*Update 09.08.2023 please declare the TWA days you use! See footnote [*] for how and why.* Original article: We ask you to participate in a follow-up survey about teleworking, hybrid working and teleworking from outside the place of employment (TWA) in order to make a comparison with the answers you provided to our two original surveys: Working time and teleworking (and the results) and Survey on teleworking from abroad. Continue reading Follow-up survey on teleworking, hybrid working and TWA
Teleworking
Teleworking from abroad: why not more?
We worked from home (‘telework’) 100% for over a year (2020-21) and we’ve been able to telework from outside the place of employment (teleworking from anywhere/abroad (TWA)) for 10 days per year since 2021. In comparison, colleagues in the European Central Bank (ECB) have 90 such days and those at the European Patent Office (EPO) have 60. We’ve shown teleworking works and we’ve shown ourselves to be flexible, responsible and trustworthy. We delivered, even from kitchen tables and living rooms, even from outside the place of assignation. What happens now? Let’s look again at taking TWA further. Continue reading Teleworking from abroad: why not more?
Summer holiday checklist (Tips)
*Update 24.07.2023 Luxembourg national legislation now includes the right to disconnect, though the situation on the ground needs some work.* *For those of you who remain in the office keeping the Commission standing (thanks!), please check out the heatwave instructions for dealing with hot offices and the list of buildings to be temporarily closed under Buildings Energy Saving Together (BEST) 2023[1]. Read our related article on how these closures undermine the insistence that working from home is voluntary.*
With many of us now looking forward to enjoying some well-deserved leave over the summer, we remind you that annual leave is your time to do with as you will. It is not there for you to catch up on work still needing done, it is not there for you to ‘clear your feet’ with projects, it is not there for you to monitor what is or is not happening back in the office. Being reachable all of the time is draining, contributes to burnout and can allow bullying/harassment to continue round the clock and unabated. Take this time for you and leave the office behind! Continue reading Summer holiday checklist (Tips)
Meeting the Head of Cabinet: it’s all about the money
Here are the issues we raised at the OSPs meeting with David Mueller, the Head of Commissioner Hahn’s (budget and administration) Cabinet (15.03.2023). We are all aware that we are reasonably consistently in a series of difficult situations which require additional financial resources and which put the EU Budget under pressure. But we did get an earworm during that meeting: Continue reading Meeting the Head of Cabinet: it’s all about the money
Evaluations of working time and hybrid working so far
It’s been a year since the implementation of the working time and hybrid working (WTHW) decision (entered into force 01.04.2022). The only official feedback sought during this time are the Pulse surveys of June 2022 and February 2023 (comparative) which show increasing satisfaction on every single point measured, from flexible working overall to physical working arrangements in the office to impact on work-life balance and impact on trust within the organisation. Are you surprised? We were surprised. Continue reading Evaluations of working time and hybrid working so far
Council request to further reduce spending on staff II
*Updated 07.08.2023 in response to feedback, thanks! See footnotes
Original article: Generation 2004 is closely following this latest Council request to further reducing spending on staff (Budget 2024: Council agrees on its guidelines for the establishment of next year’s EU budget, 14.03.2023, see quote below). The Commission appears to have provisionally lost 75 posts, the only institution to have lost any posts (Draft General Budget of the European Union for the financial year 2023, Working Document Part II, 2022, p. 67) Continue reading Council request to further reduce spending on staff II
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
End of year checklist: December 2022
We encourage you to rest and to recharge your batteries during the end-of-year days: 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. Why not already schedule your out-of-the-office message in Outlook today? It’s one thing you can score off your end-of-year ‘to do’ list. We present a list of suggestions here in no particular order. Please feel free to get in touch to add to this list if you’d like to share what works for you!
High time for the Commission to show flexibility!
*Update 14.12.2022 list of buildings closed Dec/Jan* We, the Commission staff, have shown (and continue to show) outstanding flexibility, especially during the recent crises: whether that’s the pandemic and the lockdowns, war in Ukraine, energy resources or skyrocketing inflation. In spite of all this and the exceptional workload these crises created for many DGs, staff made every possible effort to continue to deliver business continuity in the interest of the European people we serve. Continue reading High time for the Commission to show flexibility!
Follow-up survey on teleworking utility bills
*Update 09.01.2023: the original survey had >1200 participants, this follow-up is not yet half way, please help to make this comparison survey representative! We need you!* As promised in October, we ask you to participate in this, our follow-up survey on the utility costs related to working from home in order to make a comparison with the answers you provided to our original survey (January 2021 – January 2022). We want to demonstrate any further change in costs: our first survey related to an expected increase in the consumption of energy but the issue now is related to Continue reading Follow-up survey on teleworking utility bills
