The initiative, which runs until 2027 with a budget of PLN 50 million (about EUR 12 million), is the first of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe.
“Rested workers are healthier, more effective and more loyal,” Family, Labour and Social Policy Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk said at the launch.
She argued that shorter hours would be a major step toward better work-life balance.
The pilot allows companies to design their own models, whether a four-day week, shorter shifts, longer holidays or flexible start times.
Employers must have operated for at least a year, employ most staff on standard contracts, and ensure that wages remain unchanged and staffing levels do not fall during the trial. Projects must cover at least half the workforce.
The programme will be financed through Poland’s Labour Fund.
This year, PLN 10 million will be made available, with a maximum grant of PLN 1 million per project. Costs per employee cannot exceed PLN 20,000.
Applications must be filed online by September 15, selected projects will be announced by October 15 and testing will begin in January.
The programme follows a year of research and consultations with businesses in Poland and abroad.
A recent survey by Warsaw’s SWPS University showed that more than half of Poles favour shorter hours, including 65 percent of women and 63 percent of men.
A May report by recruitment firm Hays Poland found that 55 percent of managers and specialists believe the country is ready to reduce the standard 40-hour week.
Business groups remain cautious. “Most applications will come from companies with office-based work. In retail or manufacturing a shorter week could be problematic,” said Szymon Witkowski, chief legal expert of Employers of Poland, a major business association.
He warned that inflation could erode the benefits and insisted any reform should remain voluntary.
This debate in Poland echoes a wider global discussion. France has had a 35-hour week since 2000, while Finland, Norway and Sweden operate 37.5-hour standards.
In recent years, trials in Britain, Germany, Spain and Canada have reported improved productivity, higher revenues and reduced burnout among workers.
In most of Central Europe, including Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the working week remains at 40 hours, typically spread across five days.
The Polish pilot is seen as a significant test of whether that can change without undermining economic performance.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP