Changing an employee’s hours or shifts in Greece: what to tell them, how much notice, and ΕΡΓΑΝΗ

What employees must be told from the start about shift changes, how much notice is needed when the schedule is not predictable, when a change is declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ, when a change becomes a detrimental change, and the fines — under the Greek Labour Code (P.D. 62/2025).

Updated: 7 October 2026 365shift

What employees are told from the start

Working time is among the essential terms the employer gives every employee (Labour Code, article 73 §1):

When the schedule is entirely or mostly predictable: the normal daily or weekly hours, the arrangements for overtime or additional work and their pay, and the arrangements for shift changes (point ιβ).
When it is mostly unpredictable: the hours and the fact that the schedule is variable, the reference hours and days within which work may be required, and the minimum notice before work is assigned together with the deadline for cancelling it (point ιγ).
This is given in writing — on paper, electronically with proof of sending or receipt, or through MyErgani — within one week of starting work at the latest (article 75 §§1–2).

Unpredictable schedules: 24 hours’ notice

When the length of work is fixed but the schedule is mostly unpredictable, the employee must work only if both conditions are met (article 190 §1):

The work falls within the reference hours and days they were given.
They were notified in writing, by SMS, email or another suitable way, at least 24 hours before — unless objective reasons justify shorter notice, which the employer has communicated.
Otherwise the employee may refuse, without unfavourable treatment (§2).
If the employer cancels an assignment after giving notice, the employee is owed the hourly wages for the hours not given (§3).

Declaring the change to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ first

Every change to working hours or working-time organisation is entered in ΕΡΓΑΝΗ ΙΙ on the day of the change at the latest, and in any case before the employee starts work (article 581 §1).
In the digital working-time organisation, changes are submitted before they apply and before the employee starts work (Ministerial Decision 40331/2019, article 2Α).
Businesses on the Digital Work Card may choose the retrospective system, where changes are entered by the end of the following month — but they must be matched by the card’s clock-ins (article 581 §3).

When a change becomes a detrimental change

Any one-sided change to the terms of employment that harms the employee is treated as termination of the contract — a dismissal, with its consequences (article 343). The Code names expressly:

a transfer to an office abroad that the employee does not accept;
a delay of more than two months in paying wages earned, whatever the reason;
an unjustified cut in pay, in particular because of joining or applying the Digital Work Card.

A change does not override the limits

At least 11 consecutive hours of rest in every 24 (article 171) and 24 + 11 hours of weekly rest (article 173) — a shift moved earlier can cut the previous night’s rest.
Part-time employees with shorter daily hours still work one continuous block a day (article 113 §7).

Fines

Not declaring the working-time organisation when hours change: €600 per full-time employee, €2,000 per part-time employee (Ministerial Decision 80016/2022, Annex II).
On the retrospective system, a change not matched by the card’s clock-ins: €10,500 per employee (article 581 §3).
Not giving, or giving incomplete, terms of the individual contract: a fine per breach depending on the size of the business, from €500 up to 10 employees to €3,000 above 250 (Ministerial Decision 80016/2022, Annex I).
In general, breaches of the information and predictability duties (articles 70–80 and 190) carry the administrative penalties of article 572 (article 81).

Changes in the shift schedule

Write into the contract how shift changes work — who decides, how much notice the employee gets and how — so that every change follows something they already know.
Declare to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ first, then change the shift: on the advance system, a change declared after work has started is already late.
In 365shift, when you publish a week each person gets an email with their own schedule, unless they have turned emails off. When you change a shift’s time, title or location, the people who stay on it get an in-app notification and the change is logged in the history.
With the ΕΡΓΑΝΗ add-on, 365shift does not let a shift be changed once it has started when the business is on the advance system; on the retrospective system, after the following month’s deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Can an employer in Greece change an employee’s shifts?

The arrangements for shift changes are among the terms given to the employee in writing (Labour Code, article 73 §1). Every change is declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ before the employee starts work (article 581 §1), and a one-sided change of terms that harms the employee is treated as a dismissal (article 343).

How much notice must an employee get in Greece?

When the schedule is mostly unpredictable, at least 24 hours, and only for work within the reference hours and days — unless objective reasons justify shorter notice (Labour Code, article 190).

When is a schedule change declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ?

On the day of the change at the latest and before the employee starts work (Labour Code, article 581 §1) — or by the end of the following month for businesses on the retrospective system (§3).

What happens if an assigned shift is cancelled?

With a mostly unpredictable schedule, if the employer cancels after giving notice, the employee is owed the hourly wages for the hours not given (Labour Code, article 190 §3).

Shift rosters and the Digital Work Card in one system

365shift builds the roster against your rules, declares it to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ as the working-time organisation and files the work card from employees’ mobile clock-ins.

See pricing

Sources

The legal references in this guide rely on the official texts below. It is not legal advice; for your case, ask your accountant or lawyer.