Book II: Employment contracts

Open-ended employment contracts may include a trial period, the maximum duration of which is : 1° For manual and clerical workers, two months ; 2° for supervisors and technicians, three months; 3° for managers, four months.

The trial period enables the employer to assess the employee’s skills in the job, particularly in the light of their experience, and the employee to assess whether the job is suitable for them.

The trial period may be renewed once if an extended branch agreement so provides. This agreement sets the conditions and duration of renewals. The duration of the trial period, including renewals, may not exceed : 1° Four months for manual and clerical workers ; 2° Six months for supervisors and technicians; 3° Eight months for managers.

The trial period lengths set by articles L. 1221-19 and L. 1221-21 are mandatory, with the exception of : -shorter periods set by collective agreements concluded after the date of publication of the aforementioned Act no. 2008-596 of 25 June 2008; -shorter periods fixed in the letter of engagement or the employment contract.

The trial period and the possibility of renewing it are not presumed. They must be expressly stipulated in the letter of engagement or the employment contract.

If the trainee is taken on by the company within three months of the end of the work placement included in the course of study during the final year of the course, the duration of the work placement is deducted from the probationary period, without this having the effect of reducing the probationary period by more than half, unless a collective agreement provides for more favourable provisions. If the trainee…

When the employer terminates a contract in progress or at the end of the trial period defined in articles L. 1221-19 to L. 1221-24 or in article L. 1242-10 for contracts stipulating a trial period of at least one week, the employee is notified within a period which may not be less than : 1° Twenty-four hours if the employee is present for less than eight days ; 2° Forty-eight…

When the trial period is terminated by the employee, he must give forty-eight hours’ notice. This notice period is reduced to twenty-four hours if the employee has been with the company for less than eight days.