Greece introduces a six-day working week
Greece has introduced a six-day working week for some industries, following new legislation that came into effect from July 2024.
What does the new legislation mean?
The new legislation allows employees to work up to 48 hours per week, as opposed to 40 previously.
This increase in working hours is completely optional, and workers who choose to do it are entitled to be paid an extra 40% for their overtime hours.
The legislation only applies to businesses in certain industries – namely those that operate continuously, 24 hours a day, across either 5, 6 or 7 days per week using rotating shifts. It does not include businesses in tourism and food sectors.
How does this tie into the EU Working Time Directive?
Although this legislation marks an increase in the average working hours for some employees in Greece, it still falls in line with the EU Working Time Directive – which states that the maximum numbers of working hours per week should not exceed 48 hours. The new legislation also doesn’t effect the established five-day working week as mandated by law.
What’s the purpose of the new legislation?
The purpose of Greece’s new six-day working week is primarily to support and improve productivity. It is intended to serve businesses that have urgent operational demands that cannot be met through the current available supply of specialised workers.
It’s worth noting that additional working hours should only be implemented in response to increased workload, and therefore should only be used as an exceptional measure.
The new regulation is also designed to protect workers, by ensuring that previously under-declared or undeclared overtime is now recognised, recorded and fairly compensated.
The move is in contrast to other countries in Europe and the rest of the world, where a four-day working week has been either trialed or implemented. Trials of a four-day week in Iceland, for example, were deemed an ‘overwhelming success’. A second pilot project of a four-day working week is due to begin in the UK in November 2024.
Managing employee working hours and timesheets
Under the EU Working Time Directive, organisations are required to record employees working hours using a reliable, accessible and accurate time tracking system.
edays time tracking software provides global organisations with the ability to accurately record working hours and employee timesheets, for a clear picture of productivity. Our clock in & clock out functionality also enables employees to quickly and easily log their start and end times, as well as assign their working time to specific projects and activities.
