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I am in a situation that I want to increase my job security because there's a risk of layoff people in the future, I was wondering maybe having a longer mutual notice period from both employee and employer could be a good option to make increase safe job security.

I was wondering what are pros and cons of having a longer mutual longer notice period between employee and employer. Is it really a good thing? What are industry standards for this kind of things?

I can see many people are complaining of a longer notice period forced by company, but is it a bad thing if it required by both parties?

I'm living in Germany and the current notice period is 3 months (for both parties)

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I am in a situation that I want to increase my job security because there's a risk of layoff people in the future

In Germany, the notice period is no factor when the company decides who to lay off.

Assuming the company is large enough, that worker protection laws apply, there are certain criteria that are used to determine who has to go in case of layoffs. If you want to get a higher job security, you need to either get more dependents (marry, have kids, care for sick relatives) or have a longer tenure with the company.

I was wondering what are pros and cons of having a longer mutual longer notice period between employee and employer. Is it really a good thing? What are industry standards for this kind of things?

The minimum notice period that concerns the employer firing or laying off the employee is set by law and is increasing with years worked at the company. The industry standard is either the employee keeps their notice period as defined initially in the contract, or what is also common the contract has a clause that says the notice period for both sides is the notice period required by law for one side. Both is considered a fair clause by most people. However, having an even longer notice period than required is a little strange. The minimum requirement is already long enough.

I can see many people are complaining of a longer notice period forced by company, but is it a bad thing if it required by both parties?

I'm living in Germany and the current notice period is 3 months (for both parties)

That is normal. Don't let the opinion of people outside of Germany scare you. We have hired 5 people this year, not one of them could start even the next month. In Germany, everybody has such a long notice period, that is not a disadvantage in the job market.

Notice periods between 3 and 6 months are normal. But that is not "job security". Your job is not more or less secure depending on notice period. It's just a security blanket that allows you to find a new job while still being paid when you lose your current job.

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  • Belgium here. Notice periods length depends on how long you've been working for the company, and 3 months notices or even longer are not unheard of in the case you're being laid off. That said on resignation the maximum is 13 weeks, this in order to avoid workers being "trapped" in their job. Are there any differences on that in Germany too? Cause seen from a neighbour country, 6 months notice when you need to hire someone would be a deal-breaker in many occasions...
    – Laurent S.
    Commented Dec 11, 2020 at 10:33
  • Perfect that we're talking about two different things, but careful with the suggestion that having dependents increases job security - letting someone go on that basis, particularly in Europe, could give grounds for legal action : particularly if age, sexuality or membership of any other protected class could be seen as making more dependents less likely.
    – ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
    Commented Dec 14, 2020 at 16:20
  • It's called "Sozialauswahl": "Sind mehrere vergleichbare Arbeitnehmer betroffen, muss der Arbeitgeber die Arbeitnehmer, denen er kündigen möchte, zudem nach bestimmten sozialen Kriterien auswählen (Sozialauswahl). Er muss dabei die Dauer der Betriebszugehörigkeit, das Lebensalter, eventuelle Unterhaltspflichten und eine eventuelle Schwerbehinderung des Arbeitnehmers ausreichend berücksichtigen." (de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betriebsbedingte_K%C3%BCndigung)
    – nvoigt ♦
    Commented Dec 14, 2020 at 16:28
  • So discriminating by number of dependents is the law in Germany. If someone sued on grounds of it being discriminatory, they would need to sue the government, not the company and they would lose. I have not heard anybody ever complain about that part.
    – nvoigt ♦
    Commented Dec 14, 2020 at 16:32
  • Maybe one should add that this discriminatory "Sozialauswahl" only applies where a whole bunch of people is let go for organizational reasons – i.e. the company wants to reduce costs, closes some office or production plant or the like. If a contract is terminated due to reasons that lie in the person of the terminated, those criteria should not apply.
    – Benedikt Bauer
    Commented Dec 25, 2020 at 21:59
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It's a bad thing if you want to leave.

Let's say they extend the notice period to 12 months.

Suppose you have been put on a project you hate. You want to leave, and you start looking for better jobs. But you now have a problem. If you hand in your notice now, you have no idea if you will find a job in 12 months' time. If you don't hand in your notice, then very few potential employers will be willing to wait 12 months between interviewing you and you starting the job.

You end up trapped in a job that it's hard to get out of.

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A notice period has nothing to do with "job security". In reality, there is no such thing as job security. Any employee at any company can be replaced.

If you want to ensure that you are less likely to be replaced, focus on doing your assigned work to the best of your ability and within their deadlines. Make sure that the work you are doing provides value to the company.

All a notice period does is sets a guidelines for how short/long you will continue working for the company after it has been made official that you are leaving the company.

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    But this is some sort of job security - you have a longer time you can prepare for job interviews etc. while getting paid.
    – guest
    Commented Dec 10, 2020 at 22:34
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    It's not just a guideline. If say 3 months are in your contract, then it's guaranteed that you will be paid for three months - unless the company goes bankrupt, and then employee's wages are quite at the top of things the company needs to pay.
    – gnasher729
    Commented Dec 10, 2020 at 23:14
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Your chances of the company agreeing to 12 months notice are very slim, even in Germany. It would only happen if the company sees you as absolutely irreplaceable and wants to bind you to the company as strongly as possible. For most people, no way that this is going to happen.

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Is it really a good thing?

There is not a lot of good about it. Employment works well if both employer and employee are happy with the current situation. A wish to terminate by either party means that at least one party is so unhappy with the situation that they believe it's beyond redemption. The longer the notice period, the longer that drags on everyone is stuck in bad situation. The goal for the notice period is to enable and orderly transition and give the other party enough time to deal with the separation.

It's not a good tool for "job security".

What are industry standards for this kind of things?

In the US it's two weeks and even this is "voluntary" Three month is already very long and will makes job searches difficult. When I worked in Germany I also had 3 month notice period but when I quit I negotiated a shorter one with my boss. Long enough to transition stuff well but short enough to get to new job within a reasonable time frame. In the US I have left jobs with notices of 2-4 weeks. That worked just fine.

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    I must say I do not completely agree. I have seen cases where the big boss just want to reduce staff to save money - but have to give the notice period. In the notice period the staff works as usual (the staff's manager is not somehow "bad" to them). Here, I see the notice period as completely positive for the staff (and this is also the reason why notice periods for people older than 40 must be especially long by law).
    – guest
    Commented Dec 10, 2020 at 22:43
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    It doesn't affect the job search, because in Germany everyone has three months notice, so every company hiring anyone knows it will take three months. If you were in the USA and the only one with three months notice when everyone else has two weeks, then you would have a disadvantage when you look for a new job - and an advantage if you are laid off.
    – gnasher729
    Commented Dec 10, 2020 at 23:17
  • My God, imagine having to hang around somewhere for two weeks! :O
    – Fattie
    Commented Dec 11, 2020 at 15:51

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