Foreign Service Journal - October, 2009

STATE ■ BY DANIEL HIRSCH

Filling in the Blanks

A F S A

N E W S

During the course of the past year, in my previous job, I helped rewrite a portion of the Foreign Affairs Man- ual. It was a lengthy, collaborative process, involving coordination with several functional bureaus, other agencies, many overseas posts and all regional bureaus. Dozens of pairs of expert eyes repeatedly reviewed our draft from numerous perspectives. Every portion was scrutinized, tweaked and scrutinized again.

A week after it was published, I got an e-mail from the field pointing out a perfectly valid, obvious omission that nobody had considered.

As that example demonstrates, the rules are not perfect. Much of what AFSA’s labor management office does is devoted either to pointing out areas that are inadequately addressed, or assisting the many employees affected by situations unforeseen by the writers of the rules.

In his last column, my predecessor lamented what he called management’s hard-line attitudes and unsympathetic insistence on applying the most rigid interpretation of the regulations, which he blamed for most of the grievances and employee discontent that AFSA handles.

When problems arise, those who implement the regulations sometimes imply that employees are seeking to “game” the system, or have failed to comply with regulations, or that something desirable is simply prohibited. Yet often the most important question is whether the rules apply fairly to the situations in which employees have been placed.

As it happens, the change of administration in AFSA coincides with new management in several of the offices most involved in employee issues. My initial meetings with those managers have convinced me that there is much good will and much desire to develop and to support the employees who carry out State’s mission throughout the world.

It is my hope that as these managers settle into their new roles, they will resist bureaucratic inertia and will question and improve — rather than adapt to — the procedures currently in force.

AFSA routinely brings to management’s attention cases where we feel a rule does not apply, as well as cases where it might be better for the State Department’s mission to change a rule affecting employees rather than force employees to follow it.

On a related subject, in my last column I announced my intention to set up virtual advisory committees to bring issues to AFSA’s attention. These committees are up and run-

ning, and have already provided us with some excellent perspectives on issues important to our members. For example, members have proposed that AFSA:

• Urge the department to implement the provisions of FTR 302-14, and offer a home marketing incentive program for employees who face home-sale losses due to reassignment;

• Push for more specialist-generalist conversion opportunities;

• Promote administrative leave and telecommuting options to enable employees to have a child in the U.S. without burning annual or sick leave, pursuant to the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009;

• Seek application of the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act of 2004 to retired Diplomatic Security agents;

• Advocate measures enabling diplomatic passport holders to transit airport security faster, under a “trusted traveler” program;

• Push for a more level playing field on assignments for disabled employees and those with special-needs dependents; and

• Encourage State to expand Eligible Family Member employment opportunities overseas through telecommuting, enabling EFMs at one post to perform work for another post or for offices in Washington.

The committees meet by e-mail, and are therefore accessible to employees posted overseas. Please join one if you have issues you care strongly about, or suggest a focus for a new committee. I cannot guarantee that we can change a particular regulation, for there are often good reasons why things are as they are. But I do guarantee that my office will vigorously pursue the issues you raise and consult committee members as we develop positions and take action on issues of interest. Visit the State Web page at www.afsa.org for more information.

If your interest is more general, and if you are a State Foreign Service employee in Washington, I urge you to consider joining the State Standing Committee. This group will meet regularly to discuss AFSA agenda items. As with the advisory committees, my office may also consult with Standing Committee members as we develop positions on issues. The Standing Committee is more structured, meets physically and will address larger, more general issues.