The Foreign Service Journal, November 2010

O ne of the first lessons you learn inmarriage is that you can’t be happy if your spouse or partner is unhappy. For many spouses and partners, happiness requires a job. Thus, one of the highest considerations for Foreign Service member morale is the possibility of employment for family members. Family member employment affects bidding decisions, employee retention and, of course, family finances. Yet it has been a problem area for decades. Jobs are often unavailable or limited in nature, while salaries are sometimes insulting- ly low. Hiring processes can occasionally be opaque and biased by the rank or seniority of the “sponsoring” member, by divi- sions between agencies, or by nepotism. Part of the problem is that, with a few exceptions, posts fund Eligible Family Member positions themselves and are forced to choose between them and other post-specific bud- get items. These jobs suffer in tough budget times when they’re too often seen as simply a morale issue or a luxury. The vast diversity of EFM skills and backgrounds is anoth- er part of the problem, as they might range from a high school degree to a Ph.D. or medical degree, or from extensive work experience to no work experience at all. Posts can’t predict from one staffing cycle to the next what the pool of EFM tal- ent will be, so it’s hard to create a permanent set of jobs. Even where vacancies exist, there may be staffing cycles where no one is qualified to fill a particular EFM position. For foreign-born Eligible Family Members, other issues can apply. Academic or work credentials acquired overseas might not be fully credited when considering applications. English-language skills might also be limited. Security clear- ances could become problematic. These can heighten the gen- eral sense of isolation or lower status some foreign-born EFMs feel, which complicates matters further. Efforts to address these issues can sometimes backfire. Dividing full-time positions into shared jobs can turn one opportunity into two; but it can seempatronizing when inter- preted as a sign that the job is not “real.” Efforts to ensure hiring fairness can evolve into schemes favoring those who have been at post longest or other pro- cedures under which EFMs are hired for reasons other than their qualifications. These problems may worsen in the near future as the department places more entry-level FS employees overseas than ever, reducing the need for additional personnel at posts. More employees, of course, also bring more spouses and part- ners, all competing for a shrinking pool of jobs. AFSA has suggested, and continues to urge, a number of systemic revisions in employment policies, such as creating more centrally funded and standardized EFM positions that are managed by Washington bureaus rather than by posts. We have asked the department to explore enabling more Eligible FamilyMembers to telework—either toWashington jobs or to positions at other posts—and to create a centralized skills bank to facilitate this. Other possibilities include adver- tising expected EFM openings during the bidding cycle, enabling FS members to know before bidding what the EFM options will be at a particular post, and requiring funding for a certain number of such jobs in the basic International Cooperative Administrative Support Services contributions of each agency at post. AFSA is currently researching the issue of non-American aca- demic credentials, too, looking for ways to ensure they’re count- ed in hiring decisions. Members should keep in mind that the Foreign Service Institute has made a large number of training courses avail- able to EFMs online, including, at AFSA’s urging, English as a second language. All EFMs, whether employed or unem- ployed, should take advantage of these courses. After all, learn- ing new skills can only increase your qualifications for a broad- er range of positions. EFM employment is very much a part of AFSA’s ongo- ing discussions with management. We welcome suggestions of ways to increase options for family members’ employment and career development. ❏ Honey, I’m Home! (And Would Rather Be Working) V.P. VOICE: STATE ■ BY DANIEL HIRSCH Dividing full-time positions into shared jobs can turn one opportunity into two; but it can seem patronizing when interpreted as a sign that the job is not “real.” NOV EMB E R 2 0 1 0 / F OR E I GN S E R V I C E J OU R N A L 63 A F S A N E W S