Surveys

‘Contract agents collective’ petition: to sign or not to sign?  

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*Update 20.12.2024, Here’s our Note to HR on European Court of Auditors Special report.pdf.*

Original article: Many of you will have recently received a message from a ‘contract agents collective’ and lots are reaching out to us for more details on this initiative and to ask whether we recommend signing the petition. Despite some informal, last-minute communication, this petition has come a little out of the blue to us. 

Continue reading ‘Contract Agents collective’ petition: to sign or not to sign?   →

TAXUD’s Alarming Decline in Staff Well-being: A Call for Immediate Action

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*Update 06.06.2024: our efforts have paid off.*
The recently published 2023 staff survey results paint a bleak picture of the state of affairs within DG Taxation and Customs Union (TAXUD), particularly concerning the prevention of psychological harassment (‘bullying’ or ‘mobbing’) and sexual harassment. Continue reading TAXUD’s Alarming Decline in Staff Well-being: A Call for Immediate Action →

Your opinion matters – Canteens and Cafeterias – evaluation survey

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*Update 17.04.2024 We continue to pursue a canteen-price-reduction scheme for Brussels, like the long-standing one in Luxembourg. We continue to see very limited progress.*

Original article: The wellbeing of European Commission staff is of paramount importance for Generation 2004. Years after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, Continue reading Your opinion matters – Canteens and Cafeterias – evaluation survey →

Follow-up survey on teleworking, hybrid working and TWA

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*Update 29.01.2024: there are no geographical limitations on where to do TWA: see Article 11(1) of the WTHW Decision.* We are unable to find any geographical restrictions on travelling with EU IT equipment. We have asked DIGIT COMM for clarification.* Update 15.11.2023 HR has published an evaluation of the working time and hybrid working decision.**Update 09.08.2023 please declare the TWA days you use! See footnote [*] for how and why.* Original article: We ask you to participate in a follow-up survey about teleworking, hybrid working and teleworking from outside the place of employment (TWA) in order to make a comparison with the answers you provided to our two original surveys: Working time and teleworking (and the results) and Survey on teleworking from abroad. Continue reading Follow-up survey on teleworking, hybrid working and TWA →

Evaluations of working time and hybrid working so far

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*Update 13.12.2023 Here is the official evaluation of working time and hybrid working and our experience of the corresponding ‘town-hall’ meeting. Do you agree with the conclusions?* Original article: It’s been a year since the implementation of the working time and hybrid working (WTHW) decision (entered into force 01.04.2022). The only official feedback sought during this time are the Pulse surveys of June 2022 and February 2023 (comparative) which show increasing satisfaction on  every single point measured, from flexible working overall to physical working arrangements in the office to impact on work-life balance and impact on trust within the organisation. Are you surprised? We were surprised. Continue reading Evaluations of working time and hybrid working so far →

High time for the Commission to show flexibility!

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*Update 14.12.2022 list of buildings closed Dec/Jan* We, the Commission staff, have shown (and continue to show) outstanding flexibility, especially during the recent crises: whether that’s the pandemic and the lockdowns, war in Ukraine, energy resources or skyrocketing inflation. In spite of all this and the exceptional workload these crises created for many DGs, staff made every possible effort to continue to deliver business continuity in the interest of the European people we serve.  Continue reading High time for the Commission to show flexibility! →

Follow-up survey on teleworking utility bills

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*Update 09.01.2023: the original survey had >1200 participants, this follow-up is not yet half way, please help to make this comparison survey representative! We need you!* As promised in October, we ask you to participate in this, our follow-up survey on the utility costs related to working from home in order to make a comparison with the answers you provided to our original survey (January 2021 – January 2022). We want to demonstrate any further change in costs: our first survey related to an expected increase in the consumption of energy but the issue now is related to Continue reading Follow-up survey on teleworking utility bills →

The future of our survey on the rise in teleworking energy bills

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*08.11.2022 we have republished this survey to enable a comparison, please participate!*

*Update 07.11.2022 we add a list of all available state aid in Luxembourg.*

*23.10.2022 the teleworking costs court case has been unsuccessful.*

It’s the perfect storm of costs: increased consumption of utilities and higher bills due to teleworking meets increased energy costs due to the political situation and even higher bills. We intend to show the compounded effects of these two hits by comparing the snapshot we took at the end of 2021 with a new pic from now: we will republish our survey and ask you again to contribute. Continue reading The future of our survey on the rise in teleworking energy bills →

We live and work in a burnout culture (long read)

Health, Newsletter - 2022-09-15, Surveys, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 11.10.2022 check out The relationship between loneliness and health, JRC129972.* What is the state of burnout these days amongst our colleagues? Do we know what proportion of us are feeling burnt out? What is it to be burned out? Where are we on this topic? What help is available? Are there any negatives to seeking help?

Burnout was already a problem prior to COVID 19: so much so that in 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized burnout as an occupational phenomenon and conceptualized it as a syndrome: Z73.0 Burn-out State of vital exhaustion: a result of chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. Continue reading We live and work in a burnout culture (long read) →

New working time and hybrid working committee

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*Updated 04.05.2023: We raised the issue of the dissolution of all local part-time committees in the WTHW decision (Article 18(3) April, 2022) in the April 2023 Central Staff Committee plenary. It is not clear to whom those refused part-time work can now appeal, has the new and centralised Committee on Working Time and Hybrid Working (CTT) taken over all corresponding responsibilities? We will keep you posted. Also the WTHW FAQ remain unchanged so far.**Update 10.03.2023 in January 2023 the Commission abandoned its draft guidelines [*] in favour of reworking the frequently asked questions (WTHW FAQs which were last updated 25-5-2022)* Continue reading New working time and hybrid working committee →