Period of notice

Die Cancellation period Denotes the period between the Receipt of notice and the actual end of the employment relationship.

It gives both the employer and the employee the necessary time to prepare for retirement and to sort out organizational or personal matters. In Germany, the legal notice periods are set out in the Civil Code (BGB). The length of employment plays an important role here: The longer the employee is employed by the company, the longer the notice period can be.

The notice period is usually four weeks to the 15th or the end of a month. In many cases, however, longer deadlines may be agreed in the employment contract or in a collective agreement. These deviations often apply to higher-qualified or managerial positions that require more time for handover and succession planning.

It is important that employees know their individual notice period, as failure to comply with these regulations can lead to legal and financial consequences.

The same applies to employers: Deadlines for termination must be met, otherwise there is a risk of compensation payments or even an ineffective termination. In addition, there are exceptions to the regular deadlines in special cases, such as termination without notice. In such cases, termination is possible without notice if there are serious reasons, such as gross breaches of contract.

A tip for employees: Before giving notice, you should not only find out about the notice period, but also think about possible blocking periods for unemployment benefits or alternatives such as termination agreements in order to make the transition to the next job as smooth as possible.