Working conditions

Own-initiative training: You are, in fact, on your own

*Update 09.04.2024 we have received a response to our note below from HR: the own-initiative training budget is very limited but special leave might still be available as a contribution to your OIT. Please use all your options!*

Original article: If you work for the Commission and you would like to keep up with developments in your area of expertise, or to acquire new skills to help you in your work, you are in for an unpleasant surprise. Up until recently, the Commission would contribute to the fees of a successful course, making it easier to take the decision to acquire university or other qualifications later in your career – especially for colleagues at the lower end of the pay scales. Continue reading Own-initiative training: You are, in fact, on your own

Commission Representations rotate anticlockwise? II

As we explained in our previous article on this very topic, there is quite a lot of room for improvement in the current annual reshuffling of staff and posts around the world (‘rotation’) in EU Delegations.

To start with, there is no real provision for the rotation of Contractual Agents (CA), who form a substantial part of the staff in Representations[1]. Continue reading Commission Representations rotate anticlockwise? II

Conference: transfer-out of pension rights

By popular demand, the pension transfer-out event will take place again in March. The powerpoint is available by email from the Allianz broker. Additional questions from the original presentation (16.01.2024) are added and answered in our transfer-out FAQ. There will be a presentation and then a question and answer session. What does it mean to transfer out of the pension scheme of the European Union institutions (PSEUI)? Who has to do this? What are the options available?

Continue reading Conference: transfer-out of pension rights

Updated medical-bill ceilings: a step in the right direction

If you’ve entered the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS) online you will have been greeted with the good news of Higher reimbursement ceilings, broader access to medically assisted reproduction. There was a similar announcement on MyIntracomm AuQuotidien (see the comments below the line for suggestions and additional information). Commission Decision of 17.11.2023 (C(2023) 7673 final) Continue reading Updated medical-bill ceilings: a step in the right direction

Work groups on private mobile: voluntary?

*Update 12.04.2024: On the processing of personal data: the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 infringes data protection law for EU institutions and bodies.* Original article: There’s a difference between the right to disconnect as presented in the working time and hybrid working (WTHW) decision and the reality for those being ‘encouraged’ (voluntold/expected)  to join messaging groups on their private mobile for ‘business continuity’. See our recent communication on this topic. The right to disconnect is in the 2022 WTHW decision and also its 2023 evaluation where it is acknowledged that more needs to be done. Continue reading Work groups on private mobile: voluntary?

Operation Hiver – a contest for the coolest picture

*Update 09.04.2024, here are the results of our contest, thanks to all who participated!*

*Update 08.03.2024 the gendered aspect of this debate has been around for a long time, we see no evidence that it is being addressed, please get in touch if you’ve seen anything to counter this! Overcooling of Offices reveals gender inequity in thermal comfort. and Here’s Why Your Office May Be Too Hot or Cold: Gender Bias.*

*Update 14.12.2023 As promised below, here is our note to HR and OIB/OIL asking for the year of data on office temperatures.*

Original article: Winter is coming. The official rhetoric is that the EU is committed to ambitious environmental goals Continue reading Operation Hiver – a contest for the coolest picture

Brownie points, shattered dreams & utility-bill miracles

*Update 27.02.2025: the question of whether managers can/should  use Teams/Skype or other status as an indication of your presence/availability has been raised repeatedly, particularly given that you might have a different status on each platform. Check out question 14 of the flexible working FAQs for written confirmation that this is not their intended use and that status is not a reliable indicator of presence or non-presence.* Continue reading Brownie points, shattered dreams & utility-bill miracles

End-of-year checklist 2023

In response to your feedback from last year, we send this list out a bit earlier in order to give you time to take action. We encourage you to do what you can now in order to be able to use the end-of-year period to rest and to recharge your batteries. This is not an opportunity to get work done!  Please, as far as you can, switch off your devices, mute notifications and disconnect: take the time for you. Continue reading End-of-year checklist 2023

Eismea: when better becomes worse

The situation at the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (Eismea)[1] is no bedtime story – staff reductions, reorganisation, unfinished Offices, a car park which is unsafe for bikes[2], and where most of the parking spots remain occupied with bulky office furniture, platoons of builders roaming the building without displaying identification: a fundamental requirement under the current alert level to which all Commission buildings are subject. Continue reading Eismea: when better becomes worse