Employment contract for a receptionist

A receptionist is the person the public meets first, which gives the contract a particular set of concerns: hours that cover the desk, standards of conduct and appearance that the law lets an employer set within limits, the personal data that passes across the desk, the customers who behave badly and the employer's new duty to prevent harassment, and the safety of someone who may be alone at the front of the building. For £595, fixed, with delivery in five working days, I draft the contract for the employer as a template that can be reused for the grade.

Who this is for

Offices, clinics, surgeries, hotels, salons, gyms, schools and professional practices in England and Wales employing receptionists, front-of-house staff and administrators who meet the public.

What matters in a receptionist's contract

Hours, cover and the front desk that cannot be empty

The contract should state the hours and the pattern, the arrangements for cover at breaks and absences, any requirement to work a rota with other reception staff, the employer's right to vary start and finish times on notice within the opening hours, and the rules on holiday at the same time as colleagues, with rest breaks under the Working Time Regulations 1998 arranged so that the desk is covered; part-time and job-share arrangements are common and the contract should handle pro rata entitlements under the Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000.

Conduct, appearance and dealing with the public

The contract should set the standards for customer service, telephone and email, confidentiality, and appearance, referring to a dress code policy that is drafted within the Equality Act 2010 (no requirements that bear more heavily on one sex, religion or disability without justification), and should say how complaints from the public are handled and recorded; the receptionist speaks for the employer, and the standards should be stated rather than assumed.

Visitors, data and the information at the desk

The receptionist handles visitor logs, appointment systems, deliveries and the personal data of clients and patients, and the contract should require compliance with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and the employer's data protection policy, confidentiality about clients, patients and the employer's affairs (which in a medical or legal setting carries professional and statutory duties), the secure handling of post and deliveries, and the rules on what may be said to callers about staff and clients; a receptionist who confirms to a caller that someone is a patient has made the disclosure the clause prevents.

Harassment by customers and the employer's duty

Since the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023 came into force, employers must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees, including by customers and visitors, and the contract should state the employer's policy, the receptionist's right to end an interaction and to report abuse, the support the employer provides, and the procedure for banning or reporting abusive visitors; a front-of-house employee is the person most exposed to the public, and the employer's duty is tested at the desk.

Lone working, security and safety

The contract should carry the employer's duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for a receptionist who may be alone: the lone working policy, the alarm or panic arrangements, the rules on admitting visitors and contractors, the handling of aggressive visitors, display screen equipment assessments under the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, and the receptionist's role in evacuation and visitor records under the fire safety arrangements; where the receptionist is a keyholder, the responsibilities and call-out arrangements should be stated.

Pay, probation and the particulars

The contract supplies the written particulars under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 from day one, states the pay at least the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 rate, uniform provision within the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015 limits on deductions, holiday, sick pay, pension under the Pensions Act 2008, probation and notice with section 86 as the floor, the disciplinary and grievance procedures and the handbook, with confidentiality that survives and no restrictive covenants beyond it; the probation clause anticipates the changes the Employment Rights Act 2025 makes to the first months of employment, which take effect on a timetable the regulations set.

What it costs

Employment contract, £595. One template you can reuse for a grade of staff. Five working days.

Staff handbook and core policies, £995. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the employment contracts and handbooks page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A bespoke contract drafted for how you employ people
• Restrictive covenants drafted at a scope a court will uphold
• Confidentiality and intellectual property provisions that put ownership where it belongs
• The statutory particulars, so the document does the job section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 requires it to do
• Flexibility clauses where you genuinely need them, drafted to survive challenge
• Core policies: disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, equal opportunities, data protection and, increasingly, AI use
• One round of amendments

What is not included

• Acting for employees
• Employment tribunal representation
• Payroll, pensions auto-enrolment and tax
• Immigration and sponsor licence work
• Day to day HR handling, disciplinaries, grievances and redundancy processes

Questions I am often asked

Can we set a dress code for reception staff?

A dress code is permitted within the Equality Act: standards that apply even-handedly and do not bear more heavily on one sex, religion or disability without justification. The contract refers to a policy drafted that way.

A customer was abusive to our receptionist. What does the law expect of us?

Reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including by customers, and a sensible response to abuse generally: a policy, support, and the right to end the interaction and report it. The contract states the policy and the procedure.

Our receptionist is often alone in the building. Is that allowed?

Lone working is permitted with a risk assessment and the arrangements it identifies: alarms, visitor procedures, check-ins. The contract requires compliance with the policy; the assessment is the employer's.

Related guidance and services

• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595, the service this page describes
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595
• Settlement agreements for employers, £795
• Employment contract for an office manager
• Employment contract for a part-time employee

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: October 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.