Restaurant staff - Setting out rules and regulations

Whatever the size and style of your restaurant, it’s a good idea to create clear HR policies, rules and regulations and make them known, so everyone – whether they are cooking in the kitchen, working front-of-house, preparing drinks behind the bar, or in an admin role – knows what is expected of them from the start.

The best way to do this is by creating a staff handbook. This could be a published manual, or a section on your staff intranet and it doesn’t even need to be labelled ‘staff handbook’ it can take on any name relevant to your restaurant group, as long as the information within it is useful, relevant and accurate.

There are no set rules around what staff handbooks should include, or how detailed they need to be, but broadly they should include the following:

1. Mission statement and company values

Anyone accepting a job with your business should have an idea of what you do and how you deliver it, but they may not know your intentions or be aware of the values that are important to you.

Including this detail in a handbook will help them understand their role in the business and give them more buy-in which can have a positive impact on their performance and therefore on the business.

2. Code of conduct

Tell employees how you expect them to behave when working in your restaurant, such as when and where they can take their breaks, plus any other rules you want them to follow. This section could also include details of your business’s dress code and where to source uniforms.

3. Employee pay and benefits

This is where you can outline when and how employees will be paid and details around holiday and sick pay. This would also be where your tips policy should sit. Including a transparent policy for this, often confusing, benefit could help avoid any future discrepancies over how these are distributed. Find out more about hospitality payroll. 

4. Reporting procedure

Be clear about how employees should report areas such as absence for sickness or other reasons and for more serious issues such as complaints or harassment in the workplace.

5. Health and safety policies

If you employ five or more people you are required by law to have a Health & Safety Policy in place, so it makes sense to include it in your staff handbook to ensure everyone understands how you intend to protect them and how they should act to keep themselves and colleagues safe.

Staff handbook

Creating a staff handbook may seem like another task on top of everything else, but it is beneficial for you as the employer, or manager because it will avoid time being wasted answering numerous questions and could also serve as a protection against any future potential legal disputes.

Employees will also appreciate a reference tool and answers to questions they may not feel comfortable asking their line manager. A staff handbook should be created with care and attention, so all information is accurate.

An HR department will do this, if you have one, but if your restaurant is too small to have this function, consider outsourcing, or have it checked by a legal representative at least.

As labour laws and other policies can change, it’s a good idea to update your staff handbook frequently and re-issue to existing staff as well as distribute to newcomers.

Supporting your restaurant employees with software 

Having clear guidelines and policies in the workplace is crucial for following the same standards and procedures, and it promotes consistency in the quality of your food, service and overall customer experience. Understanding why and how keeping your staff handbook up to date is essential will help you run a successful and legally compliant restaurant. Luckily, the majority of these daunting administrative tasks can be automated.  

With the right software, such as  restaurant HR software, you can streamline the compliance and regulations processes and automatically update regulatory information and requirements. Our hospitality management platform helps you improve employee engagement and communication and guarantees the accuracy of your time and attendance data.  

Additionally, hospitality training management software allows you to set up courses and objectives and manage compliance obligations by ensuring staff have had and completed adequate training for H&S legislation.  

Learn more about our HR software designed for hospitality businesses and contact us today to speak to one of our experts or to get your demo booked.