"This is the first such pilot program in our part of Europe," said Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Poland’s Minister of Family, Labour, and Social Policy, just ahead of Labour Day on Thursday, May 1.
"It’s high time to shorten working hours for Polish men and women, while ensuring they receive the same level of wages," the minister added during a debate on the issue.
As part of the pilot program, Polish employers and employees will test different models of reduced working hours to determine which works best.
"Shorter workdays or weeks? Or perhaps longer vacations? It will be up to individual companies and institutions to decide how to achieve the common goal - reducing working hours while maintaining the same pay. It’s possible to work less and work better. After all, we work to live, not live to work," argued Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk on Monday.
Poland's pilot program to reduce working hours – what are the rules?
The new program aims to involve businesses, local governments, foundations, and trade unions, with the central condition being that employees will continue to receive the same wages despite shorter working hours.
Various models will be tested, including reducing working hours on specific days or decreasing the number of workdays per week.
Minister Dziemianowicz-Bąk emphasized that previous studies have shown that reduced working hours improve employee health, reduce burnout, and lead to fewer errors at work - all without negatively affecting companies’ financial performance.
Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk, Minister of Family, Labour, and Social Policy (on the left), and Krzysztof Kukucki, President of Włocławek (on the right), during the meeting titled "Shorter Working Hours - What's Happening!" in Warsaw, April 28, 2025. Photo: PAP/Leszek Szymański
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Source: IAR/PAP/X/@MRPiPS_GOV__PL/@AgaBak