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What to check before signing a Swiss employment contract
A contract review connects the offer discussed in interviews with the arrangement you will actually work under. SECO's private employment-law guidance is a useful starting point; public-sector employment can follow different rules. Obtain all referenced documents before making a decision.
Editorial review: 16 October 2026
Identify the essential agreement
Check the legal employer, role, workplace, start date, duration and employment percentage. Verify gross pay, payment frequency, guaranteed extras and variable-pay conditions. Confirm weekly hours and leave. Swiss private employment contracts can generally be concluded orally, but written terms make the agreement easier to establish. Certain clauses require writing, and employers have specific written-information duties.
Read the linked rules
Request any staff handbook, collective agreement, pension information and bonus plan incorporated into the contract. Pay particular attention to overtime, expenses, remote work, travel and sickness arrangements. Ask how a relocation reimbursement or funded qualification could become repayable. A reference to a document is a reason to read that document before assessing the full package. Confirm which version will apply when you start.
Test the difficult scenarios
Read probation and notice provisions, including how and when notice must reach the other party. For a fixed-term position, check its end date and any early-termination mechanism. Consider what happens if the start date changes because a permit is pending. Review confidentiality, intellectual-property and non-compete clauses against the actual role; obtain specific advice for a restriction you cannot assess. Resolve inconsistencies in a revised document and retain the signed version.
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