A 4-day working week in Poland – will it be introduced, and when will this happen?

The four-day work week pilot in Poland is set to run from January 1 to December 31, 2026, with results to be analysed by May 15, 2027. It is a form of regulatory experiment involving selected organisations, designed to assess the impact of reduced working hours on productivity, operating costs, and the labour market.

At this stage, it cannot yet be determined whether the four-day work week will be introduced universally. The pilot is meant to show whether such a solution works in practice and in which industries it can be implemented without harming workplace organisation or company performance.

What Is the Four-Day Work Week and What Models Does It Involve?

The "Shortened Working Time – It's Happening!" pilot is a program launched by the Ministry of Family, Labour, and Social Policy, aimed at testing various models of reducing working hours while maintaining pay. The solution is not limited to the classic four-day work week but also includes other work-time arrangements tailored to the specific needs of individual employers. The Ministry is responsible for organising the recruitment process, signing agreements, monitoring project progress, and preparing a summary report.

Within the pilot, employers may choose from several options, including a free Friday or shortening each workday to 6–7 hours. The model can be adapted to the specific nature of a given employer and the type of work performed.

1. Working Time Reduction (32-Hour Model)

According to a 2025 Hays Poland report, as many as 90% of professionals stated they would like to work a 4 × 8 hour schedule, provided it did not involve a pay cut. This variant assumes:

• 4 working days per week,
• approximately 32 hours of work per week, e.g. 4 × 8 hours per day,
• full pay maintained, in line with the 100-80-100 model.

2. Compressed Working Time (4 × 10 Hours Model)

The second variant involves maintaining the weekly working time at 40 hours, but distributing it across 4 days. This means:

• 4 working days per week,
• extending the daily working time, e.g. to 10 hours,
• free Fridays or another fixed day off.

In Poland, such a system can be introduced under Article 143 of the Labour Code, which allows work to be performed over fewer than 5 days per week while extending the daily working time to up to 12 hours.

Conditions for Participation in the Pilot

Organisations wishing to take part in the pilot must meet specific conditions and go through an application process. This requires:

• having operated for at least 12 months prior to the date of application,
• preparing a project for implementing a shorter work week,
• specifying the chosen model, e.g. free Fridays, shortened working days, or a mixed model,
• identifying the group of employees covered by the pilot, e.g. one person, selected teams, or entire departments,
• presenting a method for measuring outcomes, such as costs, employee well-being, and productivity.

Funding and Support for Companies

Under the four-day work week pilot, each project can receive up to PLN 1 million in support, with funding not exceeding PLN 20,000 per employee included in the test.

Tens of millions of zlotys have been allocated to fund the initial projects. At the launch stage alone, 90 projects covering more than 5,000 employees received support, clearly illustrating the scale of interest in this solution.

Benefits of the Shortened Work Week

The four-day work week enjoys the greatest support among employees, as it addresses several fundamental problems of the modern labour market: work overload, insufficient time for recovery, and the growing phenomenon of burnout. Data from studies and pilot programs in this area are remarkably consistent — shorter working hours need not reduce efficiency and, in many cases, can actually improve it.

Reduced Stress and Lower Burnout

One of the most compelling arguments in favor of this solution is a better work-life balance. According to a report by the PBS research agency, as many as 78% of employees say that a shorter work week directly translates into better management of their time outside work.

A study conducted by 4 Day Week Global in the United Kingdom found that 39% of people working only four days a week experienced a noticeable reduction in stress levels. Moreover, the number of employees leaving their companies dropped by up to 57%. The extra day off shortens the fatigue cycle and limits the accumulation of stress that builds up day by day in the traditional five-day working model.

Employee Productivity – Less Time, Greater Focus

The same study showed that companies that introduced the four-day work week managed to maintain their previous productivity levels, and in some cases recorded increases of several dozen percent.

This can be explained simply: shorter working hours force better organisation of the day, eliminate unnecessary meetings and redundant processes, and sharpen focus on the most important tasks. Employees have less time to complete their responsibilities, but they tend to act more intensively, more deliberately, and with greater concentration. Management styles also shift — with greater emphasis placed on outcomes rather than mere presence.

Greater Employee Engagement and Motivation

The shortened work week also acts as a strong motivational stimulus. People who receive an additional day off while keeping their current salary:

• demonstrate greater engagement in their duties,
• are more inclined to take responsibility for results,
• identify more strongly with the organisation.

This is best illustrated by a comprehensive study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, which covered 141 companies, of which 90% decided to implement the four-day work week after completing a six-month experiment.

Significance for Recruitment and Employer Branding

The four-day work week is increasingly becoming part of employer branding strategies. For many employees, it is one of the most sought-after benefits, and for candidates, it is an important factor when choosing an employer and committing to long-term cooperation. It should be noted, however, that not every organisation is in a position to implement such a solution.

Drawbacks of the Four-Day Work Week

Despite the clear benefits for employees, the four-day work week places a number of demands on organisations that, in many cases, determine whether the project succeeds or fails. It is on the employers' side that the most doubts arise — and they are not unfounded.

It is no coincidence that, according to a report by the Lewiatan Confederation, as many as 76% of entrepreneurs in Poland express scepticism about implementing this model. This level of distrust stems from specific operational, financial, and organisational risks.

Industry-Specific Constraints as a Primary Barrier

According to research by the Polish Economic Institute, 51% of employers stated that switching to a four-day work week is impossible due to the specific nature of their industry. The most commonly cited sectors are those requiring uninterrupted production or constant customer service: industrial plants, logistics centers, retail chains, medical facilities, and service points open six days a week. In such settings, work is closely tied to an employee's physical presence rather than the results of their actions alone.

The Need to Increase Headcount

Another source of scepticism is the concern that shortening the work week will force a complete overhaul of operational processes: changes to shift systems, redesigning supply chains, hiring additional staff, or adopting costly automation solutions. Employers fear that the cost of taking on new people — both financial and organisational — may outweigh the potential benefits of introducing a shorter work week.

Risk of Reduced Efficiency and Revenue

Employers in industries where financial performance depends directly on the number of hours worked are concerned that shortening the work week will affect their revenues. The problem cannot be easily resolved in sectors where processes cannot be automated or reorganised differently, and where an employee's presence is essential to delivering the service.

A shorter work week carries the risk of declining output and forces adjustments to pay structures, as limiting working hours may reduce the value of products sold or services rendered. Further decisions will depend on the pilot's results: whether companies manage to maintain profitability and whether regulations can be adapted to the realities of individual sectors. More will be known once the pilot concludes and its results are analysed in 2027.

Sources:

https://www.4dayweek.com/long-term-pilot-report-2023

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/biggest-trial-of-four-day-workweek-finds-workers-are-happier-and-feel-just/

https://www.4dayweek.com/us-ireland-results

https://www.pap.pl/aktualnosci/ktory-kraj-ma-najdluzszy-tydzien-pracy-polska-w-czolowce

https://www.hays.pl/4-dni-pracy

https://lewiatan.org/indeks-lewiatana-przedsiebiorcom-nie-podoba-sie-4-dniowy-tydzien-pracy/

https://strefabiznesu.pl/78-proc-pracownikow-pozytywnie-ocenia-propozycje-skrocenia-czasu-pracy-ale-tylko-polowa-wierzy-ze-zmiane-uda-sie-wprowadzic/ar/c3-18647759

https://www.sociology.cam.ac.uk/news/new-results-worlds-largest-trial-four-day-working-week

https://pracodawcagodnyzaufania.pl/4-dniowy-tydzien-pracy-niemozliwy-do-wprowadzenia-w-polowie-firm/