A “Flexi” amendment changes Labour Code from 1 June 2025 in Czechia

SME Info Czechia 2025-2 – After some lengthy and heated discussions the Czech parliament approved an amendment to the Labour Code. Employment termination without reason is not part of it, as most employers hoped. It contains rather minor changes to increase labour market flexibility or reduce ambiguities.

Download the English+Czech bilingual pdf of this newsletter:
SME Info Czechia Nr.2025-2: A “Flexi” amendment changes Labour Code from 1 June 2025 in Czechia

 

Working on an agreement during parental leave

Employees on parental leave can now perform the same work for their employer on the basis of an agreement to perform work or an agreement to complete a job.

Guarantee of return to the original position after parental leave

Employees who return from parental leave before the child reaches the age of two will be guaranteed a return to their original job and the same workplace. This strengthens rights compared to the previous regulation, where the guarantee was valid only after maternity leave.

The notice period begins on the day of delivery

The notice period will now start on the day the notice is delivered to the other party. Thanks to this change, employees can start a new job faster and employers can fill the vacant position sooner.

One month’s notice in the event of a breach of discipline or non-compliance with requirements

The notice period is reduced to one month if the employee breaches work discipline or fails to meet the legal requirements or requirements of the employer for the performance of work.

Compensation for termination of employment for health reasons

Employees who terminate their employment due to long-term health incapacity (e.g. due to an accident at work or occupational disease) will now receive special compensation. This will be covered by the employer’s statutory insurance and correspond to 12 times the average monthly earnings.

Longer trial period

The maximum length of the probationary period is extended:

  • For ordinary employees for up to 4 months
  • For managerial employees for up to 8 months

An extension will be possible by mutual agreement.

Work for teenagers from 14 years old during holidays

Teenagers from the age of 14 can now do light work during the summer holidays, even if they have not yet completed compulsory schooling. This change will allow them to gain work experience and earn extra money.

Extension of creditable experience

Creditable experience in public services and administration will now include:

  • Period of care for an adult relative dependent on assistance in level III or IV
  • Duration of doctoral studies

This practice may affect the classification of employees in salary step and the amount of their salary.

Time off in the event of the death of a relative now in the range of whole days

According to the amendment, it will no longer be necessary to prove that the employee spent only the “necessary time” at the funeral – time off will be provided in the range of whole days. In the event of the death of an employee’s spouse (partner), partner, child, grandchild, parent, grandparent or sibling, there will be an additional unpaid leave of up to five days.

Time off when looking for a new job

The reason for termination of employment will now be taken into account. In the event of a notice or agreement for sanction reasons (e.g. breach of work duties or failure to meet the prerequisites), the notice period will be reduced by half. The entitlement for time off to look for a new job will also be reduced by half. In all other cases, the four-day entitlement will be maintained.

 

The basic scope of leave (in some cases with wage compensation) can be used by the employee to attend job interviews or visit the Labour Office. If they exhaust this scope and do not find a new job, they will be able to take advantage of a new supplementary unpaid leave of up to two days, intended exclusively for the use of the counselling services of the Labour Office.

Wage compensation for the day of the wedding ceremony

If two days off are taken, wage compensation will now be provided for the day of the wedding ceremony specifically. So far, it has not been clearly determined to which day the compensation should apply, which caused problems especially for employees with different shift lengths. If an employee takes only one day off (for example, if the wedding falls on a weekend), he/she is entitled to wage compensation for this single day.

Time off when accompanying a relative to a medical or educational facility

In the case of an obstacle to work due to “accompaniment”, the statement “and back” is added to clearly state that the employee is entitled to time off not only when accompanying a close person to a medical facility or school counselling facility, but also for the return journey.

 

Extension of the effects of preventing travel to work

In the case of the obstacle to work “Preventing travel to work” (concerning severely disabled employees), it will be clarified that not only weather conditions, but also natural disasters or other similar emergencies must be considered relevant. The necessity of this change was shown, among other things, by the recent floods, when it was not clear whether these situations fall under the existing legislation.

 

Download the English+Czech bilingual pdf of this newsletter:
SME Info Czechia Nr.2025-2: A “Flexi” amendment changes Labour Code from 1 June 2025 in Czechia

 

The purpose of SME INFO is to provide general information and to draw the attention to the current changes in law which we believe to be important for the business operation of our clients. It is not a replacement for careful review of the acts and rules and the consultation with your tax advisor. © Copyrights 2025, Process Solutions, – All rights reserved

Next