A fresh ruling by Germany’s top labour court is forcing companies to re-examine how they handle dismissals when employees split their parental leave into multiple blocks. The decision, handed down on 18 June 2026 (Case No. 2 AZR 213/25), holds that the special dismissal protection under the Federal Parental Allowance and Parental Leave Act (BEEG) restarts before each individual parental‑leave segment — even if the employee requested all segments in a single letter.
For employers, this creates a recurring obligation. Before serving a notice of termination, they must now thoroughly check whether further parental‑leave periods have already been registered by the worker. Legal experts point out that when two segments are separated by fewer than eight weeks of actual work,
Small businesses get a digital hand with hazard assessments
As soon as a female employee announces her pregnancy, the employer is legally required to act immediately: working conditions must be assessed to eliminate risks to mother and child. To help smaller firms meet this duty, a new digital assistant called Splix was launched on 13 July 2026. The tool is designed specifically for carpentry workshops and guides employers through hazard assessments and safety instructions. Such solutions simplify the paperwork burden and aim to ensure compliance with statutory standards.
Documenting workplace hazards isn’t just about pregnancy — UK employers face a broad duty to identify and record risks across every role. A free toolkit with 41 ready-to-use templates and checklists helps you stay compliant and protect your workforce without hours of paperwork. Download the free Risk Assessment Toolkit
What happens to holiday leave?
Rules on annual leave during and after parental leave are also strict. Employers may reduce the entitlement by one‑twelfth for each full calendar month of parental leave. Labour law specialists stress that this reduction must be declared explicitly and in writing.
A clarification came from the Hamm Regional Labour Court in September 2025 (Case No. 3 SLa 316/25): remaining holiday from maternity or parental leave cannot be wiped out by tariff‑based expiration clauses. Instead, the claim is carried over to the leave year following the employee’s return. Parents should not suffer a holiday disadvantage because of their statutory protective rights.
Reforms on the horizon
In early July 2026 the federal government adopted a coalition resolution that signals stricter documentation duties ahead. Proposals include a requirement for a medical certificate from the first day of sickness and the scrapping of telephone sick‑note schemes — though neither measure is yet law. The draft also envisages easier fixed‑term contracts without cause, extending the possible duration to up to 48 months. For employees with annual earnings of roughly €180,000 or more, a loosening of dismissal protection is under discussion. Human‑resources departments should brace for a dynamic shift in the country’s employment law landscape.
