additional teleworking costs

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 →

Is working from home really voluntary?

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*Update 14.07.2023 many buildings will again be closed over the summer. Here is a list of buildings and dates (note Luxembourg is mentioned only at the bottom). Here is  how to find and book a desk (Brussels only).*

There’s a disconnect between the image presented in the working time and hybrid working (WTHW) decision and the reality for Commission staff in terms of choice of work location and working-from-home (WFH) costs.  First on choice, the WTHW states that WFH/teleworking is voluntary (Article 9(3)) while the Commission simultaneously pursues a building policy of reducing overall office space and open-plan/hot-desking environments. Would there really be a desk for everyone if all Commission staff chose to work from the office at the same time? Continue reading Is working from home really voluntary? →

The much expected new normal arrived, and it’s unfair for many!!!

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New Decision on Working Time and Teleworking: service à la carte = discrimination! [1]

Two months into the implementation of the new Decision, Generation 2004 has already received many complaints from colleagues whose Directorate General (DG) has a restrictive reading of the decision. According to the information we have received, several DGs and services, including DG GROW, DG TAXUD, OIL and the Legal Service, have drafted – or are drafting – guidelines that set up an obligation to come to the office 3 or even 4 days per week, to the dismay of many among their staff. Often the reason given is a generic “interest of the service”, without offering any specific details and consulting staff, while such need was not necessary prior to the pandemic. And without carrying out an analysis based on different types of jobs or tasks inside the DG or service.  Continue reading The much expected new normal arrived, and it’s unfair for many!!! →

It’s been two years of mandatory teleworking

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16 March 2022: exactly 2 years since 100% teleworking became obligatory for almost everyone at the Commission.  On that first day in 2020 some of us did not even have an internet connection at home or a computer. Nevertheless we did what we could with what we had and ensured business continuity at the Commission in the face of a global pandemic. We bought computers, got the internet connected, used our own mobile phones, joined work whatsapp groups, Continue reading It’s been two years of mandatory teleworking →

New decision on working time and hybrid working: only Generation 2004 said no!

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If you wonder what happened with the new Decision on Working Time and Hybrid working (WTHW) [1], here is the reply: all trade unions and staff associations (OSPs) except Generation 2004 accepted what is in the current draft and did not agree to continue the negotiations with the administration!

Generation 2004 was the only one among all OSPs to request Commissioner Hahn open a conciliation phase, the last possible option OSPs have in any negotiation with the administration [2].  This is a formal request to continue negotiations: there are too many points of disagreement still. Continue reading New decision on working time and hybrid working: only Generation 2004 said no! →

The hidden costs of teleworking – and now energy prices!

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*Update November 2022, we have republished this survey in order to make a comparison, please participate!* *Update March 2022: 1193 colleagues responded to our additional teleworking costs survey: only 2.85% saw no utility-bill increase. With 27% of respondents seeing their monthly bills increase by a total of 51-100 EUR.* Continue reading The hidden costs of teleworking – and now energy prices! →

The ‘new normal’: is this it? FAQs 28.10.2021

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*Update 13.03.2023 here are the results of our June 2022 survey!*

*This FAQ replaces the 11.10.2021 version*

28.10.2021 we had one more social dialogue meeting on the latest working time and hybrid working rules. HR stated that this is the last meeting on this topic. As before, there are many questions still outstanding on how this ‘new normal’ Continue reading The ‘new normal’: is this it? FAQs 28.10.2021 →

The ‘new normal’: is this it? FAQs 11.10.2021

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*This FAQs is superseded by 28.10.2021 version*

We had the second of a proposed two social dialogue meetings on the implementation of working time and hybrid working yesterday (Monday 11.10.2021). HR agreed to a third meeting: there are many questions still outstanding Continue reading The ‘new normal’: is this it? FAQs 11.10.2021 →

Digital overload, burnout and back to the office

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We invite you to participate in our survey on workload, digital overload and burnout. The Working time and hybrid working decision (issued July 2021) setting out the proposed ‘new normal’ with its ‘disconnection bandwidth’ is still under discussion (follow-up meeting with HR 8 September) and we’d like to have your most recent, post-summertime input, especially in light of the move to Phase 3 of the return to the office strategy announced for Monday 20 September for all Commission sites [1]. Continue reading Digital overload, burnout and back to the office →

‘Wild West of Teleworking’ Photography Contest: winners!

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Thanks to all of you who submitted photos of your home-office/kitchen-table/cupboard-under-the-stairs/garden IT setup and your increased bills and accommodation costs. We always appreciate your interaction and comments and you can still send us your teleworking photos and evidence of costs incurred: let us know where and how you are working! Continue reading ‘Wild West of Teleworking’ Photography Contest: winners! →