A notice of termination appears simple at first glance: a few sentences, a date, and a signature. Yet in practice, the same mistakes are repeatedly made, leading to the notice being challenged or disputes arising between parties over when it actually took effect. Let us examine what must be included in a notice, which errors occur most frequently, and how to practically assemble the document to avoid them.
Mandatory requirements for a notice of termination
- Written form - A verbal or telephone notice of termination does not have the required legal effect.
- Precise identification of both parties - employee's name and address, employer's name, registered office and business identification number (IČO).
- Clear and comprehensible declaration of intent terminate the employment relationship by giving notice: not a vague consideration such as "I am thinking of leaving", but a clear and unequivocal statement.
- Date of document preparation.
- In the case of a notice given by the employer a specific reason from the range of reasons permitted by law: a general formulation is insufficient.
- Handwritten signatureor a recognised electronic signature.
None of these requirements is sufficient on its own, if even one is missing, the other party may argue that the notice was never issued or that it is unclear from when it takes effect. Therefore, it pays to review the document once more before sending or handing it over.
Most common mistakes
- Oral notice of termination - whether in person or by telephone. It lacks the required written form and therefore cannot produce the legal effects of a notice of termination.
- Unclear or unproven delivery - because the notice period now runs from the day of delivery (see our article on vypoved-prace-vzor.cz) notice period from 2025), a dispute over when or whether the notice of termination was delivered directly concerns the date on which the employment relationship ends.
- Missing or generic reason in an employer's notice of termination - phrasing such as "for organisational reasons" without further specification weakens the notice of termination.
- Termination sent only by plain email without further proof of delivery.
- Missing date or signature on the document.
Most of these errors share a common denominator: the attempt to handle the notice quickly and informally, perhaps because the situation is unpleasant and both parties want it over with as soon as possible. It is precisely then that adhering to the proper form is most important, as it is from this form that whether and from when the notice is actually valid will be derived.
How to structure a notice of termination
A proven structure that can be relied upon includes these components in this order:
- Header, who to whom, i.e. Name/title and address of both parties.
- Date and place of document preparation.
- Factual and unambiguous statement of termination of employment.
- In a dismissal issued by the employer, state the specific statutory reason.
- Handwritten signature.
- Alternatively, a note on how the notice of termination was or will be delivered (in person, via electronic mailbox, or by registered post).
A ready-made template for a notice of termination in this structure is available for download at vypoved-prace-vzor.cz main pageThe template should be viewed as a skeleton: the specific wording of the reason (if it is a dismissal by the employer) must always be adapted to the actual situation, not just copied from a general sentence.
Who signs the notice of termination and to whom it is submitted
The notice is signed by the party giving it: an employee in their own name, or on behalf of the employer by an authorised person, typically a statutory body or a designated senior employee. It must be handed directly to the other party, not merely to a colleague from the team or sent to a shared email address without a specific recipient. If you are unsure who is authorised to accept the notice on behalf of the employer, verify this in advance, for example with the HR department, to ensure the handover does not occur „outside the structure".
Summary
A notice of termination must be in writing, clear and signed; if issued by the employer, it must state a specific reason. In practice, the greatest problems do not stem from the text itself but from unclear or unproven delivery, as this now directly determines when the employment relationship actually ends. It is therefore worthwhile to pay as much attention to delivery as to the content of the document itself.
Related articles: notice period from 2025, how to resign as an employee a termination notice versus mutual termination agreement.