HR built for a front-line workforce.

Hospitality and retail run on people, often a lot of them, working shifts, weekends and peak seasons, with turnover far higher than most sectors. That makes HR a constant, live concern rather than an annual tidy-up. Rotas, holiday pay, young workers, tips and the steady churn of hiring and leaving all have to be handled correctly, and getting any of them wrong is expensive.

We work with pubs, restaurants, hotels, cafes and independent retailers to put the right contracts, policies and processes in place, and to handle the day-to-day people issues that come with a busy front-of-house team. Pragmatic advice, fixed fees, and someone you can call when a shift goes wrong.

Multi-site operators add another layer, with consistency of policy, age-related minimum-wage bands for younger staff, and the surge-and-slump of seasonal trading all to manage. We help you run the whole estate to one clear, compliant standard, so a problem in one site does not become a problem across the group.

The HR challenges in hospitality and retail.

The same handful of issues come up again and again with the hospitality and retail employers we support.

Shifts, rotas and holiday pay

Variable hours, casual and zero-hours staff make holiday pay and working-time rules genuinely tricky. We set up contracts and a simple system so it is calculated correctly and you are not exposed to back-pay claims.

Tips and the Allocation of Tips Act

The rules on tips, service charge and tronc changed with the Allocation of Tips Act. We make sure your tipping policy is fair, written down and compliant.

High turnover and fast hiring

When you are always hiring, sloppy onboarding and missing right-to-work checks creep in. We give you a fast, compliant hiring and induction process that protects you.

Conduct and the difficult shift

Front-line teams bring conduct, capability and absence issues. We guide you through disciplinaries and dismissals properly, so a bad hire does not become a tribunal claim.

Young workers and age-related pay

Under-18s and apprentices carry extra limits on hours and different minimum-wage bands. We make sure your rotas and pay rates stay within the rules.

Short-notice absence

Last-minute absence wrecks a rota. We give you a fair absence-reporting and management process that keeps shifts covered and stays lawful.

How we work with Hospitality and Retail businesses.

Retained HR support

Day-to-day HR for your team. Disciplinaries, sickness, contracts, the lot. Email and phone access to me. Priced on your team size.

See retainer details

HR compliance audit

One-off review of your contracts, handbook, policies and processes. Written report. Priority fix list. Priced on a call.

See audit details

HR Compliance Programme

Six-month fixed-fee programme to put your HR foundations in place from scratch. Priced on your team size.

See the programme

Why Beagle HR.

We are a founder-led HR consultancy serving SMEs across Surrey and the wider UK. You deal with Dan and the Beagle HR team directly, not a call centre and not a different adviser every time. Advice comes in plain English, fees are fixed and agreed up front, and because we only take on a limited number of businesses at once, you get a partner who genuinely knows your sector and your team.

It starts with a free 15-minute review, where we listen, tell you honestly what you need and what you do not, and agree a fixed fee before any work begins. No hourly clock, no lock-in on the ongoing retainer, just a clear plan and someone who picks up the phone.

We work across many sectors, so the advice you get is grounded in how businesses like yours actually operate, not generic theory. Whatever lands on your desk, an awkward grievance, a tricky exit, a restructure, or simply a question you are not sure about, you get a straight answer, a clear next step, and the documents or process to back it up.

Common questions from hospitality and retail employers.

Hospitality and Retail HR FAQs

Yes. We make sure your casual, zero-hours and variable-hours contracts are compliant and clear on holiday pay and working time, and reflect how your business actually rotas its people.
Yes. We help you put a compliant, written tipping and tronc policy in place under the Allocation of Tips Act, so tips are distributed fairly and you are protected.
We price on your team size and what you actually need, not a one-size package, and we agree the fee with you on a free review before any work begins. You are not paying for support built for a business twice your size.
No. The ongoing retainer is rolling, so you can leave whenever you like. The only fixed term is the six-month HR Compliance Programme, if you choose that route to get set up.
Book a free 15-minute review and we will scope the work on the call. For straightforward retainers we can be set up within 7 days.

Sorting HR for your hospitality or retail business?

Book a free 15-minute review. We will tell you what to do, and quote a fixed fee if you need our help. We take on a limited number of businesses at a time.

Book your free HR review