Een dagelijkse briefing over ontwikkelingen op het gebied van HR, arbeidsrecht en compliance in Europa voor HR-teams van MKB's in de EU, het VK, Zwitserland en de Scandinavische landen.

Top story: Netherlands bans zero-hour contracts in landmark flexible-work reform

The Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) approved legislation on 7 July 2026 that will phase out zero-hour contracts and impose stricter limits on temporary employment across the Netherlands. Under the new law, temporary contracts will generally only be permitted for work that is inherently flexible in nature. The bill also closes the so-called revolving-door loophole: currently, employers can restart a new chain of temporary contracts just six months after a third fixed-term contract expires, but the new rules extend that cooling-off period to three years. Social Affairs Minister Hans Vijlbrief described the reform as a measure to give workers “security about how many hours they will work and how much they will earn.” The legislation is expected to take effect on 1 January 2028, giving employers time to adjust contracts and workforce planning.

Wat te doen: Employers in the Netherlands who rely on zero-hour contracts or revolving temporary arrangements should begin auditing their workforce composition now. Map which roles are genuinely flexible and which will need to convert to permanent or fixed-minimum-hours contracts before the 2028 deadline. Update template contracts and brief hiring managers on the new restrictions.

Ook in ontwikkeling

Nederland: Separately from the zero-hour reform, the government submitted a bill to the Council of State (Raad van State) on 26 June proposing significant restrictions on non-compete clauses. The draft legislation would cap non-compete clauses at 12 months, require employers to specify the geographic scope in writing and provide a written justification for every non-compete clause, extending this requirement to indefinite contracts for the first time. Critically, employers who invoke a non-compete clause would have to pay the departing employee compensation equal to 50% of their last monthly salary for the restricted period. The Council of State will issue its opinion before the bill proceeds to the Tweede Kamer. Wat te doen: Review existing non-compete clauses in employment contracts. While the bill has not yet been debated in parliament, the direction of travel is clear: prepare to justify each clause on its merits and budget for the compensation obligation.

Luxembourg: Sanctions for non-compliance with Luxembourg’s right-to-disconnect law took effect on 4 July 2026. The underlying right was introduced by the Law of 28 June 2023, which requires employers to adopt suitable measures ensuring employees are not expected to engage in work-related communications outside working hours. Until now, no penalties applied for breaches. Employers must have a policy or agreement in place that defines the practical arrangements for disconnecting, including how work-related digital communications are managed after hours. Wat te doen: If you have employees in Luxembourg, verify that a right-to-disconnect policy is in place and that managers understand the boundaries. From 4 July, the Labour Inspectorate can enforce sanctions for non-compliance.

Denemarken: From 1 July 2026, the threshold for mandatory workplace accident reporting has been raised. Employers must now report an accident only when the injured employee is absent for at least three days beyond the day of the incident, replacing the previous one-day threshold. Where the threshold is met, the report must be filed within 14 days from the first day of absence. Internal recording obligations remain unchanged: employers should continue documenting all workplace incidents regardless of severity. Wat te doen: Update your accident-reporting procedures and brief line managers on the new three-day threshold. Continue documenting all workplace incidents internally, even those that no longer trigger an external report.

EU: The European Data Protection Board has launched its 2026 coordinated enforcement action, this year targeting compliance with transparency and information obligations under Articles 12 to 14 of the GDPR. Twenty-five data protection authorities across Europe are participating. While the action covers all sectors, the CMS GDPR Enforcement Tracker notes that employment-related data processing has generated 191 fines totalling over EUR 360 million to date, making it a high-risk area. The EDPB’s focus on transparency means regulators may scrutinise the privacy notices and data-processing information employers provide to applicants and employees with renewed attention. Wat te doen: Review your employee and applicant privacy notices to ensure they meet GDPR transparency requirements: clear language, specific purposes, legal bases and data retention periods. This is a good time to close any gaps before a DPA comes knocking.

Op de radar

Duitsland, hervormingspakket arbeidsmarkt (voorheen behandeld): The 34-measure reform package, including day-one sick-note requirements and a new high-earner termination mechanism, still requires Bundestag approval before the summer recess.

EU-richtlijn inzake loontransparantie (eerder behandeld): Infringement proceedings against member states that missed the 7 June transposition deadline are expected later in 2026. Only four countries have complete national legislation in force.

EU-richtlijn voor platformwerkers: The 2 December 2026 transposition deadline approaches. Several member states are expected to publish draft national legislation in the autumn.

Bronnen

• NL Times: Netherlands to end zero-hour work contracts with Senate vote (7 July 2026)
• Business.gov.nl: Zero-hours contracts banned
• Bronsgeest Deur: Legislative proposal to reform Dutch non-compete rules advances to next stage
• Business.gov.nl: Rules for non-compete clause tightened
• Mondaq: Key developments and outlook in Luxembourg employment law (2025 to 2026)
• Leap29: Workplace accident reporting in Denmark, changes from July 2026
• EDPB: CEF 2026 coordinated enforcement action on transparency and information obligations
• CMS: GDPR Enforcement Tracker Report, employment category

Europe HR Compliance Pulse is een informatieve samenvatting van publiekelijk gemelde juridische en regelgevende ontwikkelingen. Het is geen juridisch advies. Controleer altijd de verplichtingen voor uw specifieke situatie en markt bij een gekwalificeerde adviseur.