In Poland, every 11 November is National Independence Day, commemorating the day Poland regained its independence in 1918, following what historians refer to as the partitions, where Russia, Austria and Prussia annexed parts of Poland so that it disappeared from the map of Europe for 123 years.

To celebrate the day, Poles participate in a variety of events, such as military parades, national runs (wearing the official state colours) and, for gym lovers, 100-push-up challenges. They also indulge in baked goose with apples. Some get carried away and choose to celebrate in more radical ways – which is not always appreciated by law enforcement (let us not deliberate on that).

This year, 11 November is a Sunday – is it bad luck for Polish employees, who enjoy long weekends? Not at all. The Polish parliament has decided that the 100th anniversary is so seminal, 12 November will be a day off.

The introduction of an additional day off during the calendar year – and possibly also during the settlement period – means it is necessary to reorganise work and set new work schedules, etc. Therefore, some employees will be happy to have a long weekend, but for HR departments and production planners, etc., it might be nightmare.

It is worth mentioning that, in this case, the statutory provisions regarding working during public holidays are applicable – in accordance with the Polish Labour Code. In any working time system that provides for working on Sundays and holidays, employees are entitled to the total number of non-working days in the adopted settlement period equivalent to at least the number of Sundays, holidays and non-working days in the average five-day working week falling during that period.