Before you hire employees in Poland, there are some key things you’ll need to know. Firstly, in Poland, employees subject to non-compete agreements are entitled to receive compensation for the full duration of the agreement, which must not be lower than 25% of their last salary.
It’s also important to know that in Poland, before an employment contract can be signed, a candidate needs to attend a medical examination and present a certificate to their employer.
We know keeping track of all this might sound overwhelming—but it doesn’t have to be. A solution like Oyster eliminates the barriers for you. With Oyster, you can automate compliance across 180+ countries, easily managing HR and payroll—all in one, easy-to-use platform.
Get an overview of what you need to know when hiring in Poland below.
In Poland, employees typically work eight hours per day, 40 hours per week. Weekly working hours (including overtime) cannot exceed 48 hours. Annual overtime cannot exceed 150 hours.
Hours worked above eight hours per day and 40 per week are considered overtime. For work performed on Sundays, holidays, at night, or on an employee’s day off, overtime is paid at 200% the regular wage. Overtime is paid at 150% for any other day.
Instead of paying for overtime, employers may grant an employee time off work.
Before an employment contract can be signed, candidates in Poland will need to attend a medical examination and present a certificate.
In Poland, a probationary period is three months at most. There are two types of employment contracts: an indefinite/permanent contract or for a trial period (probation) of up to three months.
It is not legally possible to combine these two types of contracts, so the probation period would need to be covered as a fixed term initial contract and then replaced by an indefinite contract upon successful completion of the probation period.
The notice period for the termination of contracts in Poland is typically as follows:
Non-compete agreements must specify the duration and compensation in writing. Typically, these agreements aren’t made for longer than a year after a contract’s termination. The employee is entitled to receive compensation for the duration of the agreement which must not be lower than 25% of their last salary.
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Employees in Poland are entitled to 20 days of paid vacation leave if they have been employed for less than 10 years. They are entitled to 26 days if they have been employed for 10 years or more.
Employees in Poland who are less than 50 years old are entitled to up to 33 days of sick leave in a calendar year. These 33 days are paid by the employer. From the 34th day onwards, sick leave is paid by the Social Security Office (ZUS).
Employees aged 50 or above get up to 14 days in a calendar year, paid by the employer. From the 15th day onward, sick leave is paid by the ZUS.
Sick leave is typically paid at 80% of the allowance basis. If the illness occurs during pregnancy or if it was caused by an accident on the way to or from work, sick leave is paid at 100%.
Employees in Poland are entitled to 20 weeks of paid maternity leave for the birth of one child, 31 weeks for twins, 33 weeks for triplets, 35 weeks for quadruplets and 37 weeks for quintuplets or more. Of this, they can take up to six weeks prior to giving birth.
Employees are also entitled to a further 32 weeks of parental leave that can be granted to either parent. The leaves are at a rate of 100% for the first 26 weeks and 60% for the remaining weeks.
Employees can also take up to two weeks’ fully paid paternity leave to be used in its entirety or divided into two parts (seven days each). This leave can be used until the child reaches the age of two or be forfeited.
In Poland, employers are required to pay between 19.48% and 22.14% in social security contributions.
Employees in Poland are taxed on any income earned, provided they have lived in the country for 183 consecutive days during the tax year. Anyone under the age of 26 who makes less than 85 528 PLN is exempt from income taxes. Social security contributions are mandatory for all employees.
In Poland, severance pay is given by employers who have at least 20 employees. The breakdown is as follows:
Setting up a business entity everywhere you want to hire a new employee isn’t scalable—it takes too long and the legal fees are high. At the same time, understanding and adhering to the local labor laws and employee expectations can be complex and time consuming. And it’s hard to find reliable information on up-to-date employment information for all the countries where you’re considering hiring. Not to mention tracking down invoices and managing employee contracts over email and spreadsheets—that gets messy fast.
We can’t afford to take risks when it comes to compliance—we need to make sure we follow the local guidelines, especially when it comes to taxes and legalities.
With Oyster, you can manage HR and payroll, and automate compliance across 180+ countries—all in one, easy-to-use platform.
