The four-day week and flexible working time in Greece: how the arrangement works

How a business in Greece can schedule up to 10 hours a day in busy periods and fewer later, without paying extra work or overtime; who agrees it, which limits apply, how a four-day week works and what is declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ — under article 202 of the Greek Labour Code (P.D. 62/2025), the working-time arrangement (διευθέτηση).

Updated: 7 October 2026 365shift

What the arrangement is

In businesses with contractual hours of up to 40 a week, it may be agreed that for one period — the period of increased work — the employee works up to 2 hours a day above 8, and that the extra hours are taken off another period, the period of reduced work (Labour Code, article 202 §1a).

Instead of fewer hours, the compensation may be given as rest days, as extra days of paid annual leave, or as a mix (§1a).
The two periods together — the reference period — last from one week to 12 months (§1a).
It also applies to seasonal businesses and to contracts shorter than one year (§9).

The limits

Up to 10 hours a day in the period of increased work (article 202 §5a).
Hours above the legal daily schedule up to 10, and above 40 a week, are not paid as extra work or overtime: article 194 does not apply (§5a).
Over the reference period the average stays at 40 hours a week (or the shorter contractual schedule), not counting extra work and legal overtime in the period of reduced work. Including those, the average may not exceed 48 hours a week (§1c).
The compulsory rest rules apply in full during the period of increased work (§1c): 11 consecutive hours of daily rest, 24 + 11 hours of weekly rest, and a break once work exceeds 4 consecutive hours (articles 171–173).
In the period of reduced work, any hour worked above the agreed reduced schedule is paid under article 194, as extra work or overtime (§5b).

Who agrees it

It is set by a company-level collective agreement, or by an agreement of the employer with the business’s union for its members, with the works council, or with an association of persons (article 202 §6).
An association of persons can be formed by at least 25% of the employees in a business with more than 20, or 15% in a business with up to 20 (§6).
If none of these exists, or no agreement is reached with them, the arrangement may be applied by written agreement between the employer and the employee (§6).
Company-level collective agreements and the agreements of §6 are filed with the competent Labour Inspectorate (§10). Sector and company collective agreements may set a different arrangement system (§7).

The four-day week

Within an arrangement, four days of work a week also count as full-time employment (Labour Code, article 189 §2).

With the limit of 10 hours a day, 4 × 10 = 40 hours: four days cover a full week.
Without an arrangement, full daily hours on a five-day week are 8 (article 189 §1), and working hours may not exceed 8 a day (article 187).
In the ΕΡΓΑΝΗ declaration of the arrangement, the four-day week is described in the remarks, together with the periods of increased and reduced work (Ministerial Decision 40331/2019, article 2Α).

Declaring it to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ ΙΙ

The arrangement is declared as a change of employment details (“Διευθέτηση του χρόνου εργασίας”) before it applies and before the employee starts work (Ministerial Decision 40331/2019, articles 2 and 2Α).
The declaration states the type — collective or individual agreement — with a mandatory description in the remarks, and the reference period from–to, no shorter than one week and no longer than one year (article 2Α).
A working-time organisation declaration consistent with the arrangement must then be submitted (article 2Α).

Pay, and what happens if employment ends early

While the arrangement lasts, the employee is paid as for 40 hours a week — or for the shorter weekly schedule, if that applies in the business (article 202 §4).
If the contract ends before the employee receives all or part of the compensation of the reduced period, the extra hours are paid on termination under article 194, as extra work or overtime (§12).
More generally, if the arrangement is not applied or not completed for any reason — notably resignation or dismissal — the rules on exceeding the daily and weekly hours apply in full (§8).

Fines

Per employee concerned (Ministerial Decision 80016/2022, Annex II):

€1,000 when, on termination, the extra hours worked under the arrangement are not paid.
€1,000 for not paying for work beyond the working-time limits.
€600 when no working-time organisation declaration is submitted for a change in a full-time employee’s hours; €2,000 for a part-time employee.

The arrangement and the shift schedule

Plan the whole reference period before it starts: how many peak weeks, how many quiet ones, and how the 40-hour average works out.
Keep a balance for each employee: hours worked above 40 and hours given back. If they leave before the compensation, the remaining hours are paid.
Rest does not change: a 10-hour shift ending at 22:00 lets the next one start at 09:00 at the earliest.
In 365shift, the hours panel shows each employee’s working, night and public-holiday hours for the period you are viewing in the schedule, and a four-day week can be saved as a week template to apply again. 365shift does not keep an arrangement balance or declare the arrangement to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ: you or your accountant keep those.

Frequently asked questions

Is a four-day work week legal in Greece?

Yes. Within a working-time arrangement, four days of work a week count as full-time employment (Labour Code, article 189 §2); at 10 hours a day they make up 40.

What is the working-time arrangement (διευθέτηση) in Greece?

An agreement that for one period the employee works up to 2 hours a day above 8, and those hours are taken off another period, over a reference period of one week to 12 months (Labour Code, article 202 §1).

How many hours a day are allowed under the arrangement?

Up to 10 hours a day in the period of increased work, with an average of 40 hours a week over the reference period (Labour Code, article 202 §§1c, 5a).

Are the extra hours of the arrangement paid?

In the period of increased work, hours up to 10 a day and above 40 a week are not paid as extra work or overtime; the employee receives pay for 40 hours (Labour Code, article 202 §§4, 5a). If the contract ends before the compensation, they are paid under article 194 (§12).

Can the arrangement be agreed with one employee?

Yes, by written agreement between employer and employee, when there is no union, works council or association of persons, or no agreement is reached with them (Labour Code, article 202 §6).

How is the arrangement declared to ΕΡΓΑΝΗ?

As a change of employment details, before it applies: type (collective or individual agreement) with a description, the reference period from–to, and then a working-time organisation declaration consistent with it (Ministerial Decision 40331/2019, article 2Α).

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.