We publish this early enough for you to make a start on listing your achievements, training and highlights throughout 2023 to avoid you having to hit the ground running in January. This conference explains the evaluation process and offers tips. Join us Tuesday, 9 January 2024, 12:00-13:30. We cover how to prepare your self-assessment and your one-on-one interview with your line manager (‘reporting officer’) [1] this is applicable both to the promotion (officials) and reclassification (Contract Agents, except 3b)[2].
You can find the video recording [1]and the
PowerPoint presentation of the conference here.
Where do I start with drafting my evaluation?
For those of you wanting to make a start on this now (we salute you, well done!) look at the recommendations made in your last evaluation (if you have one) and note the 3 assessment criteria:
- the quality of your previous evaluation reports [3]
- the use of languages in the execution of duties
- the level of responsibilities exercised especially for budgets, people or representing your unit/service/institution to others.
Check out the following points on guidance and factors to consider
- Were objectives assigned to you for 2023? They are not always there , but if they are, ensure that you show how far you met/exceeded them.
- 2023 presentation [2] (please use Firefox or Edge) and 2023 video recording [3] of last year’s event.
- The guidance [4] that used to be available within sysper for the first 3 sections of the appraisal (please use Firefox or Edge): this information must now fit into just 1 section (since April 2022 [5]).
- The new option [6] of transferring the report from the previous year means:
- the dialogue with your line manager still takes place [6]
- no modifications are allowed so ad hoc input from panels and committees cannot be included.
- Absence: you are evaluated on the time you were present only. There should be no mention of your leave of any kind in your evaluation or self assessment. It does not matter if you were off sick or on parental leave or on holiday, how good was your work while you were present?
- Concerns regarding a less-than-optimum relationship with your line manager: know what the rules say and what your options are [7].
- Interested in certification [8] and AST 5+)? Then this is where you mark your interest: you will need to write a motivation ‘letter’ to include here citing some AD tasks (see point 1 here [9] for a list).
What is normal for promotion/reclassification?
| Staff | Appraisal | Reward possible? | Minimum time in grade (‘seniority’) to be eligible | Average speed of reward |
| Officials | Yes | Promotion [10] | 2 years | staff regulations Annex I.B [11] and our chart [12] with those percentages converted to years |
| Temporary agents [13] (2a and 2d) | Yes | Reclassification (JRC/GROW/RTD [14] only?) [*] | 2 years | Staff Regulations Annex I.B [11] |
| Temporary agents (2b, 2c, 2e, 2f [15]) | Yes | no[**] | Not applicable (N/A) | N/A |
| Contract Agents [16] 3a | Yes | reclassification [17] | 2 years | Page 3 of Ares(2021)2467829 – 12/04/2021 CSC note on CA 3a [18] |
| Contract Agents 3b [19] | Yes | no | ≤ 3 years | N/A |
Unfortunately, the process is more than a little flawed [20] and the system of quotas [21] can make or break [22] your promotion/reclassification [23] dreams: look at how sometimes your advancement has very little to do with you [21].
What are you offering me?
As usual, we offer one-on-one sessions to help colleagues by reviewing their self-assessment text. Please be so kind as to prepare a first draft of your text; keep in mind we will help you improve it but not write it from scratch with you [4].
If you are worried about a less-than-optimal evaluation, please read all you can about the potential outcomes [7], sign up for our assistance with your text and mention the circumstances of your doubts when you are contacted by Generation 2004.
If you appreciate our work, please consider becoming a member of Generation 2004 [24].
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[1] Here is the guidance for reporting officers (ROs) [25] on how to write their part of your evaluation.
[2] Contract Agents, your contract type is visible in Sysper.
[3] Probation reports cannot and should not be used for promotion purposes [26].
[4] Please run the spellchecker and note that it takes us around 2-3 working days to do our part and include this time in your planning: it might not be feasible for us to deal with last-minute requests.
Chart
[*] There is a joint committee on reclassification (not promotion) for Temporary Agents (TAs) of JRC/GROW/RTD [27] only. We also see TAs with permanent contracts (yes, mental gymnastics are necessary here: to be permanently temporary) 2a and 2d [15] listed for reclassification.
[**] 16.01.2023 HR response to our questions on TAs: Conditions of Employment of Other Servants (CEOS [28] ) (Article 15(2)) which states that only the provisions on annual reports [appraisal] from the Staff Regulations [29] (SR) (Article 43) apply by analogy to TAs. By contrast, there is no such provision concerning promotion (SR Article 45). This means that, in principle, TAs are not subject to promotion. This principle is confirmed in the case-law of the General Court (e.g. T-366/15 P [30], paragraph 48).
Obsolete updates:
Update 04.01.2024, the promotions exercise will start 08.01.2024 [31].
toolTips('.classtoolTips19','Staff Regulations of Officials and the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (\'Staff Regulations [32] (SR)\') are rules stating:
• fundamental conditions of service
• basic rights, duties and obligations of staff.
The SR have been reformed x 2 (so far):
• 2004 (Kinnock White paper)
• 2014 (Regulation 1023/2013 [33])
For a summary of stated intentions and real outcomes of those two reforms check out: European Court of Auditors, 2019, Special report no 15/2019 [34]: Implementation of the 2014 staff reform package at the Commission – Big savings but not without consequences for staff
'); toolTips('.classtoolTips23','
Contract Agents (CAs) were created by the 2004 Staff Regulations Reform. There are two types of CA: those with unlimited contracts, 3A [35] (‘indefinite’) and those with time-limited contracts [36], 3B [37]. CAs can belong to 4 different function groups (\'GF\') with different responsibilities and salaries [38].
As the use of contract staff becomes increasingly common, there has been a corresponding increase in the diversity of status and pay of the Commission’s workforce. For example, GFIV contract staff meeting the same minimum recruitment requirements (education and experience) as junior administrators may earn 28 % less. (European Court of Auditors, 2019, Special report no 15/2019 [34]: Implementation of the 2014 staff reform package at the Commission – Big savings but not without consequences for staff, point 61, page 34)
We have a working group dedicated to the dossier, and in December 2012 we addressed the first of many letters (\'notes\') about Contract Agents to Human Resources of all Institutions and agencies [39] (here is the cover e-mail [40]).
As a background you can see the report of the Commission to the Council regarding the recruitment of the contract agents in 2010 [41] (in French, COM(2011)802 final 23.11.2011).
Our articles on Contract Agents [42]
'); toolTips('.classtoolTips26','A committee whose members are from two or more different organisations. In the context of the staff representation at the Commission this means that the committee members are:- 50% HR (\'the administration\')
- 50% trade unions and staff associations (OSPs).
Joint Committees at the Commission can be attached to the Central Staff Committee (CSC [43]) or to the Local Staff Committee (LSC): Brusels, Luxembourg, Ispra/Seville, Karlsruhe, Petten, Geel, France and Outside the Union (\'hors Union\'/\'CLP-HU\').'); toolTips('.classtoolTips44','Conditions of Employment of Other Servants [28]');