Hélène*: “I got to where I am today, professionally speaking, thanks to the knowledge and experience I’ve gained throughout my career, which enable me to show others how it’s done.”

Jim* comes to see me because he doesn’t know how to approach his next appraisal interview with Simon*: “Simon does good work, but I often have to pull him up on not being very well organised.” How can Jim stay constructive during the interview?

At the start of another new year, please allow me, as in previous years, to convey my very best wishes to you. May this year bring you satisfaction at work and fulfilment in your personal lives.

“My colleague recruited his best friend’s son as a technical student and the same friend’s niece as a summer student.” (Dmitri*, 31 years old)

CERN has a demographic imbalance in gender, only about 20% of employees are female. The Organization has always been aware of this situation and aims to create a welcoming and safe environment for all employees, regardless of gender.

Many of us feel anxious at the thought of having to negotiate, but, whether we like it or not, negotiation is part of everyday life, both at work and in our personal lives.

“I’m rushed off my feet! I don’t know where to start. Even when I have time off, I just can’t relax. So when Sunday evening comes around, I feel as if I haven’t got anything done!”

Dan* is responsible for one of the robots in the workshop. You are his supervisor and you suspect that the rejection rate is much higher than usual when he is at the controls. You check the operations log and your suspicions are confirmed.

I know many of us are even busier than usual during the long shutdown, scrambling to finish all our tasks to keep the work on schedule. On top of that, we have to deal with numerous organisational constraints and competing priorities, not to mention extra safety precautions.

I recently presented the 2018 Ombud’s Report to the CERN Management and then to TREF, and I’d like to outline the main points for you here.