First day in a warehouse job: what to bring and what to expect

Your first day in a warehouse in Poland usually starts not with work but with formalities: a document check, health and safety training (BHP) and being given work clothes. If you work on an employment contract, you should have your medical check before this day. After that you will be shown around the warehouse and given a scanner and your tasks for the shift, and the first few days are mostly spent learning.

What to bring to your first shift

Documents:

• your passport;
• the document that allows you to stay in Poland: a visa, a karta pobytu (residence card) or another one;
• your PESEL number, if you already have one;
• your bank account number for your wages;
• the doctor’s certificate (orzeczenie lekarskie), if you have already had your medical check;
• your contract or a copy of it, if you were given one.

Things:

• comfortable closed shoes with flat soles and clothes you can easily bend and squat in;
• water and a snack: not every warehouse has a canteen or a shop nearby;
• a charged phone with your coordinator’s or team leader’s number;
• a pen, as you usually sign several documents on the first day.

Take photos of your documents in advance. If HR asks you to send something later, it will take you a minute.

Medical check before work: who refers you and who pays

Everyone hired on an employment contract has a pre-employment medical check (badania wstępne) – this is required by art. 229 Kodeksu pracy (the Labour Code). The employer may not let a worker start work without a valid doctor’s certificate.

The employer gives you the referral (skierowanie) and pays for the whole check. If you are hired by a temporary work agency, the agency is your employer under the contract, so it usually gives you the referral. You do not need a separate check if, within 30 days of your previous contract ending, the same employer takes you on again for the same job, or a new employer accepts your valid certificate for the same working conditions (this second exception does not apply to particularly dangerous work).

On an umowa zlecenie (civil-law contract of mandate) the Labour Code does not directly require a medical check. But the company may require one if the nature of the work and its risks call for it, and the contract decides who pays. For more on medical checks, see the National Labour Inspectorate (PIP).

BHP safety training before your first shift

You will not be allowed to work without health and safety training: the employer must provide it before you start work, during working hours and at its own expense (art. 237³ Kodeksu pracy). The initial training (szkolenie wstępne) has two parts:

• general training (instruktaż ogólny): basic BHP rules, workplace rules, first aid; it lasts at least 135 minutes;
• workstation training (instruktaż stanowiskowy): the hazards of your particular area, safe ways of working, a demonstration and a trial run under supervision; it ends with a test of what you have learnt.

You confirm both parts by signing the initial training card (karta szkolenia wstępnego), which is also mentioned in the PIP explanation of BHP training. Only sign it once the training has actually taken place. If something is unclear because of the language, ask for it to be explained again or call your coordinator.

If you are a temporary agency worker, by law the BHP training, work clothes, footwear and personal protective equipment are provided by the user employer – the company whose warehouse you work in (art. 9 ust. 2a ustawy z dnia 9 lipca 2003 r. o zatrudnianiu pracowników tymczasowych).

Work clothes and protective equipment

The employer provides work clothes and footwear free of charge if your own clothes could get damaged or very dirty, or if the work process, hygiene rules or BHP require it. Personal protective equipment is also provided free of charge (art. 237⁶ Kodeksu pracy), and you will not be allowed to work in a job that requires it without it.

In a warehouse this often means a hi-vis vest, gloves and safety boots. You will be told at the training what exactly your area needs. Until you are given safety footwear, come in your own closed shoes, not mesh trainers or sandals.

What a shift looks like: scanner, targets, breaks

Scanner

Most tasks in a modern warehouse go through a handheld scanner or terminal. It shows you your tasks and records every step you take:

• kompletacja (order picking): the scanner shows you the rack location and the item, you take the right quantity and scan the code;
• pakowanie (packing): you scan the items and pack the order;
• rozlokowanie towaru (putting away received goods): you scan the item and the location where you put it.

If the scanner shows an error, don’t try to get round it by guesswork – call your team leader. One wrongly scanned item can mean an order goes to the wrong customer.

Targets

The target (norma, wydajność) is how many tasks or order lines you need to complete per hour or per shift. The scanner counts this automatically. New starters usually get a few days or weeks of training with lower targets, but the rules depend on the warehouse, so ask about them at the training. Many warehouses measure not only speed but also accuracy.

Breaks

If you work on an employment contract (umowa o pracę), breaks are set by art. 134 Kodeksu pracy. Since 26 April 2023 the rules have been:

• a working day of 6 hours or more – a break of at least 15 minutes;
• more than 9 hours – a second break of at least 15 minutes;
• more than 16 hours – a third one of at least 15 minutes.

All these breaks count as working time, which means they are paid. The employer may also add one unpaid break of up to 60 minutes for a meal or personal matters if this is written into its rules or your contract. On an umowa zlecenie the Labour Code rules on breaks do not apply: breaks are set by the contract and the site rules.

Warehouse safety: rules from day one

• Wear a hi-vis vest wherever it is required.
• Only walk along marked pedestrian routes and don’t take shortcuts through areas where forklifts operate.
• Never stand or walk under a raised load.
• Don’t drive a forklift or electric pallet truck unless you have been told to and hold the required licence.
• When lifting a box, bend your knees, not your back; lift heavy items with two people.
• Don’t climb the racks: there are ladders for the top shelves.
• Report every injury, however small, to your team leader straight away.

Polish words you will need in the warehouse

Three phrases for your first day: “Nie rozumiem, proszę powtórzyć” (I don’t understand, please repeat), “Gdzie jest…?” (Where is…?), “Skaner nie działa” (The scanner isn’t working).

If something is unclear

• Questions about tasks, the scanner, targets or breaks – ask your team leader or shift manager.
• Questions about your contract, documents, accommodation or transport – ask your coordinator.
• If you are asked to do dangerous work without training or without protective equipment, don’t start it and tell your team leader straight away.
• Write down the date and hours of every shift and your team leader’s name: this makes it easier to check your first pay calculation.

Don’t sign documents in Polish that you don’t understand. Ask for time to read them or for someone to explain what they say.

How STARKO helps

Our coordinator speaks Ukrainian and Russian and is available every day, so first-day questions can be sorted out straight away. Transport to work is free for our workers, accommodation is close to work, and we provide work clothes. Looking for a warehouse job with accommodation? Send us a request, and we will tell you about our current vacancies.