LEGISLATIVE UPDATE | Law no. 203/2024 effective 12 January 2025
Law no. 203/2024 of 13 December 2024 (the so-called “Collegato Lavoro”) entered into force on 12 January 2025. The wide-ranging measure amended rules on employment administration, safety, fixed-term work, probation, termination and settlement procedures.
Among the most discussed provisions was the possibility of treating prolonged unjustified absence as an employee-initiated termination after the statutory process. The law also introduced a proportional approach to probation in fixed-term contracts and recognised remote methods for protected conciliation.
For foreign employers, the attraction of simplified rules can obscure Italian procedural requirements. An absence should not be classified as voluntary termination before protected reasons and the required notification have been checked. Settlement remains effective only if concluded through a legally protected channel.
Employers should revise templates, define who monitors deadlines and keep evidence of every communication. The reform is most valuable when converted into a reliable local process rather than copied into a global policy.