The legal status of journalists is determined by a number of standards, not only of a legal nature. These include con­stitutional standards, press law standards, but also profes­sional ethics standards. They shape the profession of jour­nalism as a specific profession of public trust. At the same time, they create a specific context in which the basis for the employment of journalists must function. This study is an attempt to compare these two contexts and answer the question about the significance of various forms of em­ployment and their adequacy for the professional group of journalists.

The probationary employment contract is a useful legal instrument, allowing the parties to get to know each other and decide on further cooperation. Its regulation remained relatively simple and thus easy to use. The changes that were introduced to this contract as of 26 April 2023 constitute a serious impediment to the use of its advantages. Of particular relevance here is the unsuccessful regulation of the intention to employ for a fixed term after the end of the probationary period. This standardisation was not – in the form adopted by the Polish legislator – required by Directive 2019/1152. These changes may discourage the use of the probationary period contract and reach for a fixed-term contract instead.

This article examines working time in parallel employment. General considerations about working time in such an employment model are presented, including the so-called 'split employment' sometimes found in capital groups. The authors present the disadvantages of parallel employment for the individual employee and consider the legitimacy of limiting working time. In this context, they briefly comment on working time in transport — both air and road. They juxtapose the transport solutions with the working time regulations for employees of medical entities. Given the motives for limiting working time in transport, the authors consider whether a similar mechanism should not also apply to employees of medical entities.

Employment of members of the management board of commercial law companies is part of the established practice of legal and economic turnover. It is, however, associated with a number of practical doubts which undermine the advisability of using such a formula of employment. They also include — presented in this paper — consequences of mergers of commercial law companies.

Legal guarantees for journalists to be able to perform their activities strongly support their mission to serve the society and the state. One of them — the conscience clause for journalists — has been widely discussed by the media specialists in Poland. Their recommendations as to this matter have been introduced to legal system in 2017. The authors tend to explain hereby the meaning of the conscience clause regulation, both as of media sciences and legal perspectives.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenges society and economy, which expects labour law and social security regulations response. The so-called anti-crisis act enables employees' rights to be limited and public aid to be granted. Suspensive collective agreements provided for in the special serve this purpose. Authors, analyzing the subjective and objective side of these agreements, indicate similarities and differences between them. At the same time, they draw attention to their different structures and showlegislative shortcomings in this respect, trying to appraise the effectiveness and efficiency of suspensive collective arrangements in practice.