Poland: Short-Time Work Program
A short-time work pilot program has been launched in Poland. Various models are planned for testing reducing the number of working days per week, reducing the number of working hours on individual days, additional days off per month or granting additional days off in the form of annual leave and other ideas proposed by employers.
The goal of the program is to test various models of short-time work and assess their impact on employment, productivity, employee health, work organisation, and work-life balance. It also aims to develop best practices and identify the benefits and challenges associated with this form of work organization, which could serve as a basis for potential future regulatory changes.
The conditions that must be met to qualify for the program and receive funding are:
- include in the program at least 50% of employees;
- not reducing the salaries of employees participating in the project throughout its duration;
- no deterioration in working conditions or pay for employees covered by the project;
- maintaining employment at a level no lower than 90% of the initial level specified in the application;
- employing at least 75% of employees under an employment contract (important since in Poland other forms of cooperation are also possible, e.g. B2B contracts); and
- operating as a business in Poland for at least 12 months prior to the application date.
Starting August 14, 2025, employers can submit applications for participation in the program. Testing of selected short-time work models will continue throughout 2026. The results of this experiment will certainly be interesting and could represent a significant step in changing the approach to working time and its effective management.
