No, making employees liable for damages to work equipment is very difficult in Germany. It's pretty much impossible unless the employer can prove that the employee acted grossly negligent or maliciously.

But that doesn't necessarily stop them form trying. Inexperienced employers (like most startups) might try because they don't know better. Experienced employers dealing with lowly educated employees might also try occasionally because they hope their employees don't know better.

In that case, the escalation path I would recommend is:

1. Googling relevant court cases and showing them to the one making the demand
2. Contacting the Betriebsrat
3. Contacting your trade union
4. Contacting a lawyer

No, making employees liable for damages to work equipment is very difficult in Germany. It's pretty much impossible unless the employer can prove that the employee acted grossly negligent or maliciously.

But that doesn't necessarily stop them from trying. Inexperienced employers (like most startups) might try because they don't know better. Experienced employers dealing with lowly educated employees might also try occasionally because they hope their employees don't know better.

In that case, the escalation path I would recommend is:

1. Googling relevant court cases and showing them to the one making the demand
2. Contacting the Betriebsrat
3. Contacting your trade union
4. Contacting a lawyer

No, making employees liable for damages to work equipment is very difficult in Germany. It's pretty much impossible unless the employer can prove that the employee acted grossly negligent or maliciously.

But that doesn't necessarily stop them form trying. Inexperienced employers (like most startups) might try because they don't know better. Experienced employers dealing with lowly educated employees might also try occasionally because they hope their employees don't know better.

In that case, the escalation path I would recommend is:

1. Googling relevant court cases and showing them to the one making the demand
2. Contacting the Betriebsrat
3. Contacting your union
4. Contacting a lawyer

No, making employees liable for damages to work equipment is very difficult in Germany. It's pretty much impossible unless the employer can prove that the employee acted grossly negligent or maliciously.

But that doesn't necessarily stop them form trying. Inexperienced employers (like most startups) might try because they don't know better. Experienced employers dealing with lowly educated employees might also try occasionally because they hope their employees don't know better.

In that case, the escalation path I would recommend is:

1. Googling relevant court cases and showing them to the one making the demand
2. Contacting the Betriebsrat
3. Contacting your trade union
4. Contacting a lawyer