In March 2023, President Andrzej Duda signed an amendment to the Labor Code. It implements two EU directives – the so-called parental directive and work-life balance.

Work-life balance means a balance between work and private life. It is a state in which the employee has control over his duties and needs and acts in accordance with his values ​​and goals.

The Parental Directive regulates the issue of individual rights related to paternity, parental and carer’s leave, as well as flexible working arrangements for employees who are parents and carers. Its aim is to encourage a more equal sharing of caring responsibilities between women and men.

In turn, the work-life balance directive aims to improve working conditions by ensuring more transparent and predictable employment.

The amendment provides an employee who has been working for at least 6 months with the right to apply (once in a calendar year) for changing the type of employment contract to an employment contract for an indefinite period or for more predictable and safe working conditions. The employee will also have the right to respond in writing to the request with justification within 1 month of receipt of the request.

The changes also concern the extension of the scope of information on the terms and conditions of employment of an employee (e.g. information on training provided by the employer, on the length of paid leave an employee is entitled to).

The Labor Code will also regulate the employee’s right to free training necessary to perform a specific type of work or in a specific position.

Implementation of the directive will also ensure the employee’s right to parallel employment – it will introduce a ban on prohibiting an employee from being employed simultaneously with another employer.

The amendment also provides for making the right to parental leave independent of the child’s mother being employed on the day of childbirth – the child’s father will be able to take parental leave, despite the fact that the child’s mother was not in employment (in sickness insurance) on the day of childbirth.

As part of the parental leave, a non-transferable part of this leave of up to 9 weeks for each parent will be introduced.

The amount of the maternity allowance for the full period of parental leave will also be determined. It will be 70 percent. benefit calculation basis.

An unpaid carer’s leave of 5 days per calendar year will be introduced. This leave will be available to the employee in order to provide personal care or support to a relative (son, daughter, mother, father or spouse) or to a person staying in a common household who needs care or support for serious medical reasons.

A novelty is also dismissal due to force majeure in urgent family matters caused by illness or accident. It will be due in the amount of 2 days or 16 hours in a calendar year. For the time of dismissal, the employee will retain the right to half of the salary.

Source:https://kadry.infor.pl/5711845,worklife-balance-w-kodeksie-pracy.html

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