kadry

Kadry is a Polish term referring to the personnel function within an organization, typically designating the human resources or staff department. It encompasses the administration of employees and the management of related records, including recruitment, onboarding, payroll, attendance, leave management, and terminations. In practice, kadry is responsible for maintaining employee data, contracts, and documentation in the employee file (akt personalny) and for coordinating compliance with applicable laws.

Scope and functions commonly include recruitment and hiring, issuing and archiving employment contracts (such as umowa o pracę) and other forms (umowy-zlecenia, umowy o dzieło), changes in employment status, time and attendance, absence management, payroll calculations, social security contributions (ZUS), benefits, and training records. The kadry function also interfaces with finance, legal, and external authorities to ensure accurate reporting and tax or social security compliance.

Legal framework: Activities of kadry are governed by the Polish Labour Code (Kodeks pracy), civil law provisions for non-employment contracts, and data protection rules under GDPR/RODO. Employers are required to maintain up-to-date akt personalny for each employee and keep records for statutory retention periods, with appropriate privacy and access controls.

Technology and practices: Many organizations use HR information systems (kadrowo-płacowe) to manage data, recruitment workflows, payroll, time and attendance, and document management. Data privacy, accuracy of records, and timely update of changes are essential aspects of modern kadry operations.

In common usage, kadry is often paired with płace as kadry i płace or referred to simply as the HR and payroll function within a Polish organization.