Overtime in Poland
Overtime is when you exceed statutory working hours.
In Poland overtime work is formally permitted only when:
- it is required by particular needs of the employer;
- it is necessary to set up a search and rescue team in order to save life or health, or to protect property or repair a breakdown.
If the employer orders you to do overtime, you should comply. Failure to follow the employer’s order may be grounds for disciplinary action.
Caps on overtime
Polish Labour Code sets a cap on how much overtime work an employee can do. There is a weekly cap and a yearly cap.
The weekly cap is 8 hours of overtime work. Altogether the amount of hours to be worked during a week (including regular and overtime hours) may not exceed 48.
The yearly cap is 150 hours of overtime work required by particular needs of the employer. However, this limit may be – and often is – extended in an individual employment contact, the collective labour agreement or the employer’s internal regulations.
Compensation for overtime hours
The Labour Code provides for several options of compensation for overtime work, depending on the employee’s position and the time when extra work was performed. I will write more about this in the next post.