Poland

Impact date: The rules and conditions of the program will be announced by 30 June 2025, and in the following months, recruitment will begin On 28 April 2025, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy announced plans to launch a pilot program to reduce working hours while maintaining current employee remuneration and without reducing employment. The program is to be flexible and tailored to the needs of different industries and the size of enterprises.

The rules and conditions of the program will be announced by 30 June 2025, and in the following months, recruitment will begin for interested companies, local Governments and non-Governmental organizations. The final form of the program – whether it will be a reduction of the working week to 35 hours, the introduction of a four-day working week or longer holidays – will be jointly determined by employees and employers.

Impact date: The draft is to be adopted by the Council of Ministers in the second quarter of 2025, and the amendment is to enter into force on 1 January 2026 The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy has prepared a draft amendment to the Labour Code, changing the rules for calculating length of service, on which some employee entitlements depend (e.g. holiday entitlement or the amount of the jubilee award).

According to the draft, the length of service will include, among other things, periods of non-agricultural economic activity, periods of cooperation with a person conducting such activity, or periods of suspension of economic activity for the purpose of personal care for a child. A specific novelty is the proposal to include periods of performance of a contract of mandate or a contract for the provision of services (B2B) and an agency contract in the length of service. The periods for which social security contributions were paid (if there was an obligation to pay them in a specific situation) will be confirmed by certificates issued by the Social Insurance Authority (ZUS).

Impact date: The new regulations will come into force six months after their announcement in the Journal of Laws On 9 May 2025, the Sejm (lower chamber of Polish Parliament) adopted a draft amendment concerning pay transparency.

The original draft of the Act provided for more far-reaching changes, but in the course of the legislative process it was scaled back and limited to the recruitment stage.

According to the Act, employers will be required to inform candidates (in paper or electronic form) of the amount or range of remuneration and other benefits (monetary and non-monetary) associated with the job position offered. This information must be provided in the job advertisement and, if not provided earlier, before the interview or the signing of the contract. If the employer is covered by a collective agreement or remuneration regulations, they will be required to indicate the relevant provisions in this regard. Advertisements must be gender-neutral and the entire recruitment process must be conducted without discrimination. The draft also stipulates that employers may not request information about a candidate’s current or previous remuneration.

The amendment now passed by the Sejm will go to the Senate, which will decide on its further fate.

Impact date: Awaited. The draft is still at an early stage, and the date of implementation is yet to be determined On 20 January 2025, the Government Legislation Centre published a draft amendment to the Labour Code regarding bullying.

The new definition suggests that bullying consists of persistent harassment of an employee that is repetitive, recurring, or constant.

It can manifest in the following ways:

• Humiliation or debasement
• Intimidation
• Lowering the employee’s job performance evaluation
• Unjustified criticism, humiliation, or ridicule
• Hindering the employee’s ability to achieve work results, complete tasks, utilize their skills, communicate with colleagues, or access necessary information
• Isolating the employee or excluding them from the team