Digitalisation and the remote mode of PIP inspections

The amendment to the Act on the State Labour Inspectorate (Act of 11 March 2026, Journal of Laws, item 473) grants inspectors new powers to convert civil law contracts into employment contracts, and also changes the very manner in which inspections are carried out: from 8 July 2026 the State Labour Inspectorate is entering an era of remote inspections and electronic document management.

An inspection without the inspector’s visit

The act introduces a legal basis for conducting an inspection, in whole or in part, by means of electronic communication or a postal operator. The inspector may request an online transmission enabling the inspection of documents, the hearing of a party and the examination of the inspected entity. The decision whether to conduct the inspection remotely rests with the inspector.

Documentation in electronic form

The inspector may request the submission, in electronic form, of personnel files and other employment-related documents, as well as statements and calculations. In the case of a remote inspection carried out by means of electronic communication, the official identity card and the inspection authorisation will be transmitted electronically, while the inspection findings are documented in an inspection report drawn up in writing and recorded in paper or electronic form.

Limits and security

A remote inspection is permissible only in justified cases, where the remote mode does not conflict with the purpose of the inspection and may streamline its conduct, or where the nature of the inspected entity’s business so warrants. The act does not limit the possibility of carrying out an inspection in the existing manner. At the same time, it introduces a requirement to maintain an appropriate level of ICT security for the inspection: the confidentiality, availability and integrity of the transmitted data.

The act does not, however, settle what happens where the inspected entity is unable to ensure the conditions for a remote inspection by means of electronic communication. The provision establishing the inspected entity’s duty to ensure appropriate conditions for the inspection has not been amended, and its current wording does not appear well suited to a remote inspection.

Significance for business

Digitalisation means inspections that are faster and less dependent on the inspector’s physical presence, which may translate into shorter proceedings but also into greater frequency, at least on average per inspected entity. In practice, this will require businesses, so far as they are able, to keep their employment documentation orderly, complete and readily available in electronic form, to prepare procedures, and to ensure the technical means in case of a remote inspection. Organisational readiness in this respect becomes an element of risk management.