In brief

• Companies are reviewing contracts and working-time arrangements ahead of announced PIP inspections.
• In many firms, task-based working time exists mainly on paper rather than in practice.
• Violations can bring fines and claims for overtime pay, which may be substantial.

Companies check contracts before inspections

Before announced inspections by the National Labour Inspectorate (Państwowa Inspekcja Pracy), employers are reviewing the wording of contracts and the way work is organised. As Dziennik Gazeta Prawna reports, in many companies task-based working time exists only in documents, while in practice employees are measured by hours (Koniec fikcji w zadaniowym czasie pracy. Firmy korygują błędy – portalspozywczy.pl) (Koniec fikcji w zadaniowym czasie pracy. Przed kontrolami PIP firmy korygują błędy – gazetaprawna.pl) („DGP”: Koniec fikcji w zadaniowym czasie pracy. Przed kontrolami PIP firmy korygują błędy – wnp.pl). Companies increasingly compare contract terms with actual working conditions and consult lawyers, because the gap between the contract and the work schedule is the main source of risk (Praca zadaniowa tylko na papierze? Firmy szykują się na kontrole – money.pl).

Fines and overtime claims

A greater burden may, however, come from employees' claims for overtime pay. Their amount depends on the hourly rate and the number of overtime hours, and such claims can be pursued for up to three years back. Employers should calculate their own exposure based on pay rates and time-recording records.

Flexible vs. task-based working time

Legal adviser and tax adviser Dagmara Leonik points out that employment reviews linked to the PIP reform are drawing employers' attention to the organisation of working time. In her view, employers increasingly distinguish between flexible and task-based working time, and overtime may also arise under the task-based system.