Revolutionary labor reform: Poland to introduce a four-day working week

Poland is facing revolutionary changes in labor legislation. A four-day working week for Poles may soon be adopted.

Donald Tusk’s government has confirmed that the decision to change the work schedule will be made during the current government’s term, i.e. no later than 2027.

Among Poles, opinions on this issue are still different. Therefore, different options are being considered.

There are also political motives behind the innovations. It’s difficult not to notice that this initiative coincides with the timing of the Polish presidential elections. Therefore, it is fairly logical to assume that this could be a good point in the election program of the current coalition presidential candidate.

It will be difficult for the opposition, in particular the Law and Justice party, to criticize this argument since it has recently relied on numerous social initiatives in the elections.

However, it is not entirely clear who will be able to credit this initiative—the Civic Platform party of the current Prime Minister Donald Tusk or the Law and Justice party, whose representative is implementing these changes.

In general, there are various economic and sociological arguments in favor of the need to reduce working hours, and with the proliferation of modern technological solutions that introduce significant automation of many processes, a shorter working week seems to be a natural consequence of global transformations.

It is also believed that people who work only four days a week have more time for personal development, including professional development. This arrangement benefits both employees and employers.

Some European countries are already implementing such initiatives, such as France and Belgium. Others are piloting programs.

In Poland, discussions about the possibility of shortening the working week have been going on for a long time. The initiative comes from Law and Justice, a political party that is part of the ruling coalition and is associated with Agnieszka Dziemianowicz Bąk, Poland’s Minister of Family, Labor, and Social Policy.

The Polish Ministry of Family, Labor, and Social Policy is trying to develop the most favorable solutions. She maintains her confidence in the impending changes, despite the ongoing discussions about the implementation of various options.

Various options are currently being considered, the most realistic of which are two: a three-day weekend or a seven-hour working day.

The first one implies a four-day workweek, but on each of these days, employees will spend more hours at their workplaces than they do now (for example, they will work 9 hours on three days and 8 hours on the fourth). Another option is to work five days a week, but seven hours a day.

However, the most likely prospect for changes to the Polish Labor Code is the introduction of a four-day work week.

After all, according to a ClicMeeting study, 70% of Polish employees prefer a one-day shorter workweek to a shorter working day. The relevant ministry is also more inclined to this model of innovation.

“I think it’s time to reduce the working week to four days in the next few years,” said Dzemianowicz-Bonk, Minister of Family, Labor, and Social Policy.

While many Poles see the prospect of a four-day workweek as a kind of dream come true, there are skeptics.

These are primarily business owners and employees who fear that they will not be able to fulfill all their duties with shorter working hours.

Work on the above-mentioned initiative is likely to gain momentum in the fall and could be completed in the spring of 2025.

Labor reform could be an advantage for the coalition candidate in the upcoming presidential election. It will be difficult for the opposition, in particular the Law and Justice party, to criticize this argument, as it has recently relied on numerous social initiatives in the elections.