Poland's amended Labour Code redefines mobbing as persistent harassment from 5 November 2026

What changes on 5 November

An amendment to the Labour Code, prepared by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy, takes effect on 5 November 2026. It defines mobbing as persistent harassment of an employee, meaning behaviour that is repetitive, recurring or constant. Under the new rules, the victim does not have to show a psychological effect, and the perpetrator does not have to have intended the harm. The law covers physical, verbal and non-verbal conduct, including in person, in writing or online, such as in an email.

“The catalogue of mobbing behaviours is open, and there is no longer a requirement to show a psychological effect, for example a sense of humiliation or isolation from the team.”

Dorota Dudek, a lawyer with the Polish Association of Anti-Discrimination Law, described the change to PAP.

Who can be a harasser and what counts

The perpetrator can be a superior, a coworker, a subordinate or a group of people, and the type of contract under which the harasser is employed is irrelevant. Ordering or encouraging others to behave this way also counts as mobbing. Regular ridicule of an employee in front of others, blocking access to important information and isolating a worker from the team are cited as examples. Dudek noted that justified criticism expressed in an appropriate form, and the assessment of work performance, are not mobbing.

“Behaviours described in the Labour Code are counted as mobbing, even if their aim was not persistent harassment.”

The victim will still have to prove mobbing in court and present the evidence. In cases of discrimination based on an identity trait such as sex, the employer will bear the burden of showing that no unlawful unequal treatment took place.

Compensation

The minimum compensation for mobbing is not less than six times the minimum wage. In 2026 that floor is 28,836 zł, and from 1 January 2027, when the minimum wage is 4,950 zł, it rises to 29,700 zł. An employee can claim compensation for the mobbing itself, and proof of damage to health is no longer a separate condition. If an employer pays compensation or damages, it can seek recovery from the person whose conduct caused the harm, with the split depending on the degree of fault of that person and of the employer.

202628,836

2027 (from 1 January)29,700

2026

28836 zł

2027 (from 1 January)

29700 zł

Data from the article text

Employer duties and deadlines

Employers must prevent mobbing and discrimination, not only react to complaints. Each employer must set out the rules, procedures and frequency of preventive actions in an internal document, such as a collective agreement or work regulations. Where a company has a separate regulation, it must agree it with trade unions, or with employee representatives chosen under the company's own procedure if no union exists. If no agreement is reached within 30 days of presenting the draft, the employer sets the content itself, taking into account earlier arrangements. The 10-employee threshold decides whether these rules must be written down, and the deadline for adopting them is 5 May 2027.