Piloting reduced working time without strategy revolution
The piloting of the shortened working time was launched by Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and will last until the end of 2026. It is attended by public and private sector actors who test different models of work organisation. These include a four-day week of work, a simplification in the number of hours per week or an extension of leave while maintaining wages at the current level.
According to the Ministry, the average backing for 1 task is about PLN 0.5 million. The full budget of the programme for the years 2025-2027 is PLN 50 million from the Labour Fund, with maximum support for 1 task not exceeding PLN 1 million and cost per worker PLN 20 thousand. The participation required, among others, to operate for at least 12 months, to pilot at least half of the squad and to keep employment at least 90%.
From the point of view of e-commerce, pilotage is an organisational test, not an announcement of immediate legislative changes. Online shops operating on a continuous basis, with logistics and client service billed hourly, must analyse specified solutions mainly through the prism of efficiency and costs.
Poles do not want a statutory shortening of the work week
Test by United Surveys by IBRiS on request Virtual Poland shows clearly that social enthusiasm for the four-day working week is limited. 61.5 percent of respondents voted against the shortening of the statutory week of work. The support was declared to be 30.9 percent and 7.6 percent of the respondents had no clear opinion.
The survey was carried out between 19 and 21 December 2025 by CATI and CAWI methods on a example of 1000 people. This data is crucial for entrepreneurs, as it shows not only the moods of employees, but besides possible customers. From an e-commerce perspective, this means that shortening the working week is not the expected marketplace standard today, but alternatively an experimentation tested in selected organisations.
Read the article: Trends and changes in e-commerce in 2026 with the eye of practitioners
Distribution of opinions and the reality of e-business
The analysis of the survey's results broken down by political preference confirms that there is no clear social group that is massively demanding a simplification in the working week. In the electorate of the ruling coalition 43 percent of respondents support this solution, but 49 percent are against it. Among opposition voters, the opposition reaches 69 percent.
For e-shop owners, however, it is not the political background that is crucial, but the impact of possible changes on operations. A four-day working week may improve the satisfaction of creative, marketing or IT teams, but in logistics, warehouses and client service would require additional jobs or automation. This straight translates into costs, margins and SLA towards customers. Therefore, e-commerce is more frequently considered flexible graphics, shift or hybrid work, alternatively of rigidly shortening the working week for the full organization.
FAQ. Four-day e-commerce week
- Is a four-day week mandatory?
Nope. Currently, it is only a pilot run until the end of 2026 without changing the Labour Code. - Can e-commerce companies participate in piloting?
Yes, if they have met the formal conditions set by the MRPiPS, including maintaining employment and not lowering wages. - Does a shorter week of work increase productivity?
Pilotage is expected to answer that question. Today, there are no nationwide data to confirm the increase in productivity across the economy. - Will e-commerce customers feel changes?
Indirectly, yes. The shortening of working time without reorganizing processes can affect the time of execution of orders and client service. - When do we get the pilot's results?
The summary phase will begin in 2027. By 15 May, task developers will submit final reports and surveys of employers and employees.
