Employee handbook: Poland

[01] Company overview

— Co-founders

On The Spot started in 2016 when two friends, Anton Zhuravsky and Yegor Tsirkun, decided to rethink outsourcing. With backing from Israeli investor Lior Shiff, they built a company focused on transparency and lower-risk software development.

Today we’re 200+ people across Poland and Belarus, and actively growing.

— Our business model & teams 

More than 150 of us work inside customers’ R&D teams. Customers set the tasks and workflows, while On The Spot takes care of employment, local support, and an enjoyable work environment.

👉 To learn more about our teams, check out the Careers page.

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[02] Getting started

— Pre-onboarding 

After you accept an offer, our HR team will confirm your details and start the onboarding.

👩🏼‍💼 Yulia Shumak (Administrative Manager) — helps with contracts, individual entrepreneurship, and connects you with our accountant if needed.
👩🏻‍💻 Alina Rudnitskaya (Office Manager) — makes sure you get all the essentials.

If you can’t come to the Warsaw office on day one, no problem — we’ll ship your equipment.

— Working hours

Working hours are flexible, but we advise you to align schedules with your team.
Ask your team lead which holiday calendar to follow (Poland or Belarus).

📍 Our Warsaw office is located at Prosta 51, floor 7.

[03] In the office

— Basic guidelines

Access & security
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• Office is open 24/7 with your access card (get it from the Office Manager)
• You can invite ex-OTS colleagues to non-work events (e.g. Pizza Friday)
• Guests (family, friends, etc.) and pets aren’t allowed in the building
• Smoking (incl. e-cigs) only in the designated area near the entrance

Cleaning & maintenance
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• Keep your desk and common areas tidy
• Sort garbage according to building rules
• Put used dishes in the dishwasher — not in the sink or common areas

Workstations
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• Use your assigned desk (or a free one if not assigned)
• Light snacks at your desk are fine; stronger-smelling food → dining area
• Keep noise to a minimum

— Booking meeting rooms

Please book meeting rooms in advance. Here are the instructions for booking with Google Calendar and office tablets.

Room names are marked on the office layout and on the doors.
Contact the System Administrator if you need help.

[04] Work tools

— Hardware & equipment

Hardware usage rules
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• You’ll get your laptop/desktop by your first day
• Handle equipment with care — avoid physical or liquid damage
• Use only approved power sources for charging
• Don’t use accessories if they’re faulty

Purchasing additional equipment
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After probation, you have a $100 yearly budget for extras such as headphones, keyboards, or lamps. To use it, send a request to the System Administrator.

Equipment repair
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• If your equipment is under warranty, the System Administrator will arrange repair at an authorized center
• If damage is caused by an employee, the cost is shared equally — 50/50 between OTS and the employee. Any disputes are reviewed by top management

If leaving OTS
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If you’re leaving the company, you can choose to return your work equipment or buy it out. Be sure to inform the System Administrator of your decision.

— Software & apps

Accounts
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• We use BambooHR, Google Workspace, Microsoft, Slack, and Telegram, among others
• Corporate accounts are managed by the System Administrator — reach out for help with setup, access, or any technical issues

Purchasing software & licenses
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• Before buying software or licenses, get your team lead’s approval
• Once your request is approved, contact the System Administrator to place your request

[05] Time-off policy

— Vacation

You have 20 business days of paid vacation each year.
Up to 8 unused days can be carried over to the next year; anything above expires.

— Medical leave

For health issues lasting more than 3 days, provide a medical certificate (with recommended rest days, Zalecenia). Attach it to your BambooHR request or send to Natallia Budai or Darya Vasilevich.
You can take up to 10 paid medical leave days per contract year (100% salary). Extra days are unpaid.

— Sick days

You can take up to 3 consecutive sick days without a doctor’s note. These are only for health-related reasons. For other personal matters, use vacation or unpaid leave.

— Unpaid leave

For time off that doesn’t fit the above, request unpaid leave. These days are not part of your vacation allowance.

[06] Bamboo HR

We use BambooHR to manage HR processes — from vacation requests to updating your personal data.
The app is available on the App Store and Google Play.

— Personal profile 

In your account, you can find company news, notifications, your paid time-off balance, and other info.

— Time off

Use the calculator to check your available days off or vacation balance when planning time away in advance. Any time-off request (paid or unpaid days off, sick leaves, business trips, etc.) must be approved by your team lead.

Use the calculator to check your balance when planning time away in advance.

Request time off on desktop

Log in to BambooHR → Open Time Off → click Request Time Off → choose dates and leave type → submit.

Request time off on mobile

Open the BambooHR app → go to Time Off → tap Request → choose dates and leave type → submit.

[07] HR processes 

To make your experience at OTS smooth, we follow these processes: 

• Onboarding. Helping you settle in and get started.
• Feedback sessions. Occasional check-ins with leads and customers
• Offboarding. Wrapping things up when you leave.

— Onboarding

Day one‍

The System Administrator will give you your OTS credentials to access all systems. Your Team Lead will walk you through your project, team, and initial tasks so you can start confidently.

One month in

You’ll have a feedback call to share how you’re settling in, ask questions, and check that expectations on both sides match.

First three months

It’s your probation period. During this time, either side can end the contract with 7 days’ notice. After probation, the notice period extends to one month.
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— Feedback exchange

At OTS, we value open communication. You’re encouraged to share feedback on your product, team, and work environment, and you’ll receive feedback from your team lead and, when relevant, the customer.

If you hold a managerial role, HR will guide you through the specific feedback processes and expectations related to management positions.

— Exit (offboarding) 

Goodbyes are never easy, but we’d love to stay in touch. Perhaps there’ll be a chance to work together again in the future! 

If you decide to leave, here’s what to do:

• Inform HR and your Team Lead about your decision
• Sync with your lead and customer to wrap up your tasks
• On your final day, check with the System Administrator to return your equipment
• Join the exit interview with HR
• Receive your final payment

[08] Benefits

— Education

On The Spot offers a range of educational opportunities. To get started, reach out to HR.

1. English courses

Free English classes are held outside working hours. Lesson frequency and groups depend on your level:

• A2+ — 2 times a week, 1 hour each
• B2+ — 1 time a week, 1.5 hours

2. Polish courses

Free Polish classes are held outside working hours, twice a week for 1.5 hours. Groups are formed by language level. The course runs for one year:

• First 6 months — basics (A0–A1)
• Next 6 months — more advanced topics (A1–A2)

3. Trainings & education

OTS provides a $300 yearly budget for professional growth. You can use it for courses, certifications, conferences, or professional literature (up to $100 in one payment).

— Events and gifts

We celebrate milestones and enjoy team traditions together.

• Anniversary gifts. To celebrate work milestones (1, 3, 5 years), OTS gives anniversary gifts. The Office Manager will contact you when your date is coming up.
• Corporate events. OTS hosts office gatherings around traditional holidays — a chance to connect, relax, and enjoy some time with the team.
• Team buildings. Twice a year, OTS organizes team-building events, typically in summer and winter. These events help foster our company culture.
  
• Pizza Fridays. Stop by the office kitchen on Fridays to grab some treats and catch up with colleagues. These informal gatherings sometimes turn into spontaneous hangouts – a nice way to wrap up the week.

— Health insurance & sport 

Health insurance

After probation, OTS provides private health insurance with Luxmed under the Rozszerzony plan, giving you access to a wide range of services. You can also add family members — their costs are covered by you, but OTS helps secure the best rates.

To join:

• Let the Office Manager know you’re interested. She’ll ask for the required info
• You’ll receive an SMS from Luxmed once your account is active
• Add the insurance cost to your next invoice (as it's part of your total compensation

MultiSport‍

Stay active with a MultiSport card — access gyms and sports facilities across Poland. OTS covers 50% of the package, and the rest is deducted from your salary.

To join, contact HR and choose the package that works best for you.

— Parking

Parking spots are not available for general use.
You can reserve a permanent one for $100 gross per month (half of the total fee; OTS covers the rest). The fee is deducted from your salary.

If you don’t come to the office daily, we can help you find a colleague to share the spot and split the cost. For requests contact Natallia Budai.

— Additional payments

Referral program
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‍We offer bonuses to recognize your support in helping us find the right talent. 

If your candidate (from the open roles shared by Yana Tsiareshchanka) gets hired and passes probation, a bonus is added to your next salary. Referrals stay valid for three months from submission.

Bonus amounts:

• Junior — $137
• Middle — $750
• Senior — $1,000
• Lead — $1,500

To submit a referral, please provide: candidate’s contact details, CV or LinkedIn profile, location and visa status.
Make sure your candidate knows you referred them and is familiar with the open role and On The Spot.

Bonuses for important personal occasions
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OTS provides support in important life moments:

• Wedding — $300
• Childbirth — $300 
• Death of a close relative — $300

[09] Engineering ecosystem

We've created a space where engineers and tech leaders connect, exchange knowledge, and grow their expertise. We drive:

1. TechSpot — tech events with top engineering minds covering key topics in software systems design. Read more about TechSpot here, watch the recordings and subscribe on meetup.com.

2. 137 Podcast — honest, engaging conversations with CTOs, engineers, and techleaders about the realities of the industry. Follow us on X, watch episodes on YouTube, listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

3. Team Lead Club — regular group sessions among R&D team leaders from On The Spot.

Get involved
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Know an expert for TechSpot or the 137 Podcast? Contact Katya Shkor, our PR Team Lead.
Want to share something yourself — a talk, an article, or another idea? Our PR team will support you all the way, from topic to content.

[10] Go-to contacts

HRs and sysadmin