Poland warns frequent sick‑leave can justify job dismissal

In 2025 Polish workers recorded 290.5 million sick‑leave days, with the Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) issuing 27.5 million certificates—roughly one in two insured people took a leave. The average length of a single sick‑leave was 11 days, amounting to about 34 days per sick employee annually. ZUS counted 9.8 million leaves of five days or less, including 1.8 million one‑day absences. Analyses by the consultancy Conperio show cases of extreme absenteeism, such as an employee missing 28 times in nine months. The State Labour Inspectorate (PIP) states that while sick‑leave is a protected right, repeated, unpredictable and work‑disrupting absences may constitute grounds for termination, and courts increasingly side with employers in such disputes.

Separately, medical certificates bearing the letter “C” indicate incapacity due to alcohol abuse and trigger a five‑day non‑payment of sickness benefit. In 2025, 7,600 L4 certificates carried this code, representing about 0.045 % of all sick‑leaves nationwide. Recipients of a “C”‑coded L4 receive no compensation for the first five days of absence.