POLAND Law and Practice Contributed by: Magdalena Zwolińska, Aleksander Płaza, Sylwia Miros and Karolina Rogatko, HRLS Zwolińska & Zwoliński
Permanent (indefinite) contracts These offer the highest level of job stability. In many cases, especially for senior-level employees, the trial period may be skipped altogether, and an indefinite- term contract is offered from the outset. Formal Requirements of Employment Contracts Employment contracts must be documented in writing and prepared in Polish, or alternatively in a bilingual version that includes both Polish and a foreign lan - guage. If the employment contract was not concluded in written form, the employer must – before allowing the employee to begin work – provide written confir - mation of the arrangements regarding the parties to the contract, the type of contract, and its terms and conditions. A written contract requires either a tradi - tional handwritten signature or a qualified electronic signature. It is important to note that not all electronic signatures meet the legal criteria under Polish regula - tions – for instance, signatures from platforms such as DocuSign may not be considered legally binding in written form. Therefore, only electronic signatures certified by the Polish National Certification Centre should be used. Every employment contract in Poland must contain the following information: • identification of both parties, including the employ - er’s registered office address; • specification of the contract type, whether it is for a trial period, a fixed term or an indefinite period; • the date on which the contract is signed; and • details regarding work and pay, such as the employee’s job title, place of work, salary, start date, and – if applicable – the length of the trial or fixed-term period. In accordance with the provisions of the Labour Code, the employer is obliged to inform the employee, in paper or electronic form, about the terms and condi - tions of employment within no later than seven days from the date of concluding the employment contract. This information should include (among other things): • details on the applicable daily and weekly working time standards; • the dates and frequency of salary payments; and
• the applicable notice period for terminating the contract. 1.3 Working Hours Under Polish labour law, the standard working time must not exceed eight hours per day and 40 hours per week, within a five-day workweek. A common model is the basic working time system, where employees typi - cally work from 9am to 5pm. Some employers adopt flexible working time arrangements, letting employees decide when to start work within a predefined time range – for example, between 8am and 10am. However, task-based systems are also widely used, especially in creative or project-oriented roles. In such cases, employees are not required to work fixed hours but are expected to complete their tasks, with the flexibility to organise their workday – provided they attend any mandatory scheduled events such as business meetings. In production-related industries, it is also common to use a shift work system, which allows companies to maintain continuous operations throughout the day. This system typically involves rotating shifts (morning, afternoon and night) and is designed to ensure efficiency and full use of machin - ery or production lines. Overtime Work Employees who work overtime are entitled to addi - tional compensation, unless they hold managerial positions (where exceptions may apply). Overtime is typically paid at the standard hourly rate plus: • a 50% premium; or • a 100% premium for overtime worked on Sundays or at night. Instead of payment, employers may also offer time off in return for overtime hours. If the employer grants the time off, it is calculated as 1.5 hours off for every one hour of overtime. If the employee requests the time off, it is granted on a 1:1 basis. Part-Time Employees Employees working part-time are subject to the same working time regulations as full-time employees. In the case of part-time employment, the employer is required to define in the employment contract
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