Polish Employers Ban Vacation Email Checks, 'Quiet Vacation' Trend Spreads

A World of Work Trends 2026 report by the Top Employers Institute shows that 91% of leading Polish employers rely on managers to encourage staff to fully use their vacation days, while 80% actively discourage checking work email during leave. Poland outperforms the global average in protecting work‑life boundaries, yet only 45% of firms have a formal "vacation embargo" that prevents any contact with employees on holiday.

At the same time, a growing "quiet vacation" practice sees workers secretly changing their remote work location without employer approval. Experts warn that this can breach Polish labour law, which requires any change of remote‑work site to be agreed with the employer, and may lead to job loss or financial liability. A survey by InterviewMe found that 82% of respondents would consider the ability to work from anywhere a decisive factor when choosing an employer.