Want to quickly text something about getting fired? Don’t do it.

Limburg District Court (Maastricht) July 9, 2026, ECLI:NL:RBLIM:2026:6371 (short proceedings). The employee works 32 hours per week on an indefinite contract as a dental and orthodontic assistant at the employer’s dental practice, and the employer is angry with her because, according to the employer, she reported her hours incorrectly. The employer sent her a WhatsApp message: “As of Friday, you no longer work here... Incorrectly reporting your working hours is grounds for termination!” That’s it, right? Well, not quite.

No Clear Termination

The subdistrict court judge did not consider this to be a legally valid summary dismissal. The message was simply too vague: it seemed more like an angry observation and a threat than an actual, clear notice of termination. And to make matters even more complicated: the employer simply asked the employee to come back to work the very next day. In doing so, the employer had already withdrawn the (potential) termination, and the employee tacitly agreed to this—by calling in sick and asking for pay. Although the unilateral withdrawal of a summary dismissal (by the employer alone) is not possible, it is permissible with the employee’s consent; and, according to the court, the employee’s subsequent sick leave notification had to be interpreted in this light.

The result

The employer was still required to continue paying wages during the sick leave period, plus a statutory surcharge and interest, and was also liable for the litigation costs. In short, summary dismissal must be communicated crystal clear and immediately. A hasty WhatsApp message sent in the heat of the moment is simply not suitable for this purpose—especially if your own subsequent behavior proves the opposite. We also wonder whether this would have stood up as summary dismissal, given the reasons, but fortunately that was not the relevant question in this case.