30 questions to ask before concluding B2B contracts
19:19
Poland’s National Labor Inspectorate (PIP) has introduced a 30-question self-assessment checklist to help companies determine whether B2B contracts and civil-law service agreements could actually qualify as employment relationships. The checklist has no legal force and does not protect companies from penalties, but it is intended to help employers examine how work is performed in practice rather than relying solely on contract wording.
The questions focus on factors such as supervision, fixed working hours, required personal performance, workplace rules, leave arrangements, use of company equipment and who bears economic risk.
The initiative follows changes effective July 8, 2026, giving PIP new powers to determine through administrative decisions that a B2B or civil-law arrangement is in fact an employment relationship. Since the reform took effect, inspectors have conducted more than 100 related inspections and issued 121 orders confirming employment under labor contracts.
Between July 8 and August 13, PIP received 690 complaints concerning inappropriate use of civil-law contracts, compared with 1,794 since the beginning of the year and 619 during the same period in 2025.
Employers can also request individual interpretations from PIP. If violations are found, inspectors first order the company to correct them. If it fails to do so, PIP can seek a formal decision converting the arrangement into an employment contract. Both employers and workers can appeal such decisions to a labor court.
