At some point in life, almost everyone ends up in an employment relationship. It is something we all deal with, usually for the entire length of our working life. Employment topics can also be confusing and hard to follow. In this article, we explain the basic types of employment relationship and the ways they can end.
Employment relationship
An employment relationship is simply employment. It is usually established by an employment contract between the employee and the employer. In some special cases, an employment relationship can also be established by appointment.
An employment contract must contain certain statutory elements, regardless of whether it is a position for a top manager or a car mechanic. These basic elements are:
- the type of work the employee will perform for the employer;
- the place of work where the work under the previous point is to be performed;
- the starting date of work.
If the employment contract is missing one or more of these elements, it becomes invalid. The pay can be agreed in the contract itself, or it can be agreed separately later in a wage statement. Its absence from the contract itself does not cause any problem.
An employment contract must always be concluded in writing, otherwise it is invalid.
It can be concluded for a fixed term or for an indefinite term. A fixed-term contract can be concluded for a maximum of 3 years, and it can then be extended at most twice. A fixed-term employment relationship can therefore last a maximum of 9 years with the same employer. It probably goes without saying that an indefinite-term contract is somewhat more favourable for the employee.
Types of employment relationship
Main employment contract (hlavní pracovní poměr, HPP)
This is the so-called “basic” type of employment relationship, and it is the one you will come across most often here. The Labour Code (zákoník práce) sets the basic length of weekly working time for it at 40 hours. For some occupations, this length is shortened, to 37.5 or 38.75 hours (for example, miners).
At the start of the main employment contract, the employee has a probationary period of at most 3 consecutive months from the date the employment relationship begins. For managerial employees, this period is at most 6 consecutive months from the date the employment relationship begins.
Part-time employment
Part-time, or partial, employment is very similar to a main employment contract. Unlike it, however, it does not have the 40 hours a week working time set. Part-time arrangements are often used, for example, by people on parental leave who cannot yet work the full 40 hours a week.
An employee on a part-time contract has the same rights and obligations as a full-time employee. However, they usually have a lower salary and also less leave than an employee working under an HPP.
If you are interested in part-time employment, also take a look at this article.
Shared job
This is linked to part-time employment. It is a situation where the employer has one vacant position for a main employment contract. However, the employer decides to fill this position with 2 employees, each of whom has a part-time contract. The sum of their working hours, however, cannot exceed 40 hours a week. This arrangement is relatively new in the Czech legal system. The point of a shared job is also that these 2 employees work at different times and take turns, so that between them they cover the whole working week. This is usually because there is only one workplace available, for example 1 desk and 1 chair, which these employees have to share.
Agreement to complete a job (dohoda o provedení práce, DPP)
It is used to employ casual workers for one-off tasks. It is also suitable for seasonal work, for example packing parcels in the pre-Christmas period. The amount of work performed under a DPP must not exceed 300 hours a year. Work for the same employer carried out under another DPP also counts towards this limit. The DPP must state the agreed work and the period for which the agreement is concluded. If the employee’s income under the DPP does not exceed 10,000 CZK (about 460 USD) a month, there is no need to pay social security or health insurance contributions for it (tax still has to be paid). There is no probationary period here, and the employee is also not entitled to leave or severance pay.
Agreement to perform work (dohoda o pracovní činnosti, DPČ)
It is very similar to the agreement to complete a job, but it does differ in some respects. The amount of work must not exceed 20 hours a week. A DPČ is used, for example, for minor administrative work or assistance that does not add up to a full employment contract. Here, the employer does not have to pay social security and health insurance up to an income of 3,999 CZK (about 180 USD) (not per month, but in total). Under a DPČ, the employee is also not entitled to leave or severance pay.
Temporary assignment, also known as agency employment
This is the temporary placement of an employee to perform work at a company. However, the employee does not conclude the contract directly with the company where they will work, but with a staffing agency. The agency arranges the work and acts as the employer. The staffing agency is therefore the one that pays the employees’ wages and pays social security and health insurance for them. The law, however, prohibits the agency from taking a commission or part of the earnings directly from the employees.
Ending the employment relationship by the employee
The employment relationship can be ended by the employee or by the employer. Any method of ending the employment relationship must be done in writing, otherwise it is invalid.
There are several ways an employee can end the employment relationship. These include notice, an agreement to end the employment relationship, termination during the probationary period, immediate termination of the employment relationship, and expiry of the period for which the employment contract was agreed.
Notice
An employee can give notice at any time, for any reason or even without stating a reason. The employment relationship ends after the notice period expires, which is at least 2 months and starts running on the 1st day of the month following delivery of the notice. So if an employee gives notice on 15 October, the notice period starts running on 1 November.
Agreement to end the employment relationship
This is an agreement between both parties, both the employer and the employee must agree. The advantage is that it is possible to agree on ending the employment relationship on a specific date, so there is no need to observe the notice period.
Termination during the probationary period
The probationary period lasts 3 or 6 months, depending on whether it is a managerial position or not. The employment relationship can be ended during this period with immediate effect, and neither the employee nor the employer needs to state a reason.
Immediate termination of the employment relationship
The Labour Code also allows for immediate termination of the employment relationship, but only under very specific conditions. These are specifically the following two cases:
- the employer did not pay the employee’s wages, or part of them, within 15 days of the due date
- the employee was found by an occupational health service provider to be unable to continue working without a serious risk to their health, and the employer did not enable them to perform another suitable position within 15 days of submitting the assessment.
Expiry of the period for which the employment contract was agreed
If you have a fixed-term contract, once it ends you can simply decide not to extend it. In this case, no special action is needed.
Ending the employment relationship by the employer
The employer also has options for ending the employment relationship, although the conditions are stricter than for the employee. There are also fewer such options than those available to the employee.
Notice given by the employer
The Labour Code allows the employer to give an employee notice only for certain reasons. These reasons, and also the employer’s options, are set out in Section 52 of the Labour Code. The reason must always be stated in the notice, and the notice must of course be in writing.
Agreement to end the employment relationship initiated by the employer
This works the same way as the agreement on the employee’s side. Both parties must agree, and the employer must not force the employee to sign.
Termination during the probationary period
The probationary period serves for the new employee and the employer to “get a feel” for each other. The employer can therefore also decide that it no longer wants to continue working with the new employee and can terminate the employment relationship. In this case, it does not even have to state a reason for the termination.
Immediate termination of the employment relationship by the employer
There are only two situations in which the employer can proceed with immediate termination:
- if the employee commits a particularly serious breach of their work duties (for example, drinking alcohol at the workplace)
- the employee is finally convicted of an intentional criminal offence.
If you would like more information, you can go directly to the website of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
USD amounts are approximate, converted at the Czech National Bank rate of 21.80 CZK per USD on 2 October 2026.