It is worth planning for your first hire before their first day of work. The documents needed depend on the actual working arrangements and the type of contract. The best starting point is a description of the duties and an agreement with your accountants about which tasks their HR and payroll service will cover and which you will organise as the employer.
Describe the work before choosing a contract template
Prepare a description of the tasks, where they will be carried out, the intended working hours and how the work will be organised and supervised. Explain whether you need someone for regular duties, a specific project or occasional tasks. The title of a document does not replace an assessment of the actual working arrangements. For that reason, do not begin with a random contract template found online. Give your accountants the description and agree whether legal advice is needed to assess the appropriate arrangement. The terms should be clear to both you and the person starting work.
Gather the agreed start date and pay details
Give the proposed start date, type of work, working hours and agreed pay terms. Mention any planned bonuses, allowances, benefits and arrangements for working away from the premises. When discussing amounts, clearly distinguish gross pay, the employee's take-home pay and the total cost of employment. These figures are not interchangeable. Ask which details are needed for a calculation in the particular circumstances before finalising your budget and the terms you offer the candidate.
Ask for a list of information and a secure way to share it
Agree with the person handling HR which details, declarations and documents to collect, and when they need to be available. The list may include information needed for the contract, payroll, social insurance and employee entitlements. Do not collect documents just in case or use one arbitrary form for every type of contract. Agree how personal data will be transferred and who will have access to it. If there are particular circumstances, such as hiring a foreign national, raise them during planning.
Plan the formalities for starting work
For an employment contract, discuss the employment documents, required medical examinations, health and safety training, and information to be given to the employee. The formalities also depend on the role and working conditions. Record who will contact the occupational health provider, who will organise training and who will check the complete set of documents. Do not assume that a payroll service includes organising all these tasks. Poland's National Labour Inspectorate (PIP) sets out the employer's duties before an employee is allowed to start work; plan for them in good time.
Agree how information will be shared once employment begins
Agree with your accountants how to provide the information needed for payroll: working hours, absences, bonuses, changes to terms and other events affecting pay. Identify who is responsible for records, ZUS notifications and paying wages. Also agree how completed tasks will be confirmed and corrections reported. The employee should know whom to contact about documents and everyday questions. Clear arrangements from the start reduce the risk of important information staying only in a conversation with the business owner.
Bring with you
A short checklist to prepare
- A description of the tasks, workplace and working arrangements
- The start date and agreed pay terms
- A list of required information and how to share it
- Responsibilities for the contract, medical examinations and health and safety
- Arrangements for sharing information with HR, payroll and ZUS