When conducting a background check, employers should only gather information essential for determining the suitability for employment.

Employers may request and process employees’ health data solely for assessing their suitability and capability for the relevant position.

Personal data should primarily be obtained directly from the prospective employee. Collection from third parties, such as previous employers, is permissible under specific circumstances and requires the prospective employee’s consent.

Throughout the probationary period, employees undergo evaluation to assess their suitability for the role. This period typically spans up to six months and, upon successful completion, is recognized as working time, entitling employees to all pertinent rights.

For fixed-term employment agreements, the duration of the probationary period should be proportional to the agreement’s length. It cannot exceed one-quarter of the total agreement duration or six months, whichever is shorter.

The standard workweek in Greece consists of 40 hours, spread across five days with an average of eight hours per day. No single workday should exceed 10 hours.

In the case of organizations operating under a continuous system of rotating shifts, where employees work a five-day week, they may be permitted to work on the sixth day, provided it is officially recorded by the employer on the ERGANI platform before the commencement of work. Employees working on this additional day must not exceed eight hours of work, and overtime or additional tasks are not permitted. The employer is required to compensate employees for the sixth day’s work with regular pay and an additional premium of 40%.

Work exceeding 45 hours per week is considered overtime and necessitates payment at a 50% premium. The maximum allowable overtime hours per year are 120. Should this limit be surpassed, additional work must be compensated at a 75% premium.

Parties involved can mutually agree on alternative working time arrangements. Nevertheless, employees cannot forfeit their minimum rights concerning overtime work.

Employers are obligated to maintain records of any overtime hours worked by employees.

Greek employees receive bonuses throughout the year equivalent to an additional two months’ salary. These bonuses consist of a full month’s salary for Christmas, half a month for Easter, and another half a month for a vacation bonus.

Both parties have the right to terminate an indefinite-term employment contract without providing a reason. The employer is not obligated to justify the dismissal, although certain restrictions apply in specific circumstances, such as for pregnant women or employees on leave.

Indefinite-term employment contracts can be terminated in two ways:

• Regular termination, which involves providing prior notice. This applies mainly to white-collar employees.
• Irregular termination, which occurs without prior notice.

Termination Procedures:

Terminations must always be documented in writing and provided to the employee.
Severance payments must be made via bank transfer before delivering the termination document. Proof of transfer must be given to the employee along with the termination document.
The termination document must be submitted to the ERGANI information system within the specified timeframe for official notification.
Both parties must sign the termination document and submit it to the ERGANI electronic system within the legislated period.
Employees terminated without notice are entitled to compensation based on their length of service.

If an employee is absent without justification for more than five consecutive days, the employer issues a written notice uploaded to the ERGANI platform. Failure to return to work within five days of this notice is considered grounds for presumption of resignation.

For dismissals with prior notice, the length of the notice period is determined by the employee’s tenure as follows:

• Up to 12 months of employment: No notice required.
• 1-2 years of employment: 1 month’s notice.
• 2-5 years of employment: 2 months’ notice.
• 5-10 years of employment: 3 months’ notice.
• More than 10 full years: 4 months’ notice.

Severance pay is determined based on the employee’s length of service and is computed as follows:

• One to four years of service: Two months’ pay
• Four to six years of service: Three months’ pay
• Six to eight years of service: Four months’ pay
• Eight to 10 years of service: Five months’ pay
• 10 to 11 years of service: Six months’ pay
• 11 to 12 years of service: Seven months’ pay
• 12 to 13 years of service: Eight months’ pay
• For each additional year of service thereafter, one month’s extra pay is added, until reaching 16 years of service, where the payment remains at 12 months’ pay.

Severance payment is a mandatory component for the validity of dismissal, whether it’s with or without prior notice.

A written post-termination non-competition agreement is typically deemed lawful and enforceable under the following conditions:

• It is necessary to safeguard the legitimate business interests of the employer.
• It is restricted in terms of duration, geographic scope, scope of activity, or industry.
• It accounts for the expertise and situation of the employee.
• A fair compensation is agreed upon and provided to the employee.

Employers in Greece are barred from utilizing fixed-term contracts for permanent positions. Probationary periods for such contracts must be established before employment commences.

Key provisions for fixed-term contracts include:

• **Written Agreement:** Fixed-term contracts must be documented in writing, specifying the explicit objective reason justifying the contract’s renewal or extension.
• **Duration Limitation:** Successive fixed-term contracts cannot surpass a cumulative duration of three years.
• **Renewal Restriction:** Within a three-year span, there is a limit of three successive contract renewals.
• **Termination Terms:** Contracts conclude on the agreed-upon end date without requiring notice or severance pay. However, early termination is permissible only with substantial justification.
• **Equal Treatment:** The principle of equal treatment applies, unless objective reasons warrant differential treatment.
• **Contract Duration Exceedance:** If a contract’s duration surpasses the specified limit or there are consecutive contracts without a 45-day gap, it is presumed to fulfill permanent business needs. The burden of proof falls on the employer.
• **Unlimited Renewal:** Continuous renewal of fixed-term contracts is allowed if justified.

In Greece, employers have the legal authorization to furnish employees with digital payslips.

Employers are mandated to retain payroll reports for a minimum of 10 years. Additionally, they are required to establish an electronic system for recording employees’ work hours, which must be linked in real-time to the “ERGANI” platform. The Digital Employment Card, introduced in June 2021, is utilized to record various details such as the commencement and conclusion of daily work, breaks’ duration, and any overtime exceeding the regular working hours. This card is instrumental in ensuring employers adhere to legal regulations regarding employee work schedules.

The entitlement to annual leave for salaried employees is contingent upon their length of service and the structure of their work week. Upon commencement of employment, every employee, whether on an indefinite or fixed-term contract, is entitled to a proportionate allocation of leave days based on their weekly work schedule of either five or six days.

For each calendar year, employees with a five-day work week are entitled to 20 to 26 work days of leave, while those with a six-day work week are entitled to 24 to 31 work days. The precise number of leave days granted is determined by the employee’s tenure with the employer.

After the first year of employment, the annual leave entitlement increases by one work day for each subsequent year of service, reaching a maximum of 22 work days for those on a five-day work week and 26 work days for those on a six-day work week.

Employees who have completed 10 years of service with the same employer, or 12 years of service overall, are entitled to 25 work days of leave for a five-day work week or 30 work days for a six-day work week.

Furthermore, employees who have completed 25 years of service with the same employer or any employer are entitled to 26 work days of leave for a five-day work week, or 31 work days for a six-day work week.

It’s important to note that annual leave must be utilized by the end of the first quarter of the subsequent calendar year.

Employees are eligible for sick leave due to “short-term sickness” for a duration of up to six months, provided they present a valid medical certificate. The entitlement to sick leave benefits is contingent upon the employee’s tenure with the employer and varies accordingly. The compensation amount is also determined by the employee’s length of service with the employer.

Short-term sickness is categorized as follows:

• One month of sick leave for employees with up to 4 years of service
• Three months of sick leave for employees with 4 to 10 years of service
• Four months of sick leave for employees with 10 to 15 years of service
•  Six months of sick leave for employees with more than 15 years of service with the same employer

During the specified sick leave periods, employees are entitled to receive salary compensation according to the following guidelines:

• Up to 15 days’ pay (equivalent to half of the salary) for employees with a tenure of between 10 days and one year with the current employer
• Up to one month’s salary for employees who have completed one year of employment with the current employer

Leave entitlements for various circumstances are as follows:

• Medically-assisted reproduction leave: seven working days
• Special maternity leave for surrogacy and adoption
• School leave for children up to 18 years of age: up to four working days
• Wedding leave: five or six work days, depending on the work schedule
• Prenatal examination leave: employees may take leave without deduction from salary
• Leave for caring for a child with a disability: Employees at companies with more than 50 employees can request a reduction of one hour in their daily employment
• Leave to care for sick dependents: Six days as a base, extended to eight days for employees with two children or 14 days for employees with three or more children
• Single parents’ leave for children up to 12 years old: Six days as a base, extended to eight days for single parents with three or more children
• Leave in case of a child’s serious health issue (children up to 18 years old): Up to 10 work days per year
• Leave in case of a child’s hospitalization (children up to 18 years old): Up to 30 working days per year

Employees who have worked for six months are entitled to paid caretaker leave, amounting to five work days per calendar year. This leave is intended for caring for a relative or another individual residing in the employee’s household and requires a medical certificate for validation.

Moreover, each parent or caretaker is eligible for two paid working days off for pressing family matters arising from sickness or accidents.

Maternity Leave

Female employees are granted a nine-week maternity leave following childbirth, inclusive of all relevant remuneration and benefits. This entitlement extends to women adopting a child up to eight years old and those having a child through surrogacy.

Paternity Leave

New fathers are entitled to 14 working days of leave, which can be utilized in either of the following two ways:

• The initial two days may be taken before the anticipated birth date, with the remaining days utilized within 30 days after the birth.
• All days can be taken following the birth date.

In instances of adopting a child up to eight years old, paternity leave commences upon the child’s integration into the family.

Parental Leave

Any parent with at least one year of tenure with the employer can avail themselves of a four-month parental leave, which can be taken continuously or intermittently until the child reaches eight years of age. This provision also encompasses parents of adopted children up to eight years old, starting from the child’s integration into the family.

During the initial two months of parental leave, the Manpower Employment Organization (OAED) disburses a monthly parental leave allowance equivalent to the minimum statutory salary to each parent. These parents also receive a prorated Christmas and Easter Bonus, as well as an annual leave allowance based on their entitlement.

If a parent has multiple children, they are entitled to leave and the corresponding allowance for each child. However, one year of actual employment with the employer must be completed from the conclusion of the previous parental leave period for this provision to apply.

Single parents, following the other parent’s demise or the removal of their parental responsibilities, are entitled to double the days and allowance corresponding to parental leave.

The application for parental leave must be registered in ERGANI. This leave period is recognized as actual employment time for the calculation of remuneration, annual leave entitlements, and severance compensation in case of employment termination.

There are six official public holidays that employers must recognize: New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Assumption Day, and Christmas Day. Additionally, Labor Day and Ochi Day are designated as optional holidays by law, although it is common for employees to have these days off as well.

Beyond the official public holidays recognized by the Ministry of Labor, Greece celebrates more public holidays, some obligatory and some optional. The list of these non-fixed National Holidays remains largely consistent, resulting in a total of 12 national holidays observed each year.