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In recent years, numerous discussions on the limits of freedom of expression in the workplace have been a popular topic of discussion in public forums. There have also been high-profile legal disputes based on conflicts between the value systems promoted by employers and the personal beliefs of employees. Current events in the international arena, particularly the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the operations of the Israeli armed forces in the Gaza Strip, have opened up another potential area of friction in the employment relationship. In this context, the question is whether an employee's opposition to military action can justify refusing to carry out work orders (for example, when dealing with clients from countries involved in military operations).
On 27 November 2025, the Standing Committee of the Council of Ministers adopted a draft bill amending the provisions of the Labour Code on mobbing. This is in response to comments submitted to earlier bills, which we have covered in articles on the first bill and amendments to it. Although the latest version is only a slight modification of the earlier, if enacted, it will place further obligations on employers.
An employee's return to work following an extended period of parental leave presents significant challenges for both the employee and the employer. The Labour Code affords returning employees protection and grants them additional rights designed to facilitate a seamless transition back to the workplace, thereby imposing a range of corresponding obligations on employers.
The principle of non-discrimination has been in force in Polish labour law for over 20 years. At the same time, there is a noticeable tendency to specify and expand provisions in this area. Soon, on 24 December 2025, the principle of non-discrimination will be reinforced once again – by adding art. 183ca to the Labour Code. The adoption of art. 183ca LC relates to partial implementation of European Parliament and Council (EU) Directive 2023/970.
This provision introduces rules on transparency regarding remuneration at the recruitment stage. However, it also stipulates that: The employer shall ensure that job advertisements and job titles are gender-neutral and that the recruitment process is non-discriminatory. We focus in this article on new duties of employers in this regard.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected work organisation, particularly in the services sector, but also in white-collar and administrative/office work. To reduce the risk of infection, where possible, many employees switched to remote working, and business meetings became virtual. This model quickly gained popularity and was gradually implemented more widely, even after the peak of the pandemic had passed.
After numerous comments were made during the opinion process on a draft act about which we wrote in the article Draft new definition of mobbing = new obligations for employers, the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy on 5 June 2025 published a new version of the draft on the Governmental Legislation Centre website.
Compared to the previous version, the bill contains several changes to regulations aimed at systematising the definition of mobbing, as well as introducing legal solutions that are new to Polish labour law, such as the employer's right to claims against the perpetrator of mobbing.