New developments for the Digital Employee Card

According to the Minister of Labor, the Digital Employee Card will start to be implemented in other sectors and businesses, increasingly broadening the scope of its implementation through a fruitful dialog.

According to the Minister of Labor, the Digital Employee Card is now entering a new phase, where it will be implemented in even more sectors and businesses. According to his precise statements, “it will slowly start to be applied to other companies from the end of this month”. Most importantly, the Digital Employee Card will be expanded from large enterprises, public utilities, etc. to smaller companies, and it is estimated that within a year from now it will be applied to all organizations.

The challenge remains to implement the Digital Employee Card in the fairest way possible as not all sectors have the same standards and requirements. This means that a fruitful dialog with all sectors of the economy is needed. To give an example, employee attendance takes place differently in a retail store and in a broadcasting medium. This means that different ministerial decisions will have to be made for each sector so that both the employees and the employers know how the card will be used.

In addition, the relevant bill of law clearly states that businesses using the Digital Employee Card will enjoy certain benefits as an incentive. Specifically, the Digital Employee Card will greatly reduce the bureaucratic burden of businesses, which will not have to make advance announcements of overtime and working hours, since the working hours of each employee will be automatically monitored through ERGANI system and of course the card. Therefore, the start and end of working time as well as the legal excess of the declared working time will be proven in real time, thus reducing the excessive administrative burden for businesses using the digital card.

This is also the logic behind the mandatory recording by employers of digitally agreed working hours for all private sector employees in the country during the second half of 2021. It should be reminded that the use of the Digital Employee Card is a crucial means of proving actual working time and actual remuneration, since it certifies the start and end of work. At the same time, it substantially contributes to the battle against undeclared/unpaid work by facilitating global and massive inspections by the Labor Inspection Authority. If any irregularity is found, the employer will be called to pay a substantial penalty per worker.