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?
Teleworking from anywhere (TWA) [1] is a recent but ongoing hot topic that interests an increasing number of staff members.
As an active member in the Commission’s social dialogue, Generation 2004 decided to address this matter and put together a well-balanced proposal [1] (June 2021) that would clarify aspects for teleworking from anywhere and be acceptable for the Commission as an employer. A first version of our proposal was included in our initial position on the new HR Strategy [2] and was sent to DG Ingestad as early as November 2020.
What did we propose?
[3]Generation 2004 proposes three complementary and well-defined schemes to frame the use of this type of TWA that should stand beyond the current pandemic:
- TWA in case of force majeure,
- TWA for up to 60 days a year,
- TWA for ad-hoc needs (including pre-retirement)
Generation 2004 believes TWA should be a right, and that it has the potential to promote better work-life balance and much needed flexibility. It will also create a healthier working environment, while reducing psychosocial risks (see European agency on Health and Safety at Work [4]). Our proposal also considers the nature of the European Public Administration, whose staff are overwhelmingly expatriates and have family ties in countries other than the country of residence. Moreover, base offer of 60 days is fully compatible with the number of days allowed before the pandemic as occasional teleworking for exceptional circumstances.
In case of crisis situations (force majeure) (e.g., pandemics, natural disasters, civil wars, etc.) Generation 2004 would like to stress that full flexibility should apply.
If you cannot innovate, copy instead – after all elections are coming
At the beginning of September (just 2 months before the elections), we have discovered that one of the trade unions copied our proposal at least with the number of days proposed, but with a misleading indication 60 + 5 in a form of a petition. However, if you read it in full depth, it says max 5 days a month. With basic maths, you can never get to 65 days per year because 5 days per month times 12 months is already 60… With this in mind, and if you already signed the petition that accompanied that proposal, we would like that you reconsider your support for it. In our opinion, such a proposal is detrimental and may negatively impact the ongoing negotiations on the on the new Working time and hybrid working decision [5]. And don’t miss our Infographic here on the right!
While some seem to work only with an eye at the electoral calendar, Generation 2004 works constantly for the long-term benefit of staff.
For any other questions do not hesitate to get in touch [6] or leave a comment below.
If you appreciate our work, please consider becoming a member of Generation 2004 [7]
Follow us!
Generation 2004 (@2004generation) / Twitter [8]
Generation 2004 – Startpagina | Facebook [9]
[1] A colleague has suggested teleworking from outside the place of APPOINTMENT works better and fits the abbreviation (TWA). What do you think? The reason for the mismatch is that the issue changed from being called telework from abroad to telework from anywhere to from outside the place of employment and may well change again yet. Please let us know in the comments below or send us an email [6].