Staff handbook for a retail business

Retail has rules that most handbooks miss: shop workers' statutory right to opt out of Sunday working, a cap on deductions for till shortages, searches that need consent and a procedure, and holiday that has to be managed through peaks without breaching the regulations. The handbook has to put those alongside the till, security and customer service procedures a shop runs on, and the core policies every employer needs. I draft that handbook for the employer for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Shops, stores, supermarkets, showrooms and retail chains in England and Wales employing sales, checkout, stockroom and management staff across one site or many.

What matters in a retail handbook

Sunday working, trading hours and the opt-out

Sections 36 to 43 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 let shop workers opt out of Sunday working by notice that takes effect after three months, and oblige the employer to give new shop workers a written explanation of the right within two months; the handbook should carry that explanation and the procedure, state the trading hours and the rota policy including evenings, bank holidays and seasonal hours, the notice for rota changes (with the shift notice rights the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces on a timetable the regulations set), rest breaks under the Working Time Regulations 1998, and the position of staff under eighteen.

Till procedures, shortages and the retail deductions rule

The handbook should contain the till and cash procedures (floats, cashing up, refunds, voids, discrepancy reporting), and the deductions policy, which must respect section 17 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the sections after it: no more than one tenth of a retail worker's gross wages on any pay day may be deducted for cash shortages or stock deficiencies, the deduction must be made within twelve months of discovery, and the written consent section 13 requires must exist; the policy should state the investigation before any deduction and should recognise that a shortage with no evidence of the employee's responsibility is not deductible at all.

Searches, security and theft

The handbook should set out the search policy (bags, lockers, vehicles, with consent given in the contract, by a person of the same sex where the person is searched, with a witness, without force, and the right to refuse with the consequences stated), the CCTV policy and the privacy notice under the UK GDPR, the policy on staff purchases, discounts and the handling of damaged stock, the procedure for suspected theft by staff or customers (no detention beyond what the law allows, the police called), and the statement that theft and fraud are gross misconduct; a search without a policy is an assault and the handbook is where the policy lives.

Customer service, complaints and abusive customers

The handbook should set the customer service standards, the complaints and refunds procedure consistent with the Consumer Rights Act 2015, the handling of difficult customers, the right to withdraw from an abusive interaction and the support the employer provides, and the employer's duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of staff by customers under the Worker Protection (Amendment of Equality Act 2010) Act 2023, with reporting and response procedures; retail staff face the public all day, and the handbook should say what the employer does when the public behaves badly.

Holiday at trading peaks and the notice rules

The handbook should set the holiday policy (the holiday year, how leave is requested, the order of priority at popular times, the periods when leave is not normally granted such as the weeks before Christmas, the employer's right under regulation 15 of the Working Time Regulations 1998 to refuse a request on counter-notice and to require leave at stated times on the required notice, and carry-over), with the rules applied consistently across stores, because a ban on December holiday with no contractual basis and no notice mechanism is a breach the regulations provide a remedy for.

Uniforms, discounts and the core policies

The handbook should state what uniform the employer provides and the appearance rules within the Equality Act 2010, the deductions position within the National Minimum Wage Regulations 2015 (deductions for required uniform reduce pay for minimum wage purposes), the staff discount scheme and its rules, the policy on mobile phones on the shop floor, and the core policies (disciplinary and grievance under the Acas Code, equal opportunities, sickness absence, flexible working under section 80F of the Employment Rights Act 1996, IT and social media, data protection, health and safety for lifting, ladders and lone working under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974), non-contractual and acknowledged on issue, with a store managers' guide where there is more than one site.

What it costs

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

Employment contract, £595. One template you can reuse for a grade of staff. 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 require Sunday working?

Shop workers can opt out on three months' notice and must be told of the right in writing. The handbook explains the right and the procedure; the contract contains the Sunday term.

How much can we deduct for a till shortage?

At most one tenth of gross wages on a pay day, within twelve months, with written consent and evidence that the employee was responsible. The handbook sets the procedure and the limit.

Can we refuse all holiday in December?

Only with a contractual basis and the notice the regulations require, applied consistently. The holiday policy sets the peak periods and the mechanism so that the refusal is lawful.

Related guidance and services

• Employment contracts and handbooks, £995, the service this page describes
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595
• Employment contract for retail staff
• Holiday policy

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.