If you are seconded (French: ‘détachés’/ Franglais: ‘detached’) at your own request (i.e. not in the interest of the service) to another institution or to an agency, then this article is for you and concerns your pension rights. Everybody else can safely skip to another article of this newsletter (but of course, feel free to read on if you are curious 😊). Continue reading Seconded at your own request? Be aware of changes to your pension contribution
Working conditions
The new anti-harassment package: status
On Friday 24 March 2023 we had the last social dialogue (SD) meeting to finalise the revising of the first draft of the new Commission Decision on the prevention of and fight against sexual and psychological harassment. It’s been two intense months! HR shared the first draft of the new anti-harassment framework on 21 December 2022 (15:17 on the second-last working day of the year), with the corresponding SD starting 12 January 2023. The OSPs and the administration/HR had almost weekly meetings of around 2 hours to discuss this draft decision article by article. Continue reading The new anti-harassment package: status
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
Flexibility days 2023 now available to request
Friday 19.05.2023 is still available. For those of you keen to plan the year ahead and organising things to look forward to, note that the 2023 flexibility days are now listed on MyIntracomm and available to request in sysper. These are the three public holidays every year where you can choose to work and have the days back as annual leave [1]. Perhaps this is not an option for you at the moment, but it’s good to know that this possibility exists. Continue reading Flexibility days 2023 now available to request
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
International Women’s Day: more than just words?
*Update 24.07.2023 evidence shows UK fathers being denied the leave and flexibility ostensibly available to them.* *Update 07.03.2023 Women were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, slowing and even reversing gains, showing just how vulnerable any gains can be. Generation 2004 continues to push for international women’s day (IWD) to be about action, evaluation and noting what still needs to be done. It’s something to be done year round. What have we done in the last year? Continue reading International Women’s Day: more than just words?
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’
More than 12 days of annual leave remaining from last year?
*Update 13.12.2023: If you are sick for >20 days in a year then you have the right to transfer all of your annual leave to the following year. There is (currently?) no budget to automate this process. If are not able to do this yourself within sysper in January, it should be done on your behalf (for 2024 onwards) please check your days are credited to you. Also for anyone returning to work after long-term absence, check out the new HR resources. * Continue reading More than 12 days of annual leave remaining from last year?
A new publication: workplace bullying and harassment
*Update 20.11.2024 the question of how to distinguish between bullying and conflict has been brought up a couple of times lately so we link to an explanation here.* Original article: Our colleagues in the Harassment Watch Network (HWN) have published yet another study on bullying at the Commission, this time a collection of personal stories recounting the toxic situations lived and endured by our co-workers, our team mates, our collaborators. Continue reading A new publication: workplace bullying and harassment
