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Changing a shift in ERGANI II: when the change must be declared

When a shift change must be declared in Greece’s ERGANI II, what applies with the digital work card and the retrospective system, and how no change gets lost.

By the Postorunner team · law as of

Part of the guide: Shift scheduling for businesses with several stores: the guide

A shift change is declared in ERGANI II before the start time of the new hours. It can be declared the same day, as long as it is in before the shift. The one exception is for businesses on the digital work card that have chosen the retrospective system: there, changes are recorded afterwards, as long as the card confirms them.

At a glance

  • Each employee’s initial hours are declared in the Digital Organisation of Working Time before they apply, for example weekly or monthly.
  • Every change (time, day off, swap, overtime, sixth day) is declared before it takes effect.
  • With the digital work card, a business can choose the retrospective system (since 1.7.2024) and record changes afterwards.
  • Anything not declared properly is a mismatch, with a fine per employee.

The initial hours

Before the period starts, each employee’s hours are declared in ERGANI II: which days they work, from when to when, and which are days off. Usually payroll does this, from the schedule the business sends. What is declared there is the “truth” every inspection is compared with, and, where it applies, every punch of the digital work card.

The change: before its start time

If the hours change, the change is declared before it applies. If Thursday’s shift moves from 14:30 to 10:00, the change must be submitted before 10:00 on Thursday.

Changes include:

  • a shift that moves or changes length;
  • a day off that moves to another day;
  • a swap between two colleagues, which changes both people’s hours;
  • cover at another store, which changes both stores’ schedules;
  • overtime, which is also declared before it is worked;
  • a sixth day on a five-day week, where allowed, declared before the work starts.

The retrospective system

Since 1 July 2024, a business on the digital work card can choose not to record changes in advance:

  1. It declares this by the last day of the month, for at least one calendar month starting the next month.
  2. It still keeps initial hours, weekly or monthly.
  3. It records changes after they happen, within the set deadline.
  4. It can return to declaring in advance by saying so before the month starts.

The retrospective system doesn’t mean changes don’t count: a change with no card punch to confirm it carries a fine of €10,500 per employee.

Where changes get lost in practice

Most undeclared changes aren’t a decision not to declare. They are changes that never reached whoever declares:

  • The change was made on the phone. The manager agreed a swap, but the schedule payroll has is the old one.
  • The change was made at another store. The employee covered a shift elsewhere, and their own store found out at the end of the week.
  • The change doesn’t show. The corrected spreadsheet looks exactly like the first one, and nobody knows what changed.
  • The change broke something else. A swap that fixes one day leaves less than 11 hours’ rest the next.

Where Postorunner helps

Postorunner submits nothing to ERGANI. What it does is make sure no change gets lost between the store and payroll:

  • When the schedule is ready, you validate it. From then on, every new or changed shift is marked as a change.
  • A swap between two colleagues is marked as a swap, and the shift someone lost as removed, so it doesn’t look like a normal day off.
  • A shift at another store is marked as a loan.
  • In the ΩΡΟΜΕΤΡΗΣΗ timesheet, changes after validation are written in red: payroll sees at a glance what it has to declare.
  • Every change by hand is checked on save, just like the generated week. A swap is never blocked, but if it breaks the rest rule it shows a warning.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change a shift on the same day?

Yes, as long as the change is declared in ERGANI II before the start time of the new hours. Under the digital work card’s retrospective system, it can also be recorded afterwards.

Does a shift swap have to be declared?

Yes. A swap changes two people’s hours, so it is a change for both of them.

Who makes the declaration in ERGANI?

The employer, and usually payroll on its behalf. That is why what matters is that every change reaches payroll in time.

Sources

This article describes the general rules as they stand on 2 November 2026; it is not legal advice. Deadlines and fines are set by ministerial decisions, so for your own case, talk to your accountant or legal adviser.

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