An employer in Germany can use a warning letter to “admonish” the employee if they have breached an obligation under the employment contract. A warning does not require a specific form and can be issued in writing, verbally or using…
Termination without notice, also known as extraordinary dismissal, is a situation in which the employment relationship is terminated without observing the usual notice periods. This has significant consequences for the employee, as it leads to a sudden loss of income,…
Every year, more than 200.000 lawsuits against unfair dismissal are filed in Germany. Whenever an employer dismisses employees, most of them will receive a severance payment. Even though technically, there is not always a legal claim to such payments. In…
Employees and employers in Germany can terminate an employment relationship without notice by signing a termination agreement. If the employer initiates termination talks, a severance payment will almost always be part of a termination offer. But be careful: A job…
Do you have to pay tax on your severance pay if you lose your job? Unfortunately, in Germany, the answer is yes. This blog article explains why – and how much – tax you might have to pay if you…
Sometimes, a termination comes “out of the blue”. But not always. Often, there are signs that an employee might get fired. In this blog article, we will first summarize the three most important signs that a termination could be imminent.…
A termination for “operational reasons” in Germany is generally possible, if the job position of the employee who is terminated is abolished. However, there is a relatively high bar with several criteria that need to be met. For example, it…
Losing your job comes as a surprise – at least for most employees. And almost no one has ever taken exactly the remaining annual leave, when a job is lost. The obvious question, in this case, is: What happens to…
A termination during parental leave in Germany is generally prohibited. Germany tends to be among the more employee-friendly countries, especially when it comes to firing employees. However, you still can get fired in Germany, and on rare occasions, even during…
A termination during short-time-work (Kurzarbeit) in Germany is generally – legal! There is a widespread misconception that your employer cannot fire you during “short-time-work” (Kurzarbeit). Wrong. Provided that there are (new operational, personal or behavioral) reasons for dismissal, a termination…