In an effort to improve employment conditions for its contractors, the United States Agency for International Development began offering some of them paid parental leave earlier this year.
But contractors at USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance who have tried to access the benefit say that instead of making their first months of parenthood easier, it has ensnared them in a seemingly endless cycle of paperwork and bureaucratic minutiae. One source described a situation in which the bureau's management of its contractors is no different from its procurement of office supplies.
One new parent who has tried to access paid parental leave as a contractor told Devex they have submitted paperwork 12 times over the course of nearly a year, but have yet to gain approval. They described exchanges with the humanitarian bureau’s contracts personnel in which they were repeatedly asked questions they had already answered, told to provide documentation they had already submitted, and informed of rules and requirements that constantly changed.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
