As of January 1, 2026, Poland has officially launched a pilot project aimed at reducing working hours. This initiative allows employees to transition to a shorter work week without a loss of salary or to take additional vacation days.
This is reported by Finway
Flexible Participation Formats for Employers
The pilot program, which will run throughout 2026, has brought together 90 employers from various regions of the country. Both public institutions and private companies are participating, with a total staff count involved in the experiment exceeding 5,000 individuals.
The main objective of the project is to investigate how reducing working hours will affect the organization of business processes, work efficiency, and employee well-being. The program does not impose a single model: each employer independently chooses the optimal format according to the specifics of their operations. Available options include a four-day work week with an additional day off on Friday, reducing daily working hours to six or seven hours, additional days off throughout the month, extended annual leave, or hybrid models that combine several approaches.
“Under the terms of the pilot program, changes must cover at least half of the full-time employees. At the same time, the salary level cannot be reduced throughout the entire duration of the project.”
Importantly, a significant portion of the participating organizations are local government bodies. Local authorities emphasize that the optimization of work schedules will occur simultaneously with the digitization of processes, ensuring that residents do not experience inconveniences due to the changes.
Financial Support and Future Prospects
Employers who meet the program’s requirements can apply for funding of up to 1 million zlotys. The average amount of support is 500,000 zlotys, while the maximum co-funding amount per employee does not exceed 20,000 zlotys. All payments are made from the Labor Fund, and the total budget for the initiative for 2025-2027 reaches 50 million zlotys.
After the completion of the pilot project, employers are required to submit final reports and surveys to the Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Policy by May 15, 2027. Based on these results, the ministry will make a decision regarding the potential implementation of reduced working hours on a permanent basis and amendments to the country’s Labor Code.