Working conditions

Sign our petition to stop the obligatory return to the office (and FAQs)

*update 27.10.2021 the Belgian national authorities: from Friday 29.10.2021: ‘Teleworking is strongly recommended for all staff members of companies, associations and service providers, unless this is not possible due to the nature of the business or service.’

We at Generation 2004 believe that it is premature to push on with Phase 3 of the Tentative plan for gradual return to the office before the worries and issues voiced by staff are addressed. While we fully understand and support the need for many to go back to the office, we request that this be made voluntary and that the Commission postpone the obligation to return.

Continue reading Sign our petition to stop the obligatory return to the office (and FAQs)

Hybrid teleworking in delegation – how is it implemented?

Generation 2004 has taken the initiative to survey around 40 delegations and the feedback shows that nearly 25% of respondents have either no, or close to no, possibility of teleworking. While teleworking has been an effective mode of work since 2009 [1] for Brussels and other EU workplaces, there is still, as of today (12 years later!) not even a draft decision for teleworking for delegations. Continue reading Hybrid teleworking in delegation – how is it implemented?

Teleworking from Anywhere: facts vs. fiction

Teleworking has been on the Commission HR work patterns menu for many, many years as a valuable tool to ensure a good work-life balance. With the Covid-19 pandemic, we have witnessed an unprecedented use of this way of working.    

Obviously, at some point a question arose: Why not teleworking from anywhere?   Continue reading Teleworking from Anywhere: facts vs. fiction

Digital overload, burnout and back to the office

*Update 04.01.2024 Even in 2016 smartphones were seen to add 11 hours of work to the average week.* Original article:  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

Empty promises? Medical staff already forgotten?

As Generation 2004 we would like to express our enormous gratitude to the medical staff as whole: you have worked extremely hard, under huge pressure, put in long working hours and showed great dedication throughout this pandemic. We make a special mention also of those in Brussels charged with the additional responsibility of vaccinating [1] Brussels-based and visiting staff Continue reading Empty promises? Medical staff already forgotten?

Your medical file and your rights

Several of you got in touch with Generation 2004, concerned about difficulties in accessing your own medical files.  You have the right to verify, modify or delete your  administrative data, all you have to do is ‘apply to the Head of the Medical Service … The results of medical examinations and the diagnosis cannot be altered, but you may add your own comments.’ (Point 5, Information note on data protection, 2017). Continue reading Your medical file and your rights

Sickness during annual leave: act fast and recover the days!

*Update 03.01.2023 additional information added (footnote 4) on sick leave away from the place of employment.**Update 18.12.2022: Having struggled to find the correct email addresses to send a sickness certificate or declare an accident, we have found using PMO Mobile 2.0 on a smart phone to be a bit more user friendly.* If you are sick during your annual leave it is possible to have those days credited to your sysper quota but the rules are different from those for being at work and the deadlines are tighter [1]

You require a certificate from the first day and must inform the medical service and send the certificate within 48 hours.

Continue reading Sickness during annual leave: act fast and recover the days!

Survey on workload, digital overload and burnout

*Update 01.09.2021: move to Phase 3 of the return to the office strategy announced for Monday 20 September for all Commission sites.*

Many of you, facing various issues, have contacted Generation 2004 throughout the pandemic. The vast majority of the difficulties raised relate to having difficulties to disconnect (also called Zoom fatigue) or having to be reachable all the time. Colleagues are also working additional hours, working late into the evening and during the weekends: e.g. because the workload has substantially increased in some directorates-general (those working on high-priority files, such as EU Green Deal, Recovery Resilience Facility (RRF), Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF)), or because of shortages of staff (those who leave not being replaced), or even just because it is difficult to decline that meeting or to reject that call from a colleague or superior. Additionally, external media outlets have reported that some directorates-general (DGs) face extreme workload related to priority files, which puts colleagues at risk of burnout. The situation might even more aggravate when we will move to the “New normal”. Continue reading Survey on workload, digital overload and burnout

The ‘new normal’: is this it?

*Update 20.07.2021: Check out the MyIntracomm discussion below Towards more attractive and flexible working conditions: Staff working arrangements: major changes in the pipeline*

The Working time and hybrid working decision sets out the proposed ‘new normal’ with an invitation to discuss this with the trade unions and staff associations (OSPs) in a social dialogue on 30 June. Here are the current Working time and flexitime rules  and their corresponding frequently asked questions (FAQs) for comparison. Continue reading The ‘new normal’: is this it?