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10 min czytania 8 March 2022

Job abandonment

The law in the Labour Code regulates in detail the termination of employment. An employee who intends to act in this way must be aware of the consequences (including payment of compensation to his former employer).

An employee’s abandonment of work is a sudden, unforeseen, unexcused and prolonged absence from the workplace. There are times when an employee does not show up for work for reasons beyond his or her control. In such a situation, he is obliged to contact his employer as soon as possible and inform him of what has happened. However, if he fails to do so, the employer has the right to take action to hold the employee responsible for the act committed.


job abandonment

Consequences of employee abandonment:

1) Disciplinary dismissal of an employee

If abandonment is not justified (by accident or sudden illness) the employer has the right to dismiss the employee without notice. Your employment certificate will certainly state this. The employer should give the reason for the dismissal. The employee has the right to appeal against the dismissal to the labour court within a few days after the termination of employment.

2) Payment of compensation to the employer

For the damages suffered in connection with the abandonment of work – the employer has the right to demand the payment of compensation to compensate for its lost benefits. Legally, the amount of compensation is not specified. If during the court proceedings the employer proves the fault of the employee – he will be obliged to compensate the full amount of damages.

3) Loss of part of the remuneration

In the event of abandonment of work, the employee will, of course, forfeit his right to pay for the days he was absent.

4) Loss of unemployment benefits

An employee who has left his previous job and has not yet found new employment should expect not to be eligible for unemployment benefits. This provision does not apply to people who have had their employment terminated through their own fault within the last 6 months.

5) Problems finding a new job

It is worth remembering that employers operating in the labor market very often have contact with each other. Any information – including that about leaving a job can quickly spread in a similar environment. Therefore, an employee who quits his job puts himself in a negative light, which will not have a positive impact on his assessment among subsequent potential employers.


For more information on labor/employee issues, check out our “tips for employees” blog

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