Poland updates sick leave rules for incidental work

New regulations regarding sick leave in Poland have introduced an exception to the rule that performing paid work during medical leave results in the loss of sickness benefits. Under the updated law, incidental activities performed due to significant circumstances do not disqualify a worker from receiving benefits. Examples provided by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy include one-time tasks such as signing an urgent document or paying a single invoice.

However, these incidental actions must arise from exceptional circumstances rather than an employer's instruction. The law explicitly states that an employer cannot justify requiring a worker to perform tasks by claiming they issued a direct order, as such actions would not qualify as incidental under the new provisions.