What is the purpose of the 2026 work assessment?

Quick summary

• A work report is not the same as a credit report.
• The employer does not issue it automatically, but only at the employee’s request.
• The reference must relate to the job, qualifications and skills, not personal life.
• A false or misleading reference can be defended against in court.
• The retention of data after the end of the employment relationship depends on the purpose and the legal time limits.

Do you disagree with an employment report or are you dealing with a redundancy? We can help you with termination of employment, with a challenge, negotiation and lawsuit.

An example from our law practice

Mr. Milan, who was applying for a new position, contacted the office of an Accessible Lawyer. He had gone through two rounds of the selection process, at which point his potential employer asked him for employment references from two previous jobs. However, one of the employers issued a reference which, according to Mr Milan, was inaccurate and portrayed him in a bad light. We helped Mr. Milan draft a lawsuit seeking to correct the misrepresented report. At the same time, he informed his new employer of his action. Fortunately, the employer did not shy away from the negative opinion and hired Mr. Milan.

Every employer has the right to keep a personnel file on its employees, which is kept even after their employment has ended. Upon request, the employer should also provide the employee with a report on his/her work activities, but may not provide it further without the employee’s consent.

What is a work report and what is its importance?

It should be said that while it used to be almost routine to obtain references and work references, in recent years it has become less important. Employers have their own recruiters and external HR agencies that will tailor the selection process to get the right person for the job.

However, don’t confuse a job reference with a credit report. In the first case, the employer actually evaluates your performance, qualifications, skills, approach to work and mentions your pros and cons, if any, and does so only at your explicit request. In doing so, they may only mention facts that are relevant or directly related to the work activity. These may also be qualities of the employee, but only in relation to the work, i.e. for example, organisational skills, initiative or discipline. Mention of the employee’s personal affairs or family life is prohibited. Nor should the reason for termination of employment be mentioned.

In the latter case, it is a standard certificate issued to the employee at the end of his employment. This is a document that confirms that the worker has been employed in a specific position with a particular employer for a specific period of time. You will need a credit certificate to confirm your experience in the civil service and also when applying for unemployment benefits at the Czech Labour Office or for a pension at the Czech Social Security Administration.

According to the Labour Code, an employment report is “any document relating to the evaluation of an employee’s work, his qualifications, abilities and other facts relevant to the performance of work“. Thus, an employment report should contain, in particular, information on the employee’s education and training, the type of work performed and its quality.

When may a work assessment be provided?

What if someone approaches your former employer without your knowledge and asks questions about you? In this case, the employer should not provide any information without your explicit consent. However, it is a different situation if you list some people yourself along with contact details to provide references on your CV. In this case, providing these details is deemed to be consent to be contacted by them. As a rule, however, you contact these persons yourself in advance and inform them of the inclusion in your CV.

How long can employee data be kept?

There is no clear answer to this question. According to the GDPR rules, the data controller should stop processing personal data when the purpose of the processing ends. Ideally, the employer should assess the existence of these processing purposes for each type of document and gradually destroy them. Thus, some documents should be destroyed as soon as the employment relationship ends, others only after the expiry of the statutory retention period or the employer’s legitimate interest.

What if you disagree with the assessment?

If your former employer has given false or misleading information, you can seek redress in court under the Labour Code within three months of becoming aware of the report. You can sue to have the employer amend or omit something in the report. In your application for modification, you will state which parts of the report you disagree with and suggest wording or deletions. The court will make a decision.

The employee can also claim damages in accordance with the Labour Code. You can imagine a situation where another employer has not hired you in connection with the new judgment. The damages that the employer is obliged to compensate the employee in this case may also consist of the employee’s lost earnings at the other employer. It should be noted, however, that proving this case may not be easy.

Remember that it is always the details that make the difference: what exactly is false in the report, what can you use to prove it and how the claim for correction should be worded. If you are unsure, it pays to have the matter quickly assessed by a solicitor. In employment disputes, the biggest mistake is that the employee knows that the report is unfair, but cannot define exactly what the court should change or omit.

Summary

The job evaluation does not play the same role in all fields today as it used to, but it is certainly not a relic without significance. In 2026, it can still fundamentally affect an employee’s future employment, so it makes sense to know when you are entitled to one, what can be in it, and how to defend against misrepresentation. It is not issued automatically by the employer, but only at the employee’s request and within 15 days. The content must adhere to the job evaluation, qualifications, abilities and other facts related to the performance of the job.

It is equally important to distinguish between a performance appraisal and a credit report. While a letter of credit is a standard end-of-employment certification, a performance appraisal is an evaluative document that can help but also significantly harm an employee if it is written inaccurately, one-sidedly, or untruthfully. Therefore, it is not advisable to delay the matter when there is disagreement. The law gives the employee a relatively short window of opportunity to defend himself or herself and in practice it is often crucial how quickly the disputed passages can be identified and why they are incorrect.