How To Resign In Greece

How To Resign In Greece

“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”

Winston Churchill.

Change is always good and appreciated unless it’s too frequent. You can’t keep yourself stuck to one job for years and years. You want professional and personal growth in your job, so you must switch jobs at reasonable intervals. In this guide, we will get to know how to resign in Greece professionally and respectfully. 

Read This Before You Quit Your Job

In Greece, the probation period for most companies is one year or 12 months. During this time period, you can resign from your job at any time without any notice mentioned in the contract. But if you have been working in a company for more than a year, then the contract’s conditions for resignation are written. These conditions vary depending on the time one has served in the company. 

An open-ended contract is the standard employment contract where you are employed in a company for one to two years; then, there will be one month’s notice period that will serve after the resignation period. Two to 5 years of service in any company and two month notice period will be considered after giving a resignation. Similarly, this time period increases with time spent in the company or an office. 

For a fixed-term contract that lasts for a specific duration, you are not supposed to give any notice period. Because you were just employed for a specific project, you and the company are free to move on once it is done. 

7 Steps To Quit Your Job In Greece

Please switch your job for some good, but we suggest you carefully understand all the pros and cons of leaving your current job. Any betterment in Your current job specification with the new one will help you clearly understand whether this is good for you. This will be a big decision, so we suggest you note down all the points to decide better.

You must be sure about your decision before quitting and presenting your resignation to the boss. Now let’s move on to the steps needed to quit the job.

Check Your Contract For Your Notice Period

The first and foremost important thing is to open your employment and check out how much notice period is mentioned on the contract. Different employers have different notice periods. Some employers ask for a week’s notice period, whereas some ask for months. Being an employee, you should know the importance of this notice period. You can start your new job once the notice period is over. 

If nothing is mentioned in the contract, then the general rule applies to the employee on probation; neither parties give notice. For one to two years, the notice period is of one month. For two to five years notice period is of 2 months. Similarly, the notice period is three months for 5 to 10 years of service, and for more than ten years of service, the notice period extends to 4 months. 

How To Resign In Greece 1

Check When You Should Hand In Your Resignation Letter

Once you have decided to leave your job, check your contract when the notice period starts. Some employers start their calendar month on mid of month, some start their calendar year on the first, and some consider it at the end of the month. After learning about your notice period, you should check when the calendar month starts of your current employment. 

If the calendar month starts on the first of the month, you should submit your resignation on the first of the month. The same is the case with the calendar month starting on the 15th of every month. For that, you must submit your resignation before the 15th.

Of course, your resignation will be accepted once it is hand signed. Calculate the shipping days if you are not handing over your resignation yourself.

 Write Your Termination Letter

Every employer has a specific format in which the resignation letter is accepted. So you should know the format in which your employer will be accepting your resignation letter. It will save you time for rewriting if the need arises. Do remember to check for the reference letter.

How To Resign In Greece 2

Check How Many Vacations Days You Have Left

If you still have not availed of the yearly vacations during the job, then you are lucky enough that you will have those vacations right now that you can avail. The number of vacations depends upon the years you have spent in your company and the time of the year you are resigning. 

Now, it is also important that you know how many vacations are available for you because you must also process the proper handover plan to the supervisor.  

Schedule The Appointment With Your Supervisor

As we discussed earlier, whenever you resign from any company or firm, you should keep your doors open for the future. It would help if you handed over your resignation by yourself whenever you resign. This shows your professionalism and dedication towards your work. If you are engaged in any remote job or an online contract, you can opt for a video call with your boss or supervisor. 

Let’s say there is a meeting set with your supervisor; then you should take care of the following things:

Say That You Are Quitting Your Job

Always state your reason clearly for leaving a company or changing your job. Do mention the good things you learnt from the current environment. Remember to mention your learning journey and what new things you will learn in your new place. 

Avoid saying anything that spreads negativity or includes any negative impression of the company. This will upset the boss. 

Hand In Your Resignation Letter

It’s always good if you hand over your resignation by hand and get an acknowledgement receipt signed by the supervisor. 

If you are away and working remotely on the job, then you can book a video call with your supervisor and ask to whom you will send your resignation letter by post. 

Remember that your notice period always starts when your boss receives your resignation letter by post or in person, with the accurate, current date. Then it needs to get signed by the supervisor.

Announce Your Resignation To Your Team

Once you hand over the resignation to the supervisor, it’s good to ask him when they suggest you tell your team about your resignation. There can be a situation when the supervisor has already planned a meeting with the team where he is going to announce this change. 

If your supervisor asks you to announce your resignation, then it’s up to you how you will tell your teammates about your resignation. Usually, a team meeting is set to announce such news. You should announce it as soon as possible, so your team members prepare for your departure. 

How To Resign In Greece 3

Discuss Handover Of Projects

One of the most important things is if you are leaving your seat from the manager post, you must do some projects that you will be managing as a head; now you have to hand over these projects properly for its smooth run. The supervisor should have enough time to assign these responsibilities to the existing employee, or he can hire a new person if the need arises. The replacement should also have sufficient time to understand and take the project from that point. 

Talk About Remaining Vacation Days

Once the supervisor has accepted your resignation, this is the time when you need to talk about your remaining annual leaves. Your supervisor will have a more precise date for your last day, so you better plan your vacations with the supervisor’s consent. 

Even though these are your vacations, you still need to train a person as well for your current role, so you might have to compromise a little bit on vacations, but that’s OK as you have spent good time here and you have to leave the job on a good note.

Complete Your Notice Period

You need to be helpful, motivated, valuable and accommodating towards your peers during the last days of your job. Your exemplary behaviour will positively impact your peers and employer, and they will give positive feedback once you leave the job.

Consider the following points to prepare yourself for the last weeks of work. 

Plan Remaining Vacation Days

Do check your vacation dates with your teammates before going on vacations. Are they okay with your off days? 

Don’t Leave Open Tasks

Make sure that you finish any of your incomplete tasks before you leave. If you have an open task at your departure, it can negatively impact you. 

Prepare The Handover Of Projects

Keep in contact with the supervisor about who will take over your projects—schedule time with that person for a proper handover. If the supervisor doesn’t arrange anyone during that time, then make sure to complete any documentation needed for that process so the next person who takes over has the guidance.  

Clean Your Hardware (If Applicable)

If you have a work laptop or any electronic device from the office, you should clear it by deleting all your data or any software installed. Then you have to clean its hardware too. You need to log off from all your official and social media accounts and remove any passwords saved on your device. For MacBook, clear your apple ID and google app store ID as well. 

Complete The Exit Interview (If Applicable)

Some employers have this rule; they will do an interview just before your last day. Alternatively, you can be asked to fill out a form, well in both cases, do it with complete professionalism and honesty. Good constructive feedback is always appreciated and helps the employer to improve in any relevant field.

Prepare For Your Last Day At Work

As it’s your last day, bring all the official belongings handed over to you, like a laptop, a laptop bag, a mobile phone, charging cables, an employee card, an access card, locker keys, etc., that you can return.

Similarly, you may also have some personal things in the office that you need to take back with you, for that do bring a backpack to put the things in that bag. If you have a good relationship with your team members, you can bring some sweets or cake for this last day. You can also invite them for a cup of coffee at your place as Greeks love coffee.  

Lastly, do remember to ask your supervisor about your reference letter. Different companies may have different policies. Some might give you on your last day, whereas some may post it through the mail after a week or so. 

Final Thoughts:

It’s ok, or it’s good if you change a job for your bright future, but you need to plan your things properly. Being an ex-pat, you need to be extra vigilant about any rules and regulations you must follow. If you are looking for another job in Greece, you need to know the essential rules needed to start your new job.

All you need to keep in mind is your devotion, truthfulness, motivation and respect that keeps you moving. Your positive attitude towards your new designation will positively impact the employer and the rest of the employees.