Coping with COVID-19

Like many organisations across the globe, the EUIPO has turned to teleworking in order to cope with, and help control, the spread of COVID-19.

First and foremost, the best news is that, so far, none of the staff has been diagnosed with the virus. It is still early days but it is an encouraging sign.

With regards to the practical situation, after the first week, with Spain now on strict lockdown, it looks as if we are able to work fine and to balance the inconvenience of having to stay home while, in some cases, home schooling children.

Our thanks go to the small dedicated team of approximately 20 who continue to go into the Office under our Business Continuity Plan, so that the vast majority can continue to work remotely.

One concern is how to combat the potential for social isolation for staff who are at home alone. We are trying to encourage as much interaction as possible with friends and colleagues through electronic means.

We need to support each other as well, even more so in the current situation than we do normally.

Coming to the practical arrangements, there have been relatively few technical difficulties and more than 1 300 of us have been connecting remotely to the Office every day. It shows that the preparations made on the mobile workplace and our central system in the last couple of years were necessary and do work.

As regards incoming workload, so far there has not been an appreciable slowdown in applications and other files, although this is expected to take place in the next couple of weeks.

Production is going well in all areas. Time limits for users have been extended and our IT systems are being adjusted accordingly.

After a small peak of calls early this week and finding technical solutions for our first line call centre agents to work from home, we are back to normal on customer interactions. The Translation Centre is also teleworking but the workflow continues as usual. We have currently stopped Stakeholder Quality Assurance Panels and customer panels but are looking at how this could be done online if the situation continues.

The Boards of Appeal have also adapted their working methods and continue their work, even if horizontal activities and participation in events had to be cancelled.

The Observatory work is also going ahead through electronic means. Of course events and network physical meetings have been cancelled but virtual interaction with stakeholders is taking place as well as studies and communication campaigns. Today, for example, a joint study with the OECD on pharmaceutical products has been launched.

I am happy to say that the Office’s popular webinars will continue. Although last Tuesday’s edition was cancelled, speakers will now be able to deliver their lessons without physical presence in the Office.

The SME programme has launched the cross-departmental working groups and these are starting their work virtually.

With regard to cooperation projects both in Europe and internationally, work continues remotely with national offices in the Member States and third countries regarding the implementation of tools and practices. Many activities in these programmes have been virtualised. 

We have also adapted to the fact that some national offices are running at reduced capacity or are closed. The users have, of course, the same problems and user group meetings are also being adapted. Work with the Commission continues through video conferences. The Court of Justice has suspended all oral hearings but the preparation of cases and the necessary legal decisions to adapt the Office work to the new situation is continuing.

As you can see, a lot is going on, not just on normal operations but also on the management of changes required to ensure we can continue to deliver our services to businesses and citizens and help the economy in these difficult times.

Once again, none of this would be possible without everyone on our team who has worked tirelessly to find innovative solutions in order to deliver results.

I would like to thank all our staff, our stakeholders and customers, and also their friends and families. We are all in this together. Look after yourselves, stay safe and support each other in the best way you can.