Employee leasing (leasing pracowniczy): what it is and when it pays off

Short answer: 'leasing pracowniczy' is the everyday Polish term for temporary staffing — a model in which the agency is the formal employer (it hires, pays, and handles HR and payroll), while the worker performs the job under the direction of your company as the so-called host employer (pracodawca użytkownik). You pay for hours worked, and the agency absorbs the flexibility that changing demand requires.

How the three-way model works

• The temporary staffing agency — the formal employer: contract, social security contributions, medical checks, paid leave, HR records, payroll.
• The temporary worker — performs the work at your site, under your organizational and BHP (health and safety) rules.
• The host employer, i.e., your company (pracodawca użytkownik) — directs the day-to-day work, provides the workstation and safety conditions, and settles hours with the agency.

The legal framework worth knowing

Temporary work in Poland is governed by the Act on the Employment of Temporary Workers (ustawa o zatrudnianiu pracowników tymczasowych). The key limit: a temporary worker may work for a single host employer for a combined total of up to 18 months within any 36-month period. Temporary work covers seasonal, periodic, or ad hoc tasks, or tasks your own staff can't complete on time — so it won't permanently replace your entire core workforce, but it's an excellent way to fill the flexible layer.

The agency must be registered in the KRAZ register (Krajowy Rejestr Agencji Zatrudnienia) and must follow the equal-treatment rule: a temporary worker in an equivalent role can't be treated worse than your own permanent staff. An honest agency keeps you inside this framework and will say outright when a given scenario calls for a different model — such as process outsourcing.

Employee leasing vs. outsourcing — don't mix up the models

With temporary staffing (leasing), you're buying the working hours of people you direct yourself. With outsourcing, you're buying the outcome of a process — the contractor organizes and supervises its own team's work. The distinction carries both legal and practical weight: if you want to give day-to-day instructions to workers, that's temporary staffing; if you want to be billed for a result (e.g., orders picked), that's an outsourcing conversation. We compare the two models in more depth in a separate article.

When employee leasing makes the most sense

• Seasonal peaks and shipping surges — you scale the team up and down without adding permanent headcount.
• A new location or a changeover — you can launch without building an on-site recruitment function.
• Absences and turnover in your permanent staff — a flexible layer absorbs the gaps.
• Uncertain volume — you pay only for the hours you genuinely need.
• Trialing candidates before a permanent hire — some companies bring their best temporary workers onto the permanent payroll (within the terms of the agreement with the agency).

What to watch out for

The biggest risk in leasing is choosing an agency whose job ends the moment the contract is signed: no absence cover, no onboarding, no knowledge of local market rates. The model works when the agency genuinely runs the team after the launch — confirming staffing before each shift, responding to absences, and staying in touch with people. Ask about this before signing, and ideally test it in a pilot first.