New Regulations on Keeping Personnel Files

All Polish employers are under obligation to create and store personnel files containing work-related information via new regulations on the employees. Such documents are essential for establishing the amount of pension or period of employment of a staff member. The files may be requested by the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS). That is why employers have to keep personnel records for fifty years.

For many employers, half a century seems a bit extreme. The government answered the calls of Polish business owners for whom such a long archiving period seems irrational. Soon, new regulations and provisions for storing documentation will soon come into force. From 2019, employers will only have to keep personnel files for a period of 10 years.

The Updates on New Regulations:

The new regulations and provisions will apply to all employees hired after 2018 and, if the company fulfills new reporting requirements, to those employed between 1999 and 2018. People who worked before 1999, however, will have their records stored for 50 years. Present and current employees will be able to access and obtain copies of the documents anytime.

Shortening of the archiving period is not everything. Personnel files will be allowed to be kept in electronic form, thanks to which employers will save on paper, printing, and storing services. Another change is the payment of remuneration via bank transfer on default. If an employee prefers to receive their salary in cash, they will need to sign a special statement for the employer. Today, it is the other way around.  Cash is the default form of remuneration.

During a press conference, Jadwiga Emilewicz, the Minister of Entrepreneurship and Technology, argued that the changes will be beneficial for both employers and employees. She assured Poles’ records would be safe. The new regulations and provisions are part of the “100 Changes for Companies” package through which the government wants to limit bureaucracy.