"Pay transparency" in theory and practice. Employers' duties and employees' rights 2600-JWTP(KS)-OG

In the context of the necessity for Poland to implement the Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) 2023/970 of 10 May 2023 on strengthening the application of the principle of equal pay for men and women for the same work or work of equal value through pay transparency mechanisms and enforcement mechanisms, there is a lot of talk about so-called pay transparency. At the same time, the common understanding of this concept is very far from what results from the provisions of the law. Therefore, the aim of the lecture is to present reliable knowledge about the obligations of employers related to employee remuneration from the perspective of law and personnel management, particularly concerning equal treatment, as well as what rights employees have in connection with this, starting from the recruitment stage.
1. What is the purpose of the directive on pay equality and transparency, and what do these concepts mean in practice
2. Entities required to apply the obligations resulting from the directive
3. How the concept of “remuneration” should be understood, that is, what transparency and equality should involve in practice
4. What the terms equal work and work of equal value mean and how the employer must prove them.
5. How basic salaries of employees should be shaped based on the job evaluation process.
6. How employee evaluations should be conducted to comply with legal requirements.
7. How a bonus differs from a reward and how they should be structured to be motivating for employees.
8. What bonuses, benefits, and cafeteria systems are and what they are intended for.
9. What the rules are for granting anniversary awards, seniority bonuses, and other benefits dependent on length of service, and how seniority should be calculated in light of equal treatment regulations.
10. What information regarding remuneration the employer is obliged to provide to the employee. 11. What is the pay gap, how should it be calculated, and what are the consequences in case of showing differences in the average earnings of women and men
12. The role of employee representatives and trade unions in the process of introducing pay transparency
13. Who it concerns and what pay confidentiality entails under currently applicable regulations, and what will change in this regard after the directive comes into force
14. Pay transparency at the recruitment stage
15. What sanctions employers may face in case of failing to ensure equal pay for women and men

Type of course

general courses

Mode

Remote learning

Prerequisites (description)

A general university subject for students covered by the Integrated Teaching Development Program – ZIP 2.0

Learning outcomes

In terms of knowledge

K_W01 Knows and comprehends in an advanced manner the terminology in the field of labor law and personnel management, with particular emphasis on remuneration issues

K_W02 Knows and understands the principles of remuneration functioning in various types of organizations, utilizing knowledge in the field of labor law and personnel management

K_W03 Knows and comprehends in depth the legal regulations regarding remuneration, with particular emphasis on the consequences of their non-compliance for both the organization and individual employees

In terms of skills

K_U01 Able to use labor law and personnel management theory to solve problems related to remuneration and motivation

K_U02 Able to correctly interpret social phenomena related to people management and their impact on the functioning of the organization, using the appropriate selection of sources

In terms of attitudes

K_K01 Ready to comply with and develop professional ethical standards related to personnel management, with particular emphasis on recruitment, remuneration, and employee evaluation

K_K02 Ready to think and act entrepreneurially, especially in the area of remuneration and motivation

Assessment criteria

Pre-test and post-test as well and the term paper concerning the topics discussed during the classes

Bibliography

Juchnowicz M, Kinowska H, Walczak K (2025) Transparentność wynagradzania. Aspekty zarządcze, metodyczne i prawne, PWE, Warszawa
Walczak K (2026)Wynagrodzenie za pracę (w) Prawo pracy (red) Baran K.W, Wolters Kluwer. Warszawa

Walczak K. (2021)Wynagrodzenie i inne świadczenia związane z pracą (w) System pracy Tom III Indywidualne prawo pracy. Część Szczegółowa (red) Gersdorf, M, Rączka K, Wolters Kluwer Warszawa

Walczak K (2018) Zasady wynagradzania za pracę u pracodawców – przedsiębiorców w świetle autonomicznych źródeł prawa pracy, C.H. Beck. Warszawa

Notes

Term 2026Z:

None

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes: