Amendment to the Labour Code 2025

Testimony: No more waiting. The notice period starts immediately.

Ex. If notice is served on the employee on 15 April, the notice period will start from that date (not 1 May) and will end at the end of 2 months - i.e. 15 June. The period will therefore end on the date that is numerically the same as the date of service of the notice. For long-term problem employees, this gives you valuable extra weeks, but you also have to plan carefully for departures because you lose the time cushion for handing over the agenda.

Another new feature is a shorter notice period of at least 1 month where the employer gives notice on the grounds set out in Section 52 (f) to (h) of the Labour Code, i.e. where the employee does not meet the prerequisites or requirements for the performance of the job or violates the job duties (Section 51 (2) (a) of the Labour Code). This brings faster resolution of problematic situations, but at the same time the need to have everything documented.

"Imagine a situation where an employee is not meeting expectations for a long time and spoiling the team dynamic. Before you had to wait until the beginning of the next month, now you can act now. If you have good documentation and HR processes in place, the change will make your job much easier."

Trial period.

The amendment extends the maximum length of the probationary period. It moves from 3 to 4 months for regular employees and from 6 to 8 months for managerial employees. In the case of fixed-term employment, however, the probationary period may not be longer than half of the agreed duration of the employment (Section 35 (2) and (3) of the Labour Code). This is a significant advantage for the employer, who has more time to check the employee's abilities, adaptation and functioning within the team. The new length does not apply to probationary periods agreed before 1 June 2025 (Article II, point 1 of Act No. 120/2025 Coll.).

Now, the probationary period can be subsequently extended by written agreement between the employer and the employee. The agreement must be concluded while the probationary period is still running and only within the limits of the statutory maximum (Section 35 (4) of the Labour Code). In addition, the probationary period is extended by operation of law by the working days on which the employee has not worked a full shift due to an obstacle to work, taking leave or unexcused absence from work (Section 35 (5)). The extension itself is not new: the probationary period was extended by full-day obstacles to work and full-day leave even before the amendment. What is new is unexcused absence from work and the extension also by days on which the employee has not worked a full shift.

Flexibility of working time: new possibilities and new obligations

Self-scheduling of working time was not introduced by this amendment. It has already been in force since 1 January 2025 on the basis of an earlier amendment to the Labour Code. The condition is a separate written agreement between the employer and the employee, under which the employee schedules his or her own working time into shifts under the agreed conditions (Section 87a of the Labour Code). The agreement may be terminated for any reason with a notice period of fifteen days, unless the parties agree on a different one, which must be the same for both. Its termination ends only this agreement; the employment relationship continues.

Guarantee of a job upon return from parental leave

The employer is obliged to assign the employee to his or her original job and workplace if he or she returns after the end of maternity or paternity leave, or after the end of parental leave taken before the day on which the child reaches the age of 2 (Section 47 (1) of the Labour Code). Previously, in the case of parental leave, this guarantee applied only to a period corresponding to maternity leave. Now, a work performance agreement or a work activity agreement can also be concluded with a parent on parental leave for the same type of work that he or she performs in the employment relationship, provided that the agreement is concluded for the period of parental leave or part of it (Section 34b (2) of the Labour Code).

What about other changes? Don't be surprised

The amendment to the Labour Code 2025 brings a number of other changes that you should not miss. While they may not affect every company at first glance, in practice they may affect your responsibilities, administration and employee relations. Here are the key changes:

1. One-off compensation instead of severance pay in the event of an occupational accident or occupational disease: If the employer gives the employee notice under Section 52 (d) of the Labour Code (or concludes an agreement with the employee for the same reason) because the employee has lost his or her medical fitness in the long term due to an occupational accident, occupational disease or threat of such disease, the employee is not entitled to severance pay, but to one-off compensation in the amount of twelve times the average monthly earnings (Section 271ca of the Labour Code). The compensation is paid to the employee by the employer, as a rule on the nearest pay date after the termination of employment. It is covered by the statutory insurance of the employer's liability for damage in the event of an occupational accident or occupational disease (Article II, point 7 of Act No. 120/2025 Coll.).
2. Work during the summer holidays from the age of 14: A minor who has reached the age of 14 may perform dependent work during the main school holidays. He or she may commit to it only with the written consent of the legal guardian (Section 34 (2) and Section 35 (2) of the Civil Code). A juvenile under the age of 15, or one who has not completed compulsory school attendance, may perform only light work classified in the first category that does not harm his or her health, education or moral development. The length of his or her shift may not exceed 7 hours and the weekly working time may not exceed 35 hours (Section 244a and Section 79a (1) of the Labour Code).
3. Pay transparency: The employer may not restrict the employee in handling information about the amount and structure of his or her wage, salary or remuneration from an agreement (Section 346a of the Labour Code). Contractual clauses on "pay secrecy" therefore cannot be enforced. For restricting an employee, the company faces a fine of up to CZK 400 000 (Section 24 (1) (e) and (2) (b) of the Labour Inspection Act).
4. Payment directly into an account: Cashless payment into an account designated by the employee is now the basic method of payment of wages or salary. The employer pays in cash if the employee expresses written disagreement with payment into an account, does not provide the necessary cooperation for it or does not have a payment account (Section 142 (3) and (4) of the Labour Code). The parties may also agree on a different method of payment.
5. The limit for the contribution from a DPP: The threshold is derived each year from the average wage (25% of the average wage, rounded down to whole five hundred crowns). For 2026 it is CZK 12 000 (Communication of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs No. 396/2025 Coll.). If the remuneration from a DPP accounted for with the same employer in a calendar month reaches at least CZK 12 000, the employee participates in sickness insurance and social security and health insurance contributions are paid from the remuneration (Section 7a of the Sickness Insurance Act, Section 5 (a) point 3 of the Public Health Insurance Act). No contributions are paid on lower remuneration. Remuneration from several DPPs with the same employer is added together within the month.
6. Fixed-term employment when covering for an absent employee: The basic rule does not change. Fixed-term employment may be agreed for a maximum of 3 years and may be repeated no more than twice between the same parties, with an extension also counting as a repeat. What is new is an exception for covering for an employee on maternity, paternity or parental leave and on leave under Section 217 (5) of the Labour Code. Such employment may be repeated without any limit on the number of times, but the total duration of fixed-term employment relationships between the same parties may not exceed 9 years from the commencement of the first of them (Section 39 (2) of the Labour Code). The exception can also be applied to employment relationships concluded before 1 June 2025, but their earlier duration is also counted towards the 9 years (Article II, point 2 of Act No. 120/2025 Coll.).

Conclusion

Changes to the Labour Code are not just about paragraph amendments. They are about people, responsibility and the ability to adapt. Don't wait for the new rules to catch you by surprise - prepare in advance. We'll be happy to help you reconfigure your internal processes to meet not only the legal requirements, but also the needs of your business. Contact us to gain confidence, not stress, in legal changes.