Hospitals avoid paying long-service awards for medical staff

An employer may set out particular provisions concerning bonuses within its internal payroll regulations, collective agreements, or other policies. In general, employers have a free hand in shaping those provisions as long as they are not discriminatory and comply with the principle of equal treatment in employment. In our view, both before and after the implementation of the new regulations on 1 January 2026, employers remain entitled to stipulate that only periods of service under a contract of employment should be taken into account when calculating eligibility for a long-service award. If there are no specific internal regulations, current statutory provisions will apply. Therefore, all forms of employment arrangements must be taken into account when calculating bonuses. – Patryk Kozieł comments to Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.

Full article in Polish available: here.