Staff handbook template for hospitality: what to include, with a copyable outline

A good staff handbook answers the questions your team would otherwise ask you at 11pm on a Saturday: when does the rota come out, how do I swap a shift, who do I ring if I'm ill, how are tips shared, can I have a drink after close? It also protects you, because a fair rule written down and given to everyone is far easier to apply than one that lived in the last manager's head.

This page sets out what UK law requires in writing, then gives you a handbook outline you can copy and fill in.

What the law requires in writing

No single law requires a "staff handbook". But several things must be given to staff in writing, and the handbook is where most venues keep them.

The written statement of employment particulars

GOV.UK says employees and workers are entitled to a written statement. Most of it, the principal statement, must be given on or before the first day.

Two practical points:

• The day-one items that can go in a separate document (sick pay, other paid leave, notice) must be reasonably accessible to staff. A handbook given on day one, or kept somewhere staff can always get to it, does the job.
• GOV.UK says you must tell staff about changes to their written statement within one month of making them.

Other things that must be in writing

Policies worth reviewing now

From 30 October 2026, under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers must take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their workers, and can be liable for harassment by third parties such as customers unless they took all reasonable steps to prevent it (Acas). Acas suggests reviewing your policies, giving training and making sure staff have more than one way to report harassment. A hospitality handbook should have a clear anti-harassment section that covers customers as well as colleagues.

For the wider picture, see our guide to the Employment Rights Act 2025 in hospitality.

Staff handbook template: section-by-section outline

Copy this outline and fill in the brackets. Mark each section [Contractual] or [Non-contractual]: keep core terms in the contract, and policies non-contractual so you can update them.

1. Welcome

• About [venue / group name], what we're proud of, how we like guests treated
• Who's who: owner, GM, head chef, duty managers, who to ask about what
• How to use this handbook and where to find the latest version

2. Your employment [Contractual where it repeats the written statement]

• Probation: [length], reviews at [weeks 4 and 10], what happens at the end
• Hours: how your hours are set, whether they vary
• Pay: rate, pay day, how hours are recorded, payslips
• Pension: auto-enrolment details
• Notice periods: during and after probation

3. Rotas, availability and shifts

• When the rota is published: [day], at least [one / two] weeks ahead
• How to give availability: [method], by [deadline]
• Shift swaps: agreed with a manager and recorded on the rota
• Clocking in and out: [how], and what happens if you forget
• Lateness: who to tell and by when
• Split shifts and rest between shifts (11 hours for adults, 12 for under-18s)

4. Breaks, meals and drinks

• Rest breaks: [20/30] minutes when working more than [6] hours; under-18s 30 minutes over 4.5 hours
• Staff meals: [what, when, where]
• Drinks on shift and staff drinks after close
• See our staff breaks and meals policy template

5. Holidays

• Entitlement: [5.6 weeks / 28 days for a 5-day week, pro rata], whether it includes bank holidays
• Holiday year: [dates]
• How to request: [method], with at least [notice]
• Busy periods and blackout dates (e.g. December)
• See holiday pay for hospitality staff and bank holiday pay

6. Sickness and absence

• Who to call, by when (e.g. at least [2] hours before your shift, by phone, not text)
• Sick pay: statutory sick pay [and any company sick pay]
• Fit notes and return-to-work chats
• Food handlers: reporting sickness and diarrhoea, and staying off work (see food handler sickness exclusion)

7. Other leave and flexible working

• Maternity, paternity, shared parental, adoption and parental leave: [summary and who to ask]
• Time off for dependants
• Flexible working: employees can request it from their first day (GOV.UK)

8. Tips, tronc and service charges

• Your written tipping policy, or where to find it
• How tips are allocated, how often, and how you can see the records

9. Uniform and appearance

• What's provided, what you supply, laundering
• Food hygiene rules for kitchen staff: hair tied back, no jewellery except a plain band, clean whites

10. Health, safety and food safety

• Our health and safety policy [attach if five or more employees]
• Reporting accidents, near misses and maintenance problems
• Fire procedures and assembly point
• Temperature checks, cleaning checks and allergen procedures: everyone's job
• Cellar safety, manual handling, knives, hot surfaces

11. Alcohol, licensing and age checks

• Our age verification policy ([Challenge 21 / 25])
• Refusing service; dealing with drunk customers
• Under-18 staff and alcohol sales (England and Wales: every sale approved by a responsible adult)
• Scotland: alcohol training required before selling alcohol
• Drinking on shift; arriving under the influence

12. Conduct and dignity at work

• Standards of behaviour with guests and colleagues
• Anti-harassment and bullying, including harassment by customers: how to report it (at least two routes), what we'll do
• Equal opportunities
• Social media: what not to post about guests, colleagues or the business
• Phones on shift

13. Cash, stock and security

• Till procedures, voids and refunds
• Staff purchases and discounts
• Keys, alarms and opening/closing responsibilities

14. Disciplinary and grievance procedures

• How performance and conduct concerns are handled, following the Acas Code of Practice
• Your right to be accompanied at formal meetings
• How to raise a grievance
• Appeals
• See managing staff performance

15. Data and privacy

• What personal information we hold about you, why, how long we keep it, who we share it with (e.g. payroll, pension provider), and your rights

16. Leaving

• Notice, final pay, untaken holiday, returning uniform and keys

17. Acknowledgement

I have received the [venue] staff handbook (version [date]) and understand where to find it. Name: ________ Signed: ________ Date: ________

How to use the template

1. Write it in plain English. "Ring the duty manager on [number] at least two hours before your shift" beats "employees must notify management in a timely manner".
2. Keep it short where you can. Link to longer policies rather than pasting them in.
3. Give it on day one with the written statement, and walk through the key bits in the induction (see our staff induction checklist).
4. Get a signed or recorded acknowledgement, and keep it.
5. Date every version. Review at least once a year and when the law changes.
6. Take advice on the contractual parts. The outline above isn't legal advice; for contract wording, speak to an employment adviser or Acas.

Keeping the handbook in front of the team with ShiftComplete

A handbook in a drawer in the office doesn't get read. ShiftComplete gives you team announcements, so you can post the latest version and each update ("Holiday blackout dates for December are now in section 5") where everyone sees them on their phones, rather than losing them in a WhatsApp group.

The everyday rules then live in the app: rotas published to everyone's phone, availability and holiday requests from staff, clocking in and out if you switch it on, and opening, closing and cleaning checklists with every tick named and timestamped. Risk assessments can be kept and printed in the app too. It's £1.49 per staff member per month, free for 60 days, no card needed.