Parental Leave: Entitlement, Registration and Protection Against Dismissal

You are entitled to parental leave until the child completes their third year of life; under certain conditions, part of it can be transferred to a later period up to the eighth birthday. During parental leave, the obligation to work is suspended; the employment relationship continues to exist.

You must request parental leave in writing – for the period up to the third birthday, at the latest seven weeks before it begins. In doing so, you commit bindingly to the periods within the first two years for which you will take parental leave.

From the time of registration – at the earliest eight weeks before it begins – and during parental leave, the employer generally may not give notice of termination. Only in special exceptional cases can the competent authority declare a dismissal permissible.

You are allowed to work part-time during parental leave – under certain conditions you even have a right to part-time work. After parental leave, you are entitled to return to your previous working hours.

Check the following: Was the parental leave registered in writing and on time? Does the special protection against dismissal apply? Are your rights to part-time work and to returning to work being upheld? An automatic contract review detects clauses that seek to restrict these rights.