Flexibility days 2024 now available to request

Leave, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Part-time, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 09.03.2024: The 2025 days are also now known: 17 April Maundy Thursday, 18 April Good Friday and 30 May Day after Ascension Day.*

Original article: For those of you keen to plan the year ahead and organising things to look forward to, note that the 2024 flexibility days are now listed 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 2024 now available to request →

More missing contributions for a pension transfer-in

Assistants, Contract Agents, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Pensions, Secretaries and clerks, Temporary Agents Print This Post

While it is possible to take your pensions contributions from national systems and put them into the pension scheme of the European Union institutions (PSEUI), this is often a long-drawn-out process and it can be rather opaque. We recently highlighted the general exclusion of Member State ‘gifted’ contributions (e.g. covering times of military service or caring duties) from transfers-in and of a failed court case to try to recover the contributions where their inclusion made no difference. Now we cover a further potential complication which is delays in Member States doing their part in this process. Continue reading More missing contributions for a pension transfer-in →

Are we testing competences or IT setup?

Certification, EEAS, EPSO, Internal Competitions, Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Outside the Union Print This Post

*Update 19.02.2025: ‘By default, all [internal] competitions will be cross-category.’ (Stay tuned: A new approach for internal competitions) This is excellent news and should now put the Commission on an even footing with the Parliament and other EU institutions. We hope that this inclusion is genuine and that the competitions are not  otherwise skewed to reduce participation. This can run in parallel to the certification: use all your options!* Continue reading Are we testing competences or IT setup? →

Is it a man’s world?

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

When I came to JRC Karlsruhe a some years ago, it became quickly clear to me that the Karlsruhe site had a majority of male colleagues, by far. Being a woman, I felt at times daunted how few women we indeed were.

In the meantime, things have changed at JRC Karlsruhe: we already have the second female site director and more and more women in head of unit (HoU) and DHoU positions[1].

Continue reading Is it a man’s world? →

International Women’s Day: where are we now?

Newsletter - 2024-03-15, Standby duty, Working conditions Print This Post

Generation 2004 wants International Women’s Day (IWD) to be about action, evaluation and noting what still needs to be done. We want more than thanks or praise for women going the extra mile. We cannot pay our bills with applause![1] It’s not enough to simply call women ‘heroes‘ in March each year. Look at every declaration of a push for equality and see whether the actions match the words!

Continue reading International Women’s Day: where are we now? →

Own-initiative training: You are, in fact, on your own

Education, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2024-04-11, Professional mobility, Training, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 09.04.2024 we have received a response to our note below from HR: the own-initiative training budget is very limited but special leave might still be available as a contribution to your OIT. Please use all your options!*

Original article: If you work for the Commission and you would like to keep up with developments in your area of expertise, or to acquire new skills to help you in your work, you are in for an unpleasant surprise. Up until recently, the Commission would contribute to the fees of a successful course, making it easier to take the decision to acquire university or other qualifications later in your career – especially for colleagues at the lower end of the pay scales. Continue reading Own-initiative training: You are, in fact, on your own →

Your health: seeking transparency and action

COVID-19, disability and special needs, Health, Newsletter - 2024-02-28, PMO Print This Post

At the last meeting of the Local Staff Committee of Brussels, DG HR shared significant data regarding sickness leave and invalidity. They underlined that some of these data require further analysis which they intend to conduct to clarify reasons why, for example, more women than men are reported sick.   Continue reading Your health: seeking transparency and action →

Meet up in Seville! 20-23.02.2024

Features, Ispra-Seville Print This Post

*Update 21.02.2024: we are available at 001/A40 all day if you want to drop by and talk to us.* Original article: Generation 2004 colleagues from many different Commission sites will be in Seville from Tuesday (20. 02.2024) to Friday (23.02.2024). We will update this page with dates, times and places. Come along and tell us what you think needs to improve, what’s not working or even what you see as going well. What would you like to see change? How about how well JRC topics and tasks are distributed between the JRC sites? Come and tell us about the new JRC building plans and what they mean for you. We can tell you about the recent building moves elsewhere and what questions we need to ask. Continue reading Meet up in Seville! 20-23.02.2024 →

Commission Representations rotate anticlockwise? II

Newsletter - 2024-02-28, Representations Print This Post

As we explained in our previous article on this very topic, there is quite a lot of room for improvement in the current annual reshuffling of staff and posts around the world (‘rotation’) in EU Delegations.

To start with, there is no real provision for the rotation of Contractual Agents (CA), who form a substantial part of the staff in Representations[1]. Continue reading Commission Representations rotate anticlockwise? II →

Your opinion matters – Canteens and Cafeterias – evaluation survey

Brussels, Health, Luxembourg, Newsletter - 2024-02-28, Surveys Print This Post

*Update 17.04.2024 We continue to pursue a canteen-price-reduction scheme for Brussels, like the long-standing one in Luxembourg. We continue to see very limited progress.*

Original article: The wellbeing of European Commission staff is of paramount importance for Generation 2004. Years after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, Continue reading Your opinion matters – Canteens and Cafeterias – evaluation survey →