How do those outside the Union get reimbursed for PCR tests?

COVID-19, Health, Outside the Union Print This Post

Generation 2004 is aware that sometimes colleagues are unsure which polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are eligible for reimbursement and which ones are not; especially with the upcoming Easter holiday.

Those covered by the Joint Sickness Insurance Scheme (JSIS): you can refer to the specific guidelines for detail for all cases, but, in short, PCR tests done by national authorities and approved laboratories can be reimbursed by the JSIS. Continue reading How do those outside the Union get reimbursed for PCR tests? →

Remote-working precedent: a workaround or a can of worms?

CHAFEA, Cost of living Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Newsletter - 2021-03-26, Outside the Union, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

In January a call for expression of interest presented the possibility to work in a DG Health and Food Safety (SANTE [1]) unit in Luxembourg from any Commission site ‘for about six months’. As stated in the email, the initial Luxembourg-wide call had been unsuccessful, so this was a ‘plan B’ of sorts in these difficult times, a workaround.

Unfortunately, this quick fix opens a can of worms (there are so many issues here we almost didn’t know where to begin, hence the delay in writing this article. If you spot any additional issues, please feel free to get in touch and we’ll add them to this list!) Continue reading Remote-working precedent: a workaround or a can of worms? →

Teleworking from abroad before the Easter break

COVID-19, Health, Newsletter - 2021-03-04, Teleworking Print This Post

You asked, we listened! Many of you have contacted us recently to enquire about the possibility to telework from abroad before the Easter break [1], as was the case in summer 2020 and before Christmas (setting a precedent).

We at Generation 2004 reacted promptly to your requests by asking DG HR to allow this flexibility again. It was our previous requests on your behalf that resulted in the possibility to telework from abroad for 2 weeks in the summer and before the Christmas break: these requests were accepted and led to a well-deserved and very-much-appreciated flexibility for staff, after months of isolation and restrictions due to the measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Continue reading Teleworking from abroad before the Easter break →

Latest news on COVID vaccination, teleworking and the right to disconnect

COVID-19, Health, Newsletter - 2021-03-04, PMO, Social Dialogue, Teleworking Print This Post

At Generation 2004 we continue to closely follow the development of all matters related to the COVID-19 pandemic and to voice your concerns and requests to the administration.

Here you find the most up-to-date information provided during the last meeting with DG HR devoted to COVID-19 (the 20th on the issue so far!) held 12 February 2021, complemented with that provided in communication update 30. Continue reading Latest news on COVID vaccination, teleworking and the right to disconnect →

Certification: you asked, we answer!

Assistants, Certification, Newsletter - 2021-03-04 Print This Post

You asked us (conference, 28.1.2021) how many assistants (ASTs) successfully complete the certification process (no mean feat!) but do not find an administrator (AD) post.[*] This information is not so readily available but we’re good at digging and we asked HR to fill in some blanks and clear up discrepancies.

We count 1097 successful officials (the certifiés/those ’certified’ as apt [1]) in total from all 15 certification procedures to date (2005-2019 [2]) using HR reports for 2015 and 2019, together with administrative notices. HR confirms this count but provides figures which differ slightly from those published (see updated tables below [3]). Continue reading Certification: you asked, we answer! →

Digital overload and the right to disconnect: the Commission must act now!

COVID-19, Health, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2021-03-04, Teleworking Print This Post

As Commission staff, we are now approaching one full year of compulsory teleworking, with no clear prospects as to when we will be able to go back to the office. Many of you contacted us at Generation 2004 to share your concerns regarding what this ‘new way of working’ means in practice: sitting more hours in front of the computer, being forever reachable, reading emails at midnight Continue reading Digital overload and the right to disconnect: the Commission must act now! →

The ONE: the latest casualty of the hot-desking policy of the Commission

Health, Newsletter - 2021-03-04, Open Plan Office, return to the office-new normal, Social Dialogue, Working conditions Print This Post
A silent revolution, without the involvement of staff and staff representatives.

One year ago, on Friday 13 March 2020, we were all told to go home and start teleworking. No one would have imagined at the time that by now the vast majority of staff would still be doing compulsory 100% telework.

However, while we are sitting at home doing our best to continue delivering on our objectives in spite of all the difficulties created by the pandemic, in our empty buildings things are moving fast. A silent revolution, already well under way, pre-Corona, continues full steam ahead: from DG BUDG, to DG TRADE, to the new Publications Office (OP) (POST-Mercier), to the Jean Monnet 2 (JMO2) and now rue de la Loi. Continue reading The ONE: the latest casualty of the hot-desking policy of the Commission →

The mystery of how DGs choose promotion proposals

Newsletter - 2021-03-04, Promotions Print This Post

At this time of year, many of us learn in our career development review (CDR) whether our hopes for promotion are likely to be met. While there are a relatively small number of colleagues who will be also promoted via the appeals process in the autumn, for most of us it is appearing on the DG proposal lists that is key to our promotions. (As a guide, for 2020 it was 18 June.[1]) Continue reading The mystery of how DGs choose promotion proposals →

2021 Contract Agent Mobility exercise – Please let us know your challenges!

Contract Agents, Outside the Union, Professional mobility Print This Post

In the 2021 exercise Generation 2004 noted that following the conclusion of the first phase of the mobility exercise, a significant number of Contract Agents (CAs) [1]:

    • did not receive an invitation for an interview from any of the five countries in which they had expressed an interest:
    • did not receive an offer for any of the five countries in which they had expressed an interest.

Continue reading 2021 Contract Agent Mobility exercise – Please let us know your challenges! →