Cherry-pick from our range of HR documents for pubs, without the ongoing cost
Welcome to The Paper Cellar 🍷
Whether you’re hiring a new employee, updating workplace policies, or dealing with a staff issue, The Paper Cellar has you covered. Our ready-to-use HR documents for pubs are designed specifically the hospitality industry, saving you time, effort, and the costly fees of traditional consultancy.
Simply choose the document you need, download it instantly, and put it to work in your business. From contracts and policies to handbooks and compliance checklists, you’ll find everything you need to keep your pub running smoothly. Importantly, our templates for disciplinaries and workplace polices are aligned with ACAS guidance, giving you confidence that you’re following best practice as well as the law.
And it’s not just about paid resources, our Free Shelf is stocked with practical HR templates and best-practice guides to help you stay informed, compliant, and in control.
Think of The Paper Cellar as your pick-and-mix library of HR essentials — no subscriptions, no strings attached, just the documents you need, when you need them.
🍷 The Perfect Pour for Publicans
🛒 Pick & Mix Flexibility
No need to commit to a subscription or a retainer. Simply choose the documents you’re missing, when you need them, and build your own HR toolkit at your own pace.
🍺 Pub-Focused
Unlike generic templates you’ll find online, every document in The Paper Cellar has been created specifically for pubs and hospitality. That means the language, policies, and processes actually fit your business.
⚡ Instant Access
No waiting around for a consultant to draft something from scratch. Download your chosen document immediately and put it into action the very same day.
🔓 No Subscriptions
You’re in control. Each purchase is a one-time cost, with no hidden fees or ongoing contracts. Once you’ve stocked your cellar, the documents are yours to keep and use whenever you need them.
The Paper Cellar is like ordering by the glass, just what you need, when you need it. But if you’d prefer the whole barrel on tap, The BackBar HR has you covered.
Welcome to the Free Shelf
Not everything in your pub’s HR cellar has to come at a cost. That’s
why we’ve stocked a Free Shelf with practical resources designed to
give you a head start.
Here you’ll find risk assessment templates, posters, and licensing
policies, all created with pubs and hospitality in mind. Use them to
support your managers, refresh your compliance, or simply check
you’ve got the basics covered.
These downloads are completely free, with no strings attached. It’s
our way of helping you stay compliant, confident, and in control,
whether you’re a one-site pub or a multi-venue operator.
Take what you need, when you need it and if you ever want to stock
your cellar further, our full range of contracts, policies, and
handbooks are ready and waiting.
Policies & Procedures
Every pub needs clear, consistent policies to keep staff aligned and protect your licence. Without them, you
leave your business open to risk from legal claims and disputes to compliance failures that can damage your
reputation.
That’s why this shelf is stocked with 13 essential HR documents for pubs covering the real issues pub operators face day
to day including bullying & harassment, employee theft, grievance, maternity and paternity leave, social
media use, tips and gratuities, and equal opportunities. Alongside these, you’ll also find 2 key procedures:
disciplinary and holiday, giving your managers the confidence to handle issues fairly and consistently.
This shelf is designed for publicans who may only need to top up their existing documents with a few key
policies.
Starting from scratch?
The entire set of policies and procedures can also be purchased as part of our Employee Handbook (found
on the Handbooks & Guides shelf). This complete handbook contains everything in one place, and it’s
better value than buying documents individually.
Employment Contracts & Agreements
Every working relationship starts with the right agreement. Without clear contracts in place, you leave your
pub open to risk from pay disputes and rota confusion to legal claims that could cost far more than the
paperwork itself.
On this shelf, you’ll find three ready-to-use contract templates tailored for the hospitality industry:
Zero-hours contract (perfect for flexible, casual staff)
Salaried contract (for managers and key roles)
Hourly-paid contract (ideal for front-of-house and bar staff)
To support these, we’ve also included:
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) – protect your business information and trade secrets.
Standard Service Level Agreement (SLA) – essential if you work with operators running pubs on your
behalf.
All templates are fully editable, so you can easily tweak them to reflect your business needs while keeping
the professional, compliant structure intact.
Whether you’re hiring your very first employee or tightening up agreements across multiple venues, this
shelf gives you the contracts and documents you need to stay compliant, protect your business, and build
solid working relationships.
Looking for a complete HR foundation?
Pair this shelf with our Policies & Procedures collection to
create a full Employee Handbook, the most cost-effective
way to give your pub a robust and compliant HR
framework.
Staff Handbook & “How To” Guides
Every pub needs a clear framework that staff and managers can rely on. That’s where this shelf comes in.
The Staff Handbook
This is your complete HR foundation, built specifically for the hospitality industry. It brings together all of
the policies, procedures, and equal opportunities statement from the Policies & Procedures shelf into one
fully comprehensive handbook. Professionally written, fully editable, and tailored for pubs, this handbook
gives your team clarity while protecting your business. It’s the best-value way to put a full HR framework in
place without the headache of piecing it together policy by policy.
The “How To” Guides
Even with the right documents in place, managers need to know how to handle everyday challenges fairly
and legally. That’s where our practical, step-by-step guides come in.
Each guide covers a real workplace scenario common in hospitality, with clear best-practice methods to
help managers act with confidence. Examples include:
-How to carry out a disciplinary meeting
-How to conduct right to work checks
-How to manage conflict between team members
-How to support pregnant employees
…and more.
Together, these resources give you both the structure (handbook) and the know-how (guides) to handle
staff management professionally, consistently, and with confidence.
Paper Cellar Bundles
Sometimes one policy or contract isn’t enough. That’s why we’ve created bundle packs carefully curated
collections of documents designed to give you everything you need for a specific situation, at a better price
than buying individually.
Whether you’re opening your first pub, tightening up compliance before an inspection, or giving your
managers the tools to deal with staff issues, our bundles make it simple. Each pack is written specifically for
pubs and hospitality, fully editable, and ready to use straight away.
From Starter Bundles for new operators, to Compliance Essentials for staying inspection-ready, to the
Premium Pub Pack that stocks your entire HR cellar in one go you’ll find a bundle that fits your business
needs and budget.
It’s the smarter way to stock your cellar: more value, less hassle, and complete peace of mind.