Employers from all sectors of the economy were eligible to participate in the pilot programme for reduced working hours with full remuneration, organised by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy. Finally, 1,994 companies and institutions submitted applications. 

From all applicants, the committee selected 90 employers who will have the opportunity to test various forms of reduced working hours in their workplaces. The next step will be to sign agreements with them.  

Overall, the projects will cover more than 5,000 employees. The average amount of funding was over half a million PLN. 

The full list of selected entities can be found at link.

Reduced working hours are the future 

The eight-hour working day has been in place for 107 years. Time to move forward! More and more employees are older people. More and more women want to harmonise their professional and family lives. Shorter working days will be a great help to them. There is no single correct model for reducing working hours.  Solutions must be tailor-made and adapted to specific industries. Any changes will be spread out over time and will be gradual. The pilot project will be bottom-up in nature – entrepreneurs and employees themselves will develop and test solutions appropriate for their companies. Entrepreneurs and employees are paving the way, and we will then consolidate it, said Minister Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bąk in September.

Now we know the participants of the pilot programme – what is next? 

After signing the agreements, the selected companies and institutions will have time until the end of the year to prepare for the reduction in working hours. The main stage of the pilot programme will start on 1 January 2026. For a year, employers will test how the models they have chosen to reduce working hours while maintaining remuneration will work in practice.   

The Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy will collect data from employees and employers throughout the pilot programme and after its completion. We will prepare a report summarising the tested solutions and analyse the possibility of implementing them on a larger scale.  

What conditions must be met by companies and institutions? 

Employers who will implement the pilot project to reduce working hours while maintaining remuneration can count on support – a maximum of PLN 1 million and no more than PLN 20,000 per employee.  

Applications could be submitted by companies and institutions that have been operating for at least one year and employ at least 75% of their staff under employment contracts, appointments, elections or nominations. Each pilot project will cover at least 50% of employees from various positions. Employers will reduce working hours by 10% starting in January and continuing through June 2026, and by 20% during the second half of the year.   

The terms and conditions of employment and remuneration of employees shall not be worsened. The employer will also be obliged to maintain employment at a level not lower than 90% of the initial level.