As part of the “Business Meets Government” initiative, organized by ABSL in partnership with the law firm Baker McKenzie, representatives of the modern business services sector met with the Chief Labour Inspector, Marcin Stanecki.

The event provided an opportunity to discuss the planned reforms of the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP), inspection priorities for 2025, and the challenges facing employers and public administration in a rapidly evolving labor market.

“Engaging in open dialogue with employers is a way to build strong relationships and a valuable opportunity to understand how the Labour Inspectorate should evolve. Our role is to enforce compliance, impose penalties, and safeguard the well-being and safety of employees and employers,” said the Chief Labour Inspector.

Labour Inspectorate reform – new powers and a cautious rollout

A key meeting topic was the planned reform of the National Labour Inspectorate, scheduled for implementation by June 2026 as part of the National Recovery Plan. A central element of the reform is granting labor inspectors the authority to administratively reclassify civil law contracts as employment contracts—without needing court involvement.

The Chief Labour Inspector emphasized that this new tool will be applied cautiously—only by selected and specially trained inspectors and solely in cases of clear legal violations. The decisions will be immediately enforceable but will not apply retroactively. The reform also includes stricter penalties (up to PLN 50,000), digitalization of processes, and increased funding and staffing for the Inspectorate.

“The right to reclassify civil law contracts into employment contracts will be a tool, not an obligation. Civil law contracts are legal and should be used where appropriate. We will only intervene in cases of abuse and legal violations,” the Chief Labour Inspector assured.

A new approach – from enforcement to education

The Chief Labour Inspector highlighted the ongoing transformation of PIP into a more educational and preventive institution. In 2025, the Inspectorate will host 60 conferences on psychosocial risks and publish a Code of Good Practices. The number of routine inspections will be reduced in favor of advisory and informational activities—PIP provided over 920,000 consultations in 2024.

“The Labour Inspectorate has traditionally been seen as a punitive institution. We are now placing strong emphasis on our educational and informational role. Of course, inspections remain a core responsibility, but we are increasingly focusing on prevention and guidance,” explained Marcin Stanecki.

2025 priorities – working time, outsourcing, and well-being

The Labour Inspectorate’s key inspection priorities for 2025 include:

• Recording and organization of working time (including on-call duties and overtime),
• Legality of employment, particularly the posting of workers to Poland,
• Ergonomics and occupational risk assessment in office environments,
• Control of illegal outsourcing practices,
• Prevention of mobbing and discrimination.

PIP also announced the launch of a whistleblower SOS hotline and ongoing dialogue with the Ministry regarding the deregulation of remote work.

Job evaluation and pay transparency – challenges and support

In light of the EU Pay Transparency Directive, PIP highlighted the lack of a unified job evaluation system and the difficulty of comparing salaries across regions and countries. Plans are underway to hire experts in each regional office to support employers in meeting new obligations.

The Inspectorate advocates a flexible, supportive approach rather than a punitive one, especially during the initial implementation phase.

Mobbing and well-being – new standards for workplace culture

Another key topic was recognizing psychosocial risks as part of occupational risk assessments and mandating anti-mobbing policies. PIP noted the low trust in internal anti-mobbing committees (only 16% of employees use these procedures) and the growing sensitivity of younger generations to well-being and work-life balance.

Social labour inspectors and deregulation – market voices

Despite calls to reduce the number of social labor inspectors in companies with a high share of remote work, PIP does not plan changes in this area. On the contrary, trade unions are advocating for their empowerment. The Chief Inspector encouraged stakeholders to submit deregulation-related petitions to the Parliamentary Petitions Committee.

The meeting demonstrated that dialogue between public administration and business is not only possible but essential. By embracing cooperation and education, the National Labour Inspectorate is positioning itself as a partner in shaping a modern and responsible labor market.