*Update 03.11.2022: Eurostat has published the final figures on the increase for Commission staff in its report.* Against the backdrop of increasing prices and rising inflation and during a period that is, for many staff, the summer break, the Council requested the Commission analyse how to further cut expenditure on staff, asking for a response by the end of September 2022. The Council was specifically targeting the salary updates intended to address inflation. Continue reading Commission to respect expected salary adjustment for some, but not for all
Working conditions
Winter is coming – and with it come new guidelines on workwear for the office
*Update 24.11.2023, please open a ticket if you find yourself working in a place that is cold and you suspect that the temperature is below the set minimum for your site: leave a papertrail.**Update 18.11.2022 many buildings will be closed between Christmas and New Year.* *Check out the 16.11.2022 video explaining the heating system* Original article: If you have not already experienced them yourself over the summer, you all have by now at least heard some rumours. ‘Which rumours?’, you ask, there are so many! Continue reading Winter is coming – and with it come new guidelines on workwear for the office
All at home! Will the Commission (again) close buildings?
*Update 10.05.2023 closing buildings announced as a great success success, but the figures are incomplete.**Update 14.12.2022 many buildings will be closed between Christmas and New Year. Here is a list. Here is how to find and book a desk.* *Here’s our 30.11.2022 note to HR asking (again!) that the lump sum be paid.* Continue reading All at home! Will the Commission (again) close buildings?
No work-life balance for colleagues in Delegations?
While the flexible working arrangements such as offsetting and recuperating working hours (‘flexitime’) and working from home are implemented for Member States and headquarters (HQ), as of today, colleagues in 144 Delegations around the world still have no legal basis to telework. This issue has been flagged multiple times in different meetings with management and a social dialogue was planned to be concluded in September 2022. As of today, still, nothing. Continue reading No work-life balance for colleagues in Delegations?
The future of our survey on the rise in teleworking energy bills
*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
Inflation and rising energy cost impact in delegations
Generation 2004 is closely following the financial impact of inflation and rising energy costs to all staff in 144 Delegations around the world. We noted that especially for Delegations which are paid in local currencies (whether legally or not, we hear you Turkey!), colleagues are severely harmed by growing inflationary pressure and are experiencing deteriorating purchasing power. To illustrate (this is not an exhaustive list, information is based on available internet figures of inflation statistics [*] and the latest available information of salary review status) with a few examples: Continue reading Inflation and rising energy cost impact in delegations
It happened to me! Schrödinger’s reimbursement
We asked you to send us your stories and here is the first one. A Colleague was diagnosed with a precancerous lesion. Although probably benign, it was growing quickly, showing micro calcifications, opacities, ragged edges, and highly heterogeneous appearance. The doctors concluded that it must be removed as soon as possible as it could easily become a malignant tumour (if that was not already the case) especially considering the colleague’s age group. Continue reading It happened to me! Schrödinger’s reimbursement
We live and work in a burnout culture (long read)
*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)
Is working from home really voluntary?
*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?
New working time and hybrid working committee
*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
