Survey of European Patent Office staff points to ongoing concerns

Staff say working conditions have grown more demanding, according to report

A survey of staff at the European Patent Office has reported ongoing concerns about working conditions, according to the Staff Union of the European Patent Office. EPO staff have held repeated strikes over their working conditions in recent years, but a change of EPO president in 2018 had offered hope for improvements.

A report published by Suepo on 28 January said that 42 per cent of staff “totally agreed” in the 2020 survey that their workload was “excessive”, up from 31 per cent in 2016, 18 per cent in 2013 and 15 per cent in 2010. More staff also reportedly totally agreed in 2020 than in preceding years that they receive contradictory instructions from different people, that their tasks are often interrupted before completion and that their work environment is hectic. A reported 25 per cent of staff said their job is “very demanding”, up from 20 per cent in 2016, 13 per cent in 2013 and 10 per cent in 2010.