SHORT COMMUNICATION
Availability and the use of work-life
balance benefits guaranteed by the Polish Labour Code among workers employed on the basis of employment contracts in small and medium enterprises
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Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Łódź, Poland
(Department of Health and Work Psychology)
Corresponding author
Aleksandra Andysz
Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Department of Health and Work Psychology, św. Teresy 8, 91-348 Łódź, Poland
Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2016;29(4):709-17
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ABSTRACT
Objectives: Polish Labour Code provides employees with a range of solutions (benefits) supporting them in achieving balance
between work and private life. This paper was aimed at indicating availability and the use of legal benefits supporting
work-life balance (WLB) among Polish workers of small and medium enterprises. Material and Methods: The study sample
included 219 respondents, aged 22–64, working in small and medium enterprises and employed on the basis of employment
contracts for at least a year. The respondents completed a questionnaire on availability and the use of benefits guaranteed
by the Polish Labour Code, referring to their current workplaces. Results: Most frequently the studied employees took sick
leave because of one’s own illness and leave on demand. In our sample, 45% of the women took maternity leave and 26% of
the men took paternity leave. The respondents took educational and parental leave the least frequently. More than half
of the respondents (58%) did not return to the same position after leave devoted to childcare, even though they had such
a possibility. Conclusions: In fact, most of work-life balance benefits guaranteed by law were available to the employees of
small and medium enterprises, regardless of their gender. Availability and the use of the majority of benefits were similar
among the women and men. Availability of benefits depended on the specificity of industry and a profession, thus, future
research on work-life balance policy should control for variables related to the character of work.