*Update 11.04.2024 the HR evaluation of this event was made available 21.02.2024 (> 4 months after the event) it was shared with the health and safety committee Brussels (CPPT) before publication and we await their opinion. The project was generally well received (though polarising), did indeed incur costs and is now described as a pilot project[1].* Continue reading Feeling desperate in hotdesking? Just bring a dog!
Health
5 more days for parents, with a catch …
*Update 26.09.2024: we’re still unable to find any mention of these 5 additional days on staff matters, they don’t appear to be available via sysyper either. We’ve asked staff contact for info and we’ll share it with you here.*
Original article: In November 2022 Generation 2004 asked the Commission to match the updated paternity-leave provision from Belgium: 20 days of paternity leave[1], instead of the current 10. Continue reading 5 more days for parents, with a catch …
Lunchtime conference – 20-09-2023
Generation 2004 held a lunchtime conference on the 20th of September.
You can find the PowerPoint presentation here.
We gave a short update on the below matters.
Summer holiday checklist (Tips)
*Update 24.07.2023 Luxembourg national legislation now includes the right to disconnect, though the situation on the ground needs some work.* *For those of you who remain in the office keeping the Commission standing (thanks!), please check out the heatwave instructions for dealing with hot Offices and the list of buildings to be temporarily closed under Buildings Energy Saving Together (BEST) 2023[1]. Read our related article on how these closures undermine the insistence that working from home is voluntary.*
With many of us now looking forward to enjoying some well-deserved leave over the summer, we remind you that annual leave is your time to do with as you will. It is not there for you to catch up on work still needing done, it is not there for you to ‘clear your feet’ with projects, it is not there for you to monitor what is or is not happening back in the office. Being reachable all of the time is draining, contributes to burnout and can allow bullying/harassment to continue round the clock and unabated. Take this time for you and leave the office behind! Continue reading Summer holiday checklist (Tips)
Out-of-hours building access (fingerprints and lone working)
*Update 17.09.2024 we have found a lone-worker procedure from 2017 for Luxembourg.*
*Update 14.03.2024 fingerprints are considered sensitive biometric data and even the European Parliament has been held to account by the EDPS on this.*
Original article: While we’re not enthusiastic about colleagues being in the office overnight or at the weekend, sometimes it might be necessary[1]. Nevertheless, we’d like those who do this to be safe. On a practical note, please prepare: is your mobile charged, do you have it on you and is there generally a good enough signal? Continue reading Out-of-hours building access (fingerprints and lone working)
100% hot-desking at the new POST-Mercier building
*Update 17.09.2024 anything non-IT that’s broken can be reported by email/phonecall.*
*Update 21.02.2024 OP staff can request noise-cancelling headphones.*
Original article: It is confirmed that the new POST-Mercier building will be the first Commission building to be 100% ‘dynamic and collaborative’. Phew! At least it’s not hot-desking, right? Unfortunately, this is indeed hot-desking albeit (here at least) in a limited fashion. It is first come, first served within the area assigned to your team: Continue reading 100% hot-desking at the new POST-Mercier building
Lifetime limit on medical part-time? Yes, sometimes
*Update 20.02.2024 have any of you accessed the available help for returning to work after long-term sick leave? Tell us about it!* Original article: You’ve been on sick leave and you’re not quite fit enough yet to return to work 100%, but yes, you could do at least 50% and you’re keen to get back to some semblance of normality. Note, if you’re unable to work a minimum of 50% or you’re not able to be back to your normal 100% within a maximum of 6 months, then it’s too early to start, wait a little and look at the caveat below before making a decision! Continue reading Lifetime limit on medical part-time? Yes, sometimes
Social Dialogue, or the big hypocrisy: do as I say, not as I do!
The Commission recently presented an initiative to strengthen social dialogue with actions at both national and EU level. Generation 2004 agrees that this is necessary (long overdue) and we agree also with the inspiring statements reproduced below. Unfortunately, we observe that, in spite of all these nice words and good intentions, the corresponding follow-up action appears to simply vanish when it comes to social dialogue within the Commission itself: the dialogue with the staff committee (CSC/LSCs): the statutory body elected by staff and the trade unions and staff associations (OSPs). Continue reading social dialogue, or the big hypocrisy: do as I say, not as I do!
It happened to me! A ‘sometimes’ serious illness
In 2017 I was diagnosed with serious illness. This kind of information crushes you as if a heavy stone was put on your back. What helps in this misfortune is the fact that European institutions’ staff shouldn’t have to worry about the financial aspect of the treatment, being insured via the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS), staff are entitled to 100% reimbursed of medical fees where they have a recognised serious illness. Continue reading It happened to me! A ‘sometimes’ serious illness
The annual medical check-up: the ‘new normal’
*Update 03.03.2023 clarification of the changes announced for mid-February: tests previously covered by «bons roses»[*] are now to be done via the health screening programme in order to be reimbursed at 100% e.g. a gynecological check up.*[**]
Original article: We start with some context: the annual medical check-up, that obligation that is not generally enforced, is done by only around 1/3 of staff [1]. Why might this be? Well, cost is an issue: while the check-up itself and associated laboratory tests are normally reimbursed at 100%, anything stemming from that check-up (‘diagnostic examinations’ or ‘additional treatments’, for example) will be reimbursed in the normal way (85% up to set ceilings which may or may not correspond to reality, we hear you Luxembourg [2]). Continue reading The annual medical check-up: the ‘new normal’
