Operation Hiver – Winter is over

additional teleworking costs, building closures, Newsletter - 2024-04-11, office temperatures, Open Plan Office, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 15.10.2024, while we did receive a response from HR it did not provide the requested figures, we are following up on this. In the meantime, please continue to complain to your proximity team (Brussels/Luxembourg) if you suspect that your work area is below the minimum[*]: leave a paper trail!*

Original article: Winter is over and we have not yet received a reply to our note to HR and OIB/OIL asking for the year of data on office temperatures. Continue reading Operation Hiver – Winter is over →

European Schools – It’s not about asking for extra budget

European Schools, Newsletter - 2024-04-11 Print This Post

Some of the problems of European Schools are difficult to solve: perhaps the biggest are the lack of career perspectives in general for the teachers (but particularly for those recruited locally e.g. in Ispra) requiring a structural organizational change, and the long-standing overcrowding in Brussels requiring substantial investment. But, it’s not simply enough to throw money at the problems, greater reform is needed to future-proof the European School education system. Continue reading European Schools – It’s not about asking for extra budget →

From culture of trust to control freak

Data Protection, Health, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2024-04-11, Open Plan Office, Staff Regulations Reform, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

*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 From culture of trust to control freak →

Electric vehicle (EV) charging-point disparity

Brussels, commuting, Environment, Geel, Ispra-Seville, Luxembourg, Mobility and Climate, Newsletter - 2024-04-11, OIB, Petten Print This Post

*Update 14.10.2024 Luxembourg-based colleagues, the maximum reimbursement (‘ceiling’) for cross-border commuter passes has been doubled to €500 from 01.10.2024.*

*Update 24.07.2024 the Green Commuting Communication for staff in Brussels mentions the ongoing provision of FREE EV charging there, with no end date in sight. There is no date as yet for EV charging to be made available (free or otherwise) in Luxembourg buildings. The same text proposes to pay Brussels-based colleagues who cycle €100 per year. We asked about provision for other sites, but the response was negative. Why the inconsistency? Mixed messages on greening undermine the whole idea.* Continue reading Electric vehicle (EV) charging-point disparity →

One step forward in our fight: internal competition for AST & AST/SC (+training offer)

Administrators, Assistants, Education, Events, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2024-02-28, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents, Training Print This Post

*Update 23.05.2024, COM/AST3/2024 competition exam date will be June 5, 2024. Enrolment on COM AST3 training with follow up sessions are closed. Registration for the self-study option is still open.  *Update 02.05.2024 COM/AST3/2024 indicative planning has been updated, but still not precise enough to allow for holiday planning. Continue reading One step forward in our fight: internal competition for AST & AST/SC (+training offer) →

The European Commission infringes data protection

Data Protection, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Working conditions Print This Post

*UPDATE 24.01.2024: Instead of correcting the transfers, the Commission has appealed the EDPS decision at court. The European Commission’s use of Microsoft 365 infringes data protection law for EU institutions and bodies. This is the statement by the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS), the independent supervisory authority for the protection of personal data and privacy for EU institutions, as published in its press release EDPS/2024/05 of 11 March 2024.  Continue reading The European Commission infringes data protection →

High time for more flexible teleworking, also from abroad!

additional teleworking costs, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, return to the office-new normal, Social Dialogue, Teleworking, teleworking from anywhere, Working conditions Print This Post

The implementation of the Decision on Working Time and Hybrid Working (WTHW) was evaluated by DG HR at the end of 2023 and, while targeted actions are now expected, there will be no big revision, the promised flexibility is still one-sided. Generation 2004 was pleased to notice that the evaluation is overall very positive and that many managers also appreciated the enhanced flexibility of WTHW and made use themselves of the possibilities to better reconcile their private and professional lives. Continue reading High time for more flexible teleworking, also from abroad! →

Special categories of personal data (biometric: fingerprints) for building access

Cyber-security, Data Protection, Health, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Working conditions Print This Post

Fingerprint enrolment (biometric data) of staff for any workplace access is not something that can be done ad hoc. Data-protection legislation (GDPR)[1] states that biometric data is a special category of personal data and subject to specific processing conditions. The European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) raised this very same issue with the European Parliament in 2023[2]. Continue reading Special categories of personal data (biometric: fingerprints) for building access →

Immobile remboursements via Mobility.net

Brussels, Commission services, commuting, Mobility and Climate, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, OIB Print This Post

*Update 24.10.2024 We’re aware of OIB now accepting cross-border commuter passes reimbursement requests via myPMO, but Luxembourg-based colleagues are to use the same method as before.*

Original article: Brussels-based officials, temporary staff or Contract Agents, Generation 2004 has heard your dissatisfaction regarding the process of (partial) ticket reimbursement via Mobility.net loud and clear…

Picture this: You enrolled[1] in the Mobility.net system all those months ago and have had to wait until your third monthly ticket expires before being eligible to submit a request for the Commission to contribute to your travel costs. Continue reading Immobile remboursements via Mobility.net →

Ukraine: Easter action 2024

crisis-response action, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Outside the Union, Ukraine 2022 Print This Post

*Update 18.03.2024 5 days of volunteering extended to 2024.* A group of volunteers is preparing an Easter transport with humanitarian help for Ukraine.

If you would like to support their action, please have a look at the Ukrainian handicrafts they offer for sale. To know how the group uses funds, please see the photos and videos from the last deliveries. Should you need more information, please contact the group directly. Continue reading Ukraine: Easter action 2024 →