Summer Vacation for a Stylist: Substitute, Contract and Who Is Responsible for Documentation

July and August are the months when stylists take vacation, and the salon has to keep running. Who takes over her clients? On what legal basis does the substitute work? And the most important question from the owner's point of view: if something goes wrong while your regular stylist is away, say a complaint or a sanitary inspection, who's responsible? The answer is usually still you, as the salon owner, which means the substitute arrangement needs the same care for documentation as everyday work.

Types of contracts for a substitute

How you organize a substitute depends on how long the absence lasts and on what basis your regular stylist is employed.

• Fixed-term substitute employment contract: if your regular stylist is employed under an employment contract and is taking a longer vacation, you can hire another person under a fixed-term contract "for the purpose of replacing an absent employee," in line with the Polish Labour Code. Such a contract ends automatically on the day the regular employee returns, without needing a separate notice.
• Short-term contract of mandate: for a shorter vacation, say two weeks, a contract of mandate with someone temporarily covering the stylist is often more practical, especially if she already knows the salon, for example as a former employee or an industry acquaintance.
• Subletting the station to a self-employed stylist: if the substitute runs her own sole proprietorship, you can settle the arrangement with an invoice for renting the station plus her own independent billing with clients, or an invoice for a service commissioned by you. This model requires a clear sublet agreement to avoid the risk of ZUS reclassifying the arrangement as employment.

Who is formally responsible for the salon while a stylist is on vacation

Liability towards the Sanitary Inspectorate, the Labour Inspectorate and clients doesn't disappear along with the person who happens to be on vacation. It's the entity running the business that's responsible, usually you as the salon owner, regardless of who's actually at the station on a given day.

• Sanitary documentation: the sanitary procedure, disinfection plan and logbooks must be kept by the substitute just as carefully as by the regular stylist. It's you, as the owner, who's responsible if an August inspection finds gaps in the disinfection log from the period when the substitute "didn't get around to" filling it in.
• Workplace safety briefing: every new person, even one hired for a short substitute period, should go through a basic safety briefing covering chemical substances, tools and equipment in your salon before she starts seeing clients. Skipping this briefing is a real risk during a Labour Inspectorate check, regardless of how short the employment period is.
• Professional liability insurance: if the substitute has her own professional liability insurance as a stylist, check whether it's current and whether it covers work at your salon. If she's working under your employment contract or contract of mandate, it's usually your salon's own liability policy that covers her actions, but it's worth verifying with the insurer before vacation season, not after an incident.

Handing over responsibilities: a short list before a stylist leaves

1. Introduce the substitute to the booking system and client cards, so she has access to treatment history and allergy notes recorded for your regular clients.
2. A short briefing on the sanitary procedure and storage locations for disinfectants, safety data sheets and logbooks, if the substitute isn't already familiar with your salon.
3. Establish who fills in the logbooks on a given day, so you don't end up in a situation where both sides think someone else is doing it and the register stays empty for a whole week of vacation.
4. An emergency contact for the owner in case of questions or an unusual situation, for example an allergic reaction in a client the substitute hasn't seen before.

What if it's you, the owner, going on vacation

One-person salons have an extra problem in summer: if the owner is the only stylist, vacation means closing the salon for the trip, unless she hires a substitute. It's worth remembering a few things before closing for vacation.

• Notify clients in advance, ideally two to three weeks before the planned vacation, so they can book an appointment before you leave or plan for after you're back.
• Safe storage of chemical substances while closed, especially in summer, when a closed premises without ventilation or air conditioning can heat up significantly over several days of absence.
• Check the expiry dates of tests and inspections (for example, the autoclave's spore test or technical review) before leaving, so you don't come back to something that expired while you were on vacation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to report a substitute to ZUS (social insurance)?

If you hire someone under an employment contract or contract of mandate, you report her to ZUS on the standard terms, the same as any other employee or contractor, regardless of the fact that it's a short-term substitute. The deadline for reporting is 7 days from the start of work.

Does the substitute need her own tools?

There's no legal requirement for that, but in practice it's easier when she uses the salon's tools and equipment, because then the sterilization and disinfection documentation stays consistent with your own logbook. If she brings her own tools, they should be sterilized to the same standard as the rest of the salon, which is worth arranging before her first day.

What happens to a substitute contract when the regular stylist comes back earlier than planned?

A fixed-term substitute employment contract ends on the day the replaced employee returns to work, even if that happens earlier than originally assumed. It's worth stating this clearly in the contract with the substitute, to avoid any ambiguity about the end date of the arrangement.

Am I liable for the substitute's mistake if I wasn't physically at the salon that day?

Yes, as the owner you're liable for the salon's operations regardless of whether you were physically present on a given day. That's why properly onboarding the substitute before her first day is crucial, rather than assuming "she'll figure it out."