The maximum notice period for an employee's resignation is now 13 weeks. The notice period has in principle been a maximum of 13 weeks since 1 January 2014. There were still a few exceptions for employees who joined a company before and after 2014. In addition, so-called "senior" and "most senior" employees were , in some cases, required to give more than 13 weeks' notice when they resigned.

The legislator has now eliminated the differences in notice periods for employees: for employees who terminate their employment contract on or after 28 October 2023, the notice period is a maximum of 13 weeks. The minimum notice period for employees remains 1 week unless otherwise agreed contractually. Employer notice periods  -the rules on notice periods for termination by the employer remain unchanged. They range from 1 week for an employee with only 3 months of service, to 65 weeks for an employee with 23 years of service.

Vacation entitlement that is unused can be transferred for up to 24 months in the case of illness or parental leave. Employees can recover their lost paid holiday in case they are on sick leave during their holiday. From 1 January, employees and civilian servants will be able to carry over days of vacation in the event of illness. This means that if you fall ill while on holiday, you will be able to ask for those lost days of holiday back. However, there are some conditions to be observed:

This new measure concerns  only annual vacation . It does not apply to public holidays or non-statutory days.
Next,  you need to notify your employer immediately , just as you would if you were ill on a working day, and have a doctor certify the illness so that he can issue you with a medical certificate.
 When you return to work , you must explicitly ask your employer to postpone your leave. You have until the end of the year to take it, or up to two years in the case of long-term illness. NO EMPLOYER SOCIAL CHARGES FOR THE 1ST EMPLOYEE FOR A NEW COMPANY. To encourage employment and reduce employer costs, a reduction in Employer social charges is being introduced in Belgium. Belgian employer social charges are normally 30-35% of gross remuneration. For a first new hire for a new company from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2020 there is full exemption from employer's social security contributions and there is then a significant reduction for further employees. This concession applies during the entire period of employment, so goes on beyond 2020. This is a major concession and I understand that it applies even for firms that are only registered as Employers in Belgium.

Training right for the employee and obligation for the employer Individual right to training - Since the 2022 employment agreement, an individual right to training has been introduced in Belgium. The number of individual training days per full-time employee will be at least 5 days per year from 2024 for companies with 20 or more employees. A lower number may be set by a collective labor agreement (CLA) at sectoral level, but the minimum is 2 training days per year. Companies with between 10 and 20 employees must provide at least one day of individual training per year for each full-time employee. Companies with fewer than 10 employees do not have an individual training entitlement. Sectors can reduce the number of training days or establish a growth trajectory. You should therefore always examine the rules in your sector carefully.

Companies with at least 20 employees must prepare an annual training plan by 31 March each year. This plan provides employees with an overview of the training programs offered by the employer and indicates the target groups for each of the different training sessions. The plan includes a list of formal and informal training sessions. Employers may use their own model.

Salary indexation Indexation is a system that ensures that salaries are linked to changes in the smoothed health index. In other words, the monthly salary is increased by a certain percentage equal to inflation in the previous calendar year. The indexation system provided for in Joint Committee 200 applies to all employees who are members of this Joint Committee.

The indexation percentage is 1.48%. In practice, this means an increase in gross salaries of 1.48% from 1 January 2024. Indexation of the work from home allowance from December 2023 Employees who work on a structural and regular basis may receive an allowance from their employer. This allowance has been increased from EUR 148.73 to EUR 151.70 per month on 1 December 2023. This amount is a maximum and is exempt from social security contributions and tax.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind you that a written agreement must be drawn up for homeworkers, in principle at the latest when the worker starts to homework.

Another measure concerning the labor market: from 1 January 2024, employees will have the right to ask their former employer to keep their mobile phone number. When a contract comes to an end, the employee will have the right, within a period of one month following the date of termination of the contract, to request that the number be retained. The former employer will no longer be able to object.