You wake up with a fever, call in sick, and spend a week recovering. Many people assume their job is safe while they’re officially unwell. In Greece, that assumption is only partly right. Being on sick leave does not, on its own, shield you from dismissal.

Labour lawyer Giannis Karouzos made this clear on the Greek programme “ΣΚ από τις 5”. His comments were later republished from ertnews.gr. Illness creates rights around pay and fair treatment, but there is no general, absolute ban on dismissal. Here is what that means if you’re an employee, and what it means if you manage people in Greece.

Who pays when you’re off sick

Two parties can cover your income during an illness. The first is e-EFKA (Greece’s unified social security fund). According to Karouzos, a worker absent for more than three days may be entitled to sickness benefit from e-EFKA, provided they meet the insurance conditions.

The second is your employer. Depending on how long you’ve worked there, the employer may cover the difference between the e-EFKA benefit and your normal pay. Seniority matters: the covered period is longer for workers with over one year of service with the same employer. If you’ve just started a new job, your top-up period will be shorter.

Can you be dismissed while on sick leave?

Yes, in principle. Greek law does not stop an employer from ending a contract just because the employee is ill. Instead, each dismissal is judged on its own merits. The key test is whether the employer used its right to dismiss in an abusive way.

Context can change the outcome. Karouzos noted that a long absence by someone in a business-critical role may be assessed differently from a short absence in a role others can easily cover. That doesn’t make such dismissals automatically lawful. It means the circumstances will be weighed.

There is one firm line. The law prohibits workplace discrimination on grounds of disability or chronic illness. Reasonable accommodations, such as temporary changes to work arrangements or remote work, are part of that assessment.

For employees: how to protect yourself

Most disputes start with gaps in communication or paperwork. A few habits put you in a much stronger position if your employment is ever challenged:

• Notify your employer promptly. According to Karouzos, an email or a phone call is enough. An email leaves a written record.
• Keep your medical documentation. Hold on to certificates and doctor’s notes, even for short absences.
• Check your e-EFKA eligibility. If you’re off for more than three days, confirm whether you meet the insurance conditions for sickness benefit.
• Know your seniority. Your length of service affects how long your employer tops up your pay. That is worth knowing before you sign a contract or change jobs.
• Raise accommodation needs early. If you live with a chronic condition, asking about adjusted arrangements or remote work creates a clear record.

Honesty also protects you. Repeated absences without genuine illness, or using sick leave for other purposes, can damage the employment relationship and weaken any later complaint.

For HR teams: where dismissal risk sits

For employers, the lack of an absolute ban is not a green light. Every dismissal during or after illness may be examined for abuse of right. A decision that looks tied to the illness itself, rather than a documented business need, carries real legal risk.

Teams that handle this well tend to:

• Apply pay top-ups consistently, based on each employee’s length of service.
• Look at reasonable accommodations, such as temporary role changes or remote work, before considering termination, especially where disability or chronic illness is involved.
• Document the operational impact if a long absence affects a business-critical role, rather than relying on the absence alone.
• Make notification rules simple and clear, since an email or call counts as valid notice.

How a company treats sick employees rarely stays private. Colleagues notice, and that shapes trust, retention and how people describe the employer to others.

The practical takeaway

Sick leave in Greece gives you income protection and protection from discrimination, not blanket job security. If you’re an employee, prompt notice and solid paperwork are your best defence. If you’re in HR, a fair, documented process is what keeps a difficult decision from turning into a wrongful termination dispute.