Notice periods, and the end of the month
How long notice runs, why it always ends on the last day of a calendar month, and when you may not give it at all.
Swiss notice periods are set by OR Article 335c. They are short by European standards, symmetrical, and they run to the end of a calendar month.
| Years of service | Notice period |
|---|---|
| During probation | 7 days, ending any day |
| First year | 1 month |
| Second to ninth year | 2 months |
| Tenth year onwards | 3 months |
The month-end rule
Notice does not run from the day it is served. It runs to the end of the month in which it would otherwise expire. Notice served on 15 October with a three-month period ends on 31 January, not 15 January. Serving it on 1 October ends on the same day — so there is nothing to gain by rushing to serve at the start of a month, and something to lose by serving on the 1st of the next.
Symmetry
The notice period must be the same for both sides. A contract that gives the employer one month and the employee three is void as to the difference, and the longer period applies to both.
Sperrfristen — when notice may not be given
There are protected periods in which an employer may not give notice at all. Notice served during one is void, not merely delayed.
- Illness or accident: 30 days in the first year of service, 90 days in years two to five, 180 days from year six.
- Pregnancy, and the 16 weeks following the birth.
- Swiss military or civil-protection service, plus four weeks either side.
- Participation in an overseas aid programme ordered by a federal authority.
If notice was validly served and a protected period then begins, the notice period pauses and resumes afterwards — and is again extended to the end of that month.
Unfair dismissal
Swiss law permits dismissal without cause. It does not permit dismissal for an abusive reason: union membership, exercising a legal right, or making a good-faith complaint. The remedy is compensation of up to six months salary, not reinstatement.
The portal derives the last working day from the notice date and the contractual notice period, and shows it before you confirm. It is the figure the employee will hold you to.