what does the department mean by accountability? The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) current guidance states: “Accountability means being held answerable for accomplishing a goal or assignment. Managers can practice accountability for positive results by … setting clear, challenging yet attainable goals and objectives and give [employees] the authority to accomplish those goals; coach employees when they request help, and support employees in all aspects of the job; monitor progress towards goals, and provide feedback that includes credible, useful performance measures; provide the training and resources employees need to do the work; and recognize employees for good performance, both formally and informally.” Our institution has many of the mechanisms to promote accountability, but we need to make sure they are used effectively. The recent federal employee viewpoints survey and the department’s DEIA climate survey underscore the pervasive workforce perception that accountability is weaker at the higher levels of the department. That perception is grounded in employees’ lived experiences. The department’s career senior leadership must consistently show how they are held to account for taking care of the workforce across a set of measurable standards. Here are some best practices: Take Mandatory Trainings Seriously. Put into practice what you learn from these courses, such as EEO/ Diversity Awareness, No Fear Act, Ethics Training, Mitigating Unconscious Bias, and Fundamentals of Supervision—they provide critical training and information for our workforce. Support Each Other. Take part in bystander intervention and mandatory reporting of any suspected incidents of workplace assault, violence, or discrimination. Employees are protected from retaliation and should be courageous in reporting unacceptable behavior in the workplace, immediately. Read more in the department’s EEO Complaints: Demystifying the Formal Process (24 State 86134) and the new AntiBullying Policy (24 State 33868). Take Ownership of Performance Evaluations (EERs). Managers must document performance issues and offer supervisees timely opportunities to improve and share their perspectives. An EER with documentable negative performance issues must not be a surprise to the employee and should be considered a last resort during that rating period when all other interim measures to help the employee improve have not worked. Managers can seek further resources from the department’s Manager Support Unit. Employees need to take counseling sessions seriously and show tangible evidence of how they are working on those deficiencies and communicate further training needs. Interpersonal conflicts must be resolved. The new Workplace Conflict Prevention and Resolution Center can help when it is up and running. Deputy chiefs of mission, section heads, deputy directors, and other managers need to have oversight over more junior managers and mentor entrylevel officers. Everyone in a team, office, and mission must create a safe and encouraging workplace. Prioritize Mental Health. If you see any colleagues struggling, take the time to check up on them and encourage them to seek counseling. Dedicated counselors and social workers in Employee Consultative Services will work with you confidentially. Speak Up. Engage with GTM and regional bureau human resources professionals on a regular basis, not just when problems arise. When needed, the DG Direct channel is available to every member of our workforce. GTM puts out names of volunteers approved to serve on EER tenure boards, promotion boards, and meritorious step increase boards. Check out the cables announcing these names and seek recusal requests, when applicable, and report other concerns about any names on those lists. The department vets them and seeks AFSA’s concurrence before their release. It is rare, but possible, that the vetting system misses something. We each play a role in shifting attitudes within our institution. What really matters is that our actions enable human flourishing within the Foreign Service. We are the best representatives of the United States when we care about each other and about the people we interact with around the world, every day. n AFSA NEWS THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2024 53
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