Childcare

The future: no more lunch in Commission buildings

Childcare, Newsletter - 2021-05-21, return to the office-new normal, Working conditions Print This Post

If you were fantasising about returning to the office one day and resuming the usual lunch with colleagues [1], think again!

The new L107 (the ONE, Brussels), apparently the role model for all Commission buildings in the very near future – will not have a canteen, even though it will house more than 1500 staff – indeed, such a large number of people would fully justify the presence of a canteen. So, it seems that with the ‘new normal’, everybody who wants to eat in this showpiece Commission building will be treated to the following choice: either try to run faster than the others to get a spot at the – very small! – cafeteria in the building or lose a lot of precious time to go to possibly overcrowded canteens in other buildings. Continue reading The future: no more lunch in Commission buildings →

New teleworking scheme: longer working days and more micromanagement?

Childcare, Health, IT kit for telework, New HR strategy, Newsletter - 2021-04-28, Open Plan Office, Staff Regulations Reform, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

During our 13 months of compulsory 100% teleworking for almost all of us, Generation 2004 has submitted to DG HR countless requests to start a dialogue on the conditions under which staff were and are expected to work from home – both in the current force majeure global-pandemic situation and when staff are able to go back to the office. DG HR finally reached out to the trade unions and staff associations (OSPs) for a social dialogue meeting focusing on teleworking (16 April) which we very much hope to be the first of many such meetings. Continue reading New teleworking scheme: longer working days and more micromanagement? →

Latest on COVID: vaccines a little behind initial estimates

Childcare, COVID-19, Leave, Newsletter - 2021-03-26, Open Plan Office, return to the office-new normal, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

*Update 11.10.2022 Covid booster II campaign is starting soon (again medical service in Brussels and national authorities elsewhere) and flu vaccine is already available on some sites* Commissioner Hahn said in his video message (16.3.2021) that ‘we are all impatient to be free again’. At this stage, please allow me to modify his message and stress that ‘we are all impatient to be finally vaccinated’ (at least most of us). After 1 year of teleworking at home we are all fed up with this situation and cannot wait to resume a normal life. While entering the third wave, we are facing yet another lockdown. As most countries begin to tighten the restrictions, the vision of going to visit our loved ones over the Easter period seems to be vanishing. The pressure is high, our workload has increased, some of us at the brink of burnout, digital overload is a hard reality and some of us are worried about our family members in other Member States, which are currently fighting for their lives. Continue reading Latest on COVID: vaccines a little behind initial estimates →

Update to special-leave-for-parents petition

Childcare, COVID-19, Health, Newsletter - 2021-02-03, Petition, Surveys, Teleworking, Working conditions Print This Post

Further to our June 2020 article From the special-leave-for-parents petition to the social dialogue meeting and the closure of the corresponding petition for special leave for parents of young children in August 2020 with 2121 signatures, we continue to do what we can to ensure that your voice is heard and that parents of young children are not simply left to get on with it.  Continue reading Update to special-leave-for-parents petition →

Commission childcare facilities in Brussels during the COVID-19 crisis

Childcare, COVID-19, Newsletter - 2020-06-17 Print This Post

Generation 2004 has received several questions related to childcare facilities in the Commission during the COVID-19 period and the possible reimbursement of costs. In this article we present  you with the most important information on this subject. Continue reading Commission childcare facilities in Brussels during the COVID-19 crisis →

From the special-leave-for-parents petition to the social dialogue meeting

Childcare, COVID-19, Newsletter - 2020-06-17, Social Dialogue Print This Post

Following the Generation 2004 petition for special leave for parents [1], and at Generation 2004’s specific request, 3 June 2020 DG HR organised a social dialogue (SD) meeting to discuss the difficult situation of colleagues who are struggling to cope with this no-school and no-childcare situation over this extended period. Continue reading From the special-leave-for-parents petition to the social dialogue meeting →

Coronavirus Special leave petition results and social dialogue

Childcare, COVID-19, Leave, Newsletter - 2020-06-02, Petition, Social Dialogue Print This Post

Generation 2004’s petition for special leave for parents with young children was a great success. At the time of writing this article, it has gathered over 1950 signatures (Update: 2090 signatures as of 09/06/2020) [1].

Continue reading Coronavirus Special leave petition results and social dialogue →

Sign the petition on a coronavirus special leave for parents with children

Childcare, COVID-19, Newsletter - 2020-05-05, Teleworking Print This Post

After receiving complaints from many colleagues, Generation 2004 decided to launch a petition to pressure the Commission to help colleagues who have to telework and, at the same time, educate and take care of young children. This situation puts additional stress on families and is not sustainable for longer period. Continue reading Sign the petition on a coronavirus special leave for parents with children →