Harbour Hotel Staff Handbook

Working hours. Full-time employees work thirty-eight hours a week, arranged over five days in a rolling rota that is posted on the staff noticeboard every second Friday for the two weeks ahead. Part-time employees agree their hours when they are hired, and these cannot be changed without a month's notice on either side. Every employee is entitled to a thirty-minute unpaid break for any shift longer than six hours. Shifts normally begin at 7.00 am, 3.00 pm or 11.00 pm, and staff are expected to be at their post five minutes before the start. Pay and overtime. Salaries are paid on the last working day of each month directly into the bank account you have given to the payroll office. Hours worked beyond your contracted hours are paid at one and a quarter times the normal rate, provided the overtime has been approved in advance by your supervisor. Work on public holidays is paid at double the normal rate. Holiday. New employees receive twenty-two days of paid holiday each year, rising to twenty-five days after three years of service. Requests must be made on the form available from the human resources office at least four weeks before the first day requested. Holiday cannot normally be taken during the two weeks around New Year, when the hotel is at its busiest. Uniform. A uniform is provided free of charge to all front-of-house staff and must be worn at all times on duty. It should be clean and pressed, and your name badge must be visible. If a uniform is damaged through normal wear, replace it at the stores. If it is lost, the cost of a replacement is deducted from the following month's pay. Kitchen staff are provided with aprons and hats but should buy their own non-slip shoes, for which they can claim back half the cost after three months of service. Illness. If you are unable to come to work because you are ill, telephone your supervisor at least two hours before your shift starts. A text message is not acceptable. A medical certificate is required for any absence of more than three days. Kitchen and restaurant staff must not return to work until they have been free of sickness for at least one full day. A word from the general manager. I have run hotels for twenty years, and I have learned that the guests who write to us rarely mention the rooms. They mention the person who remembered their name, or who solved a problem before they had to ask. I do not believe those qualities can be taught from a handbook, which is why we hire for attitude first and skills second. I would rather train a cheerful beginner than manage a brilliant employee who does not care.