How To... Maintain Work-Life Balance in Poland
My dearest travel friends and expats,
There is a lot of competition in the market and there is a boom - as far as I can see, in the last 2-3 years - of international companies and corporations that move their offices to Poland. Of course the market is cheaper but also the people here are highly trained and competitive. People are usually employed first on a temporary basis - the standard is 3 months - and then if all goes well the undetermined contract kicks in and you work there until you wish to quit or you come into your retirement.
Most Polish people care about the working time hours and the breaks they have. Most of the people I know, working in corporations, also smoke... so they have from time to time during the day, extra minutes to "feed their cancer". It is also common to have the lunch break in front of the PC or just have a sandwich on the go... they like to wait to get home for dinner with family.
If you are settled or willing to be settled sometime soon in Poland, and you wonder how your work-life balance will be like, I can tell you how I see things through 4 years living and working in Poland. The economic situation is much more stable and constantly growing than in Romania, and Poland welcomed me with open arms through the team I worked with in Capgemini - French started corporation on IT, consultancy and outsourcing.
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The market moves so fast that people my age - until the age of 30 - usually already shifted a company of two. In my case I have worked with Capgemini Romania, transferred to Capgemini Poland and after 2 years and a bit in Poland I have moved to UBS POLSKA. Also it is quite frequent to see people moving around in the companies they work with until they find the perfect and fitting position for themselves.
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The average working hours are from 8 am to 4 pm during weekdays and 8 am to 2 pm on Saturdays. Sundays usually everything is closed. But if you work in a corporation it a depends on the project you work for. At the beginning, I'm Capgemini Polska I had a 24/7 shift inside the help desk I was working. I qas extremely happy when I changed the project and went back to regular daytime. I felt like a zombie! Those shifts were good for young people who studied but after a while you just want a normal life. Now I can come to work between 7 and 9 am and the world surely seems brighter :)
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Family is extremely important in Poland! Poland also has the lowest rate of divorce in Europe. Also due to the fact that it is quite banned by the Catholic Church... religious beliefs are also very important and going Saturdays and Sundays to church is a must! Especially if you live in a small town where everyone knows everyone!
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The National Holidays are free by law, and if they fall on a Saturday you can take a day off for it ;) Here are the national days, up to this moment:
| Date | Weekday | Holiday name | Holiday type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Thursday | New Year's Day | National holiday |
| Jan 6 | Tuesday | Epiphany | National holiday |
| Feb 14 | Saturday | Valentine's Day | Observance |
| Mar 20 | Friday | March equinox | Season |
| Apr 3 | Friday | Good Friday | Observance |
| Apr 4 | Saturday | Holy Saturday | Observance |
| Apr 5 | Sunday | Easter Day | National holiday |
| Apr 6 | Monday | Easter Monday | National holiday |
| May 1 | Friday | Labor Day / May Day | National holiday |
| May 3 | Sunday | Constitution Day | National holiday |
| May 24 | Sunday | Whit Sunday | National holiday |
| May 26 | Tuesday | Mother's Day | Observance |
| Jun 4 | Thursday | Corpus Christi | National holiday |
| Jun 21 | Sunday | June Solstice | Season |
| Jun 23 | Tuesday | Father's Day | Observance |
| Aug 15 | Saturday | Assumption of Mary | National holiday |
| Sep 23 | Wednesday | September equinox | Season |
| Nov 1 | Sunday | All Saints' Day | National holiday |
| Nov 11 | Wednesday | Independence Day | National holiday |
| Dec 22 | Tuesday | December Solstice | Season |
| Dec 24 | Thursday | Christmas Eve | Observance |
| Dec 25 | Friday | Christmas Day | National holiday |
| Dec 26 | Saturday | Second Day of Christmas | National holiday |
| Dec 31 | Thursday | New Year's Eve | Observance |
Are you a fresh expat working in Poland? How do you feel it differently than your homeland? Are there huge differences? Do you miss any work law from your homeland? I would love to hear your thoughts on this :)
Embrace the subject and read one of the articles below - How To... In Poland
- Do Shopping In Poland - Currency
- Pick The Best Time To Visit Poland
- Get To Poland - Transit
- Eat Like The Locals
- Spend One Day In Krakow
- Be Prepared For Coming To Poland
- Recognize Tourists In Poland
- Maintain Work-Life Balance In Poland - today's letter to you :)
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug that loves to help travelers out there & expats finding their way to the proud Polish land