Are you a Commission colleague posted in a EU Delegation to a third country and are you coming back to the EU for vacation? Or perhaps you already came to Europe for a short vacation and got stuck due to COVID-19 related travel bans and as a consequence you were put on forced annual leave? Do you feel discriminated when your treatment is compared to the same situation of Commission staff residing in the EU? Continue reading Forced leave, a dream… err… a nightmare come true…
Working conditions
Summer teleworking from abroad at DG FISMA
Following Generation 2004’s constructive note to Mr John BERRIGAN, Director-General of DG FISMA, on a too strict interpretation of the DG HR rule allowing teleworking from your “home country” during the summer period , we are glad to inform that DG FISMA has decided to change its position, something we very much appreciated.
In a message recently circulated to FISMA’s staff, a restriction not intended by the general DG HR policy was introduced: Continue reading Summer teleworking from abroad at DG FISMA
MFF: Next Generation on a shoestring?
Contrary to any basic common-sense consideration, the Commission is launching its grand plans to kick-start the European economy and strengthen the EU project as a whole in the aftermath of the Coronavirus crisis while, at the same time, proposing astonishing budgetary cuts that will affect the staff that is supposed to implement such plans. Continue reading MFF: Next Generation on a shoestring?
Watch out! Updated teleworking guidelines coming on 22 June
Teleworking Guidelines 4.2.2021 are now available.
Updated Commission teleworking guidelines (replacing the previous version of these rules) were announced by DG HR on 16 June in the Communication to Commission staff – Update 15 and come into force from Monday 22 June 2020. The guidelines document is published in the MyIntracomm Coronavirus and COVID-19 News & Helpdesk page. Continue reading Watch out! Updated teleworking guidelines coming on 22 June
Generation 2004 acts to protect EU staff’s health and well-being
From the beginning of the open-space saga Generation 2004 has been consistently questioning the wisdom and practicalities of the implementation of collaborative workplaces (‘open space’) in different Commission services. In order to cut costs, the Commission is putting its employees into open-plan offices, spaces it knows to be incompatible with many of the tasks performed and which are known to compromise staff well-being. Continue reading Generation 2004 acts to protect EU staff’s health and well-being
To return or not to return (to the office)? That is the question!
Have you been asking yourself questions like these?
- Have the Commission and the EEAS (European External Action Service) put the health of colleagues at the heart of their strategy for return to the office?
- Will staff members risk their health and possibly infect their families?
If so, then you are not alone. Continue reading To return or not to return (to the office)? That is the question!
Coronavirus Special leave petition results and social dialogue
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
Covid-19 – new teleworking guidelines and reimbursements of necessary costs
Teleworking Guidelines 4.2.2021 are now available.
The Commission has published updated teleworking guidelines which first entered into force on 25 May 2020: the first day of phase 1 of the deconfinement. We summarise the most important points in this article. Please take the time to read the guidelines carefully. Different sites will have different timelines, subject to the situation on the ground and the measures taken by the host country. Continue reading Covid-19 – new teleworking guidelines and reimbursements of necessary costs
Time credits leave
*Update 19.12.2022 at the request of a colleague we have added a table, see below.* For many of us, the coronavirus crisis means we cannot visit our relatives back home, in particular older members of our families. Some of them suffer from isolation and anxiety and badly miss our support. Once the crisis calms down, we will need to catch up with them and make sure that they go back to a normal life as quickly as possible. Of course, we can use our regular leave days for that purpose. However, if your annual leave days are not sufficient, there is a little-known possibility offered by the staff regulations to supplement them: time-credit leave. Continue reading Time credits leave
Sign the petition on a coronavirus special leave for parents with children
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
