Employment relationship

Periods of notice

Unless otherwise agreed, the periods of notice laid down in the Finnish Employment Contracts Act apply.

Periods of notice according to the Employment Contracts Act

When the contract is terminated by the employer:

*Periods of notice when the contract is terminated by the employer*
Length of employment	Period of notice
Up to 1 year	14 days
1 to 4 years	1 month
4 to 8 years	2 months
8 to 12 years	4 months
12+ years	6 months

When the contract is terminated by the employee:

*Periods of notice when the contract is terminated by the employee*
Length of employment	Period of notice
Up to 5 years	14 days
5+ years	1 month

When the periods of notice are determined in accordance with the Employment Contracts Act, the employer and the employee may agree on the periods of notice. However, the period of notice may not be longer than six (6) months. Furthermore, the period of notice that the employee must observe may not be longer than the period of notice that the employer must observe.

Collective agreements may contain provisions on periods of notice. If the periods of notice laid down in the collective agreement differ from the statutory periods of notice, the employer and the employee must observe the periods of notice laid down in the collective agreement unless the collective agreement provides for other arrangements concerning the periods of notice.

Pay for period of notice

The employment relationship will continue until the end of the period of notice, unless it is terminated by agreement earlier. The employee is entitled to their normal salary for the entire period of notice.

The employee is usually obligated to do their work normally during the period of notice. However, the employer may exempt the employee from the obligation to work. In that case, the employee is still entitled to pay for the period of notice.

The pay for the period of notice also includes ordinary fringe benefits, such as a telephone or car benefit, unless there is a specific obstacle to giving them.

If the employee resigns, the employer shall pay the salary for the period of notice as normal. If, on the other hand, the employee leaves work without agreed grounds before the end of the period of notice, the employee may have to compensate for the damage caused to the employer.