In the first half of this year, Poland’s National Labour Inspectorate received 1,500 reports concerning suspected workplace bullying, 7.8% more than a year earlier. At the same time, the number of complaints deemed justified fell by 35.1%, while the number of inspection activities declined by 30.5%. The share of anonymous reports also increased, from 11.6% to 12.8%. The figures therefore do not prove that workplace bullying itself is becoming more widespread. However, they reveal a growing gap between the number of reports and the extent to which cases are confirmed and investigated by inspectors.
In the first half of 2026, Poland’s National Labour Inspectorate received 1,500 reports concerning suspected workplace bullying. This was 7.8% more than in the corresponding period of the previous year, when nearly 1,400 such reports were submitted. At the same time, the number of complaints deemed justified fell by 35.1%, from 97 in the first half of 2025 to 63 in the first half of 2026.
According to Michał Pajdak, an academic lecturer and expert at the ePsycholodzy.pl platform, an increase in the number of reports accompanied by a decline in the proportion of cases considered justified does not necessarily mean that the figures are contradictory. The two trends may result from different factors operating simultaneously.
“Workplace bullying is now discussed more frequently in the media, during occupational health and safety training and as part of public awareness campaigns. Employees therefore find it easier to describe their experiences using this term. Moreover, the legal definition of workplace bullying, which requires systematic, long-term and intentional conduct, is relatively narrow. Employees often confuse it with an ordinary interpersonal conflict, a demanding management culture or even normal workplace stress. This naturally creates a gap between the number of reports and the number of confirmed cases,” Pajdak explains.
The expert also points out that workplace bullying rarely leaves behind conclusive evidence, such as documents or witnesses willing to testify. As a result, even genuine cases may ultimately remain unconfirmed.
Michał Murgrabia, a psychologist from the ePsycholodzy.pl platform, agrees with this assessment.
“A low number of confirmed cases does not automatically mean that employees’ complaints are unfounded. Their experience of harm may be genuine, but the conduct may not meet all the legal criteria or may be impossible to document sufficiently,” Murgrabia emphasises.
Fewer inspections despite more complaints
In the first half of this year, the authorities carried out 664 inspection activities. This was 30.5% fewer than in the corresponding period of the previous year, when 956 such activities were undertaken. At the same time, the number of reports increased by 7.8% year on year.
According to Michał Pajdak, the discrepancy between the growing number of reports and the declining number of inspections suggests a resource problem within the National Labour Inspectorate rather than a change in the scale of workplace bullying itself.
The expert lists several possible explanations, including staffing or budgetary constraints that may have forced the Inspectorate to redirect its resources to other areas.
“It may also result from a change in the way some reports are processed. Some cases may now be handled without a formal inspection, for example through written explanations or mediation. This would reduce the number of recorded inspections without necessarily reflecting a genuine decline in the Inspectorate’s involvement. The authorities may also be more selective when deciding which reports require a full inspection, rejecting clearly unfounded cases at an early stage,” Pajdak says.
Asked whether the figures indicate that workplace bullying is becoming a more serious problem in Polish workplaces or merely that more complaints are being submitted, Piotr Rogowiecki, director of the Analysis and Legislation Department at Employers of Poland, stresses that although workplace bullying should always be condemned, the data do not necessarily suggest that it is becoming more widespread.
“This is demonstrated, among other things, by the clear decline in the number of justified complaints. The current labour market situation also helps to limit workplace bullying. Low unemployment and difficult demographic conditions mean that employers are competing for workers, who are simply in short supply. Reputation is extremely important in this context. A company associated with a workplace where employees are not respected will have difficulty filling vacancies,” Rogowiecki argues.
More employees choose to remain anonymous
In the first half of 2026, anonymous complaints accounted for 12.8% of all reports, with 193 anonymous submissions out of a total of 1,500. In comparison, anonymous complaints represented 11.6% of the total in the first half of 2025, with 162 out of nearly 1,400 reports submitted anonymously.
Robert Lisicki, director of the Labour Department at the Lewiatan Confederation, believes that the main reason employees choose to remain anonymous is fear of possible adverse action being taken against them.
The expert also points out that employees rarely use internal company procedures for reporting inappropriate workplace conduct.
“In 2025, only one in five employees used an internal procedure established to deal with cases of discrimination. This is according to the National Labour Inspectorate’s 2025 annual report. Transparency and the safety of reporting legal violations and inappropriate workplace conduct will become particularly important following the amendments to the Labour Code. At the same time, complaints submitted to public authorities must be considered in the context of concerns expressed by businesses that anonymous reports may sometimes be used as a tool of retaliation for various reasons and under different circumstances,” Lisicki explains.
According to Michał Murgrabia, embarrassment, a lack of confidence in the effectiveness of the proceedings and fear that colleagues will not corroborate the reported events may also encourage employees to remain anonymous.
The National Labour Inspectorate itself has indicated that fear of losing one’s job and facing retaliation discourages witnesses from cooperating. Murgrabia notes that anonymous reports demonstrate a low sense of security among employees, while simultaneously making it more difficult to collect evidence and investigate a case thoroughly.
In some provinces, including Mazowieckie and Małopolskie, the number of complaints increased significantly while the number of inspections fell sharply.
“This may be the result of two overlapping factors. The first is the staffing weakness of some regional inspectorates. They simply do not have enough employees, which translates into fewer inspections. At the same time, it can be assumed that in some regions, the information contained in a complaint already makes it possible to determine at the initial assessment stage that workplace bullying has not occurred in a particular case,” says the expert from Employers of Poland.
New workplace bullying rules raise concerns
In July 2026, the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, passed an amendment to the Labour Code that provides, among other things, for a simplified definition of workplace bullying, stronger protection against inappropriate workplace conduct and false accusations, as well as higher compensation for people who have experienced workplace bullying.
It is not yet known when the new provisions will enter into force.
Robert Lisicki of the Lewiatan Confederation says that his organisation supports efforts to combat inappropriate workplace conduct. Nevertheless, it has identified several fundamental concerns regarding both the direction of the adopted changes and the wording of individual provisions.
“We expressed concerns that the amendment in its proposed form could make it more difficult to organise work properly, increase the number of disputes and ultimately produce the opposite effect to the one intended. Without precise criteria distinguishing workplace bullying from an ordinary interpersonal conflict, disputes over responsibilities or legitimate criticism of an employee’s performance, the provisions may be applied very differently in practice and create numerous challenges,” Lisicki says.
The expert adds that an excessively broad or imprecise definition of workplace bullying may create a so-called chilling effect. Managers could become reluctant to offer legitimate criticism, enforce employees’ responsibilities or make organisational decisions because they fear being accused of workplace bullying.
Lisicki also stresses that labour law must maintain a balance between protecting employees’ dignity and preserving an employer’s right to manage the work process.
Source: CEO.com.pl
