Germany
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- Capital City
Berlin
- Currency
Euro (€, EUR)
- Languages
German
- Population size
83,149,300
Employment termination in Germany
Termination process
Germany employers in general can provide any fair reasons for termination of an employee. Any dismissal from the end of the employer for an employee that has been employed longer than six months has to be "socially justified" by the following:
Person-related reasons;
Termination with consent of the employee through a termination agreement; or
Conduct-related reasons, for example repeated breaches of employment terms after prior warning or serious misconduct
Notice period
The statutory notice period for an employer depends on the duration of employment, with a two-week notice during a six-month probation period, and after probation period, a minimum of four weeks for those employed within 2 years of service and up to 7 months for those employed more than 20 years.
Probation periods
The maximum length of a probationary period is 6 months.
During the probationary period, the applicable statutory notice period can be reduced to a minimum of two weeks, except as otherwise provided in other applicable regulations (e.g. a collective bargaining agreement). During the probationary period, the employer does not need a reason for termination to dismiss the employee. A termination during the probationary period is only ineffective if it is immoral or contrary to faith.