Terms and Conditions

Staff manual and Terms and Conditions 2023

Please read and digest all the information included here. The 1st section consists of the terms and conditions of your employment with The Really Good Bar Company, while the second section consists of our general staff manual which outlines our expectations of you while working with us and what you can expect from us in return.

We strongly advise that you read through the information here before submitting your application and submit any queries you may have to us in advance. Queries can be submitted to staff@reallygoodbars.com and you can expect a response within 72 hours.

By completing and submitting your application you are agreeing to the following :

a) To abide by the terms and conditions stipulated here as well as the code of conduct and general expectations and rules detailed in the staff manual for the duration of your employment with The Really Good Bar Company (hereafter referred to as RGB).

b) To have your contact details added to the RGB database and the RGB PAAM database. We will never pass these details on to any 3rd party or use them for any other purpose other than relating to your employment with RGB.

c) that any photographs, video and sound recordings of you at one of our events may be used by RGB and our clients for relevant promotional purposes.

d) you are agreeing that for the safety of the general public prior to arrival on site your personal details may be passed to the police to allow for a Police National Computer (PNC) check and/or Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check to be performed.

e) you are confirming that you have a right to work in the UK. We may require an uploaded copy of your passport or ID card to verify this (see section 12 of the Terms and conditions below for more details).

Terms and conditions of employment with The Really Good Bar Company
These terms and conditions relate to staff who are on The Really Good Bar Company's payroll and who are defined as “workers”. Freelance/self employed staff will be expected to adhere to the same code of conduct as 'workers' but not necessarily the same terms of employment. If you have any queries regarding the differing definitions please contact us. There are also definitions online here http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5071

Please note that, due to the seasonal and casual nature of the business, you will be working for The Really Good Bar Company as a worker or self employed person rather than an employee. As a company we acknowledge that you have basic employment rights but you are not employed by us on an ongoing basis because as an event based company we do not have ongoing work to offer. In most cases you will be working for us in a freelance capacity. You will be paid after each event that you work with us. If you are going on our PAYE system we will provide you with all the necessary information when applicable.


Definition of role : You are defined as a “worker” rather than an employee due to the temporary and casual nature of the work available. Once you have been accepted to work with the company you will be informed of work available which you will not be obliged to accept. The location, hours and rate of pay may vary from event to event and you will receive an event brief for each event explaining the terms. RGB is not obliged to offer all work to all workers.

Dates of employment : Variable depending on the event and the work available.

Job locations : As an event bars company the work available will be at various locations around the country. You will usually be responsible for making your own way to and from the place of work although some events may offer a travel contribution.

Pay details. The rate of pay may vary on an event to event basis and you will be given details of rates prior to each event that you work at. The standard 2023 freelance bartending rate is £12.50 per hour.

All invoices should be made out to The Really Good Bar Company (unless specified otherwise) and should include your full name, date of birth, national insurance number, address, UTR (Unique Tax Reference) if available, details of hours worked, rate of pay, total due and name, date and location of the event.

Hours of work : These are variable and not confirmed. Hours of work will vary from event to event. Usually we will require you to work 8-10 hour shifts each live day. However sometimes you may be required to finish early, asked to stay longer or required to take unpaid breaks within a shift pattern. We appreciate your flexibility in these matters. Travel time to and from a work destination is not counted as working hours and will not be counted towards the hours worked.

Holiday pay : Holiday pay is only paid to staff on the RGB PAYE system. Details for these staff will be provided separately. Freelance staff will not receive holiday pay or paid holiday time.

Duration of employment : Due to the casual and irregular nature of the work available the duration of employment cannot be defined.

Notice period : Due to the casual and irregular nature of the work available there is no defined notice period. However we would ask that if you commit to working an event and cannot do so for any reason you give us as much notice as possible. Equally if, for any reason, we can no longer offer work that we have previously offered we will always give you as much notice as we can. In any of these situations neither party has any obligation of financial reimbursement of any kind.

Pensions information : From 2017 The Really Good Bar Company will be obliged to enrol all employees who earn more than £10k per annum with us into a work-based pension scheme. Until that time and until you reach those levels there is no pension scheme with this employment.

Grievances/disciplinary procedures/queries : Should you have any complaints or grievances concerning your work with The Really Good Bar Company please go, in the first instance, to your designated bar manager at the event you are working with. If this is not appropriate (or if you are the designated bar manager) then please come and discuss the matter with Jess Neame as quickly as possible so that a resolution can be found.

Right to Work in the UK: You will need to be able to prove your right to work in the UK. If you are a UK resident we will need your NI number and may require an uploaded copy or photocopy of the photo page of your passport. If you are not a UK citizen please provide us with valid documentation showing your right to work in the UK. We will keep your documents securely on the highly secure PAAM servers. We will not share your documents with any third parties other than UK Borders and we will destroy them in an appropriate manner after two years from your final date of working with us.


Staff manual and code of conduct 2023

By completing and submitting an application form you are confirming that you have read this document and that you agree to abide by the conditions referred to within it.

As an experienced bartender we expect you to be fully aware of the rules, regulations and responsibilities involved in working in a licensed bar – this document is to remind you of those rules, regulations and responsibilities and also to point out how important your job is and how vital it is that you remember what is expected of you and carry out your duties in a responsible manner at all times.

As a company we aim to ensure that our bars are safe, friendly and fun working environments. We want you to enjoy working with us, we want the customers to have a good bar experience and we want our event partners to invite us back to work with them at their next event. These guidelines are here to help meet those objectives as well as to ensure that we are always working within the law and health and safety and licensing guidelines and objectives.


RGB Bar Objectives

To create safe, friendly and professional temporary bar environments that staff enjoy working in and customers enjoy coming to

To ensure our bars are fully compliant at all times in relation to licensing laws and objectives

To ensure our bars have the same quality of products and of service as you would expect to receive in any good country pub or city centre bar

To maximise financial return to the event without compromising customer satisfaction


How to achieve these objectives

Remain super vigilant at all times. Report or discuss any problems or concerns however trivial to someone immediately. Keep an eye on your surroundings at all times. Are the customers smiling? Is the bar area clean and tidy? Are my colleagues smiling?

Staff to be relaxed and confident in their work – make sure you are fit to work at all times and have had enough rest, food and drink before each shift – and we will do our best to make sure you have all the resources you need to do your job to the best of your ability.

To do your job to the best of your ability at all times.

If in doubt (about anything at all) just ask! We do not expect everyone to know everything and would rather be asked the same question 10 times than have to rectify the same mistake 10 times. A good bartender is one who asks questions and is continually learning, not one who pretends to know everything!

The RGB crew as well as the individual Bar managers and supervisors are here to help and support you to ensure that the bars run as smoothly as possible. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas then please speak up!

General Health and Safety

A copy of The Really Good Bar Company (RGB) Health and Safety policy is available in the RGB site office at all times for you to read (or on request). While working with RGB you have a duty of care to yourself and to others. We expect you to adhere to the following guidelines at all times:

Be clean – wash your hands regularly and thoroughly

Keep the area around you clean and tidy at all times – this includes the front bar as well as the drinks prep area and under counter space

Handle drinks from the lower half of people’s glasses rather than the top where they drink from

Keep alert for any potential health or safety hazards and report any such concerns or hazards to your manager or supervisor immediately. This includes common issues such as spillages that may cause slips, loose or damaged flooring that may cause trips, cables, wires, rubbish build up that may be a trip or fire hazard.

Look out for your fellow bartenders. If someone looks like they're struggling then offer to help and find out what the problem is. If necessary inform your supervisor so that they can arrange extra training/breaks/support

Cooperate with supervisors and managers on all health and safety matters as well as all general bar matters

Do not interfere with anything provided to safeguard health and safety

Take reasonable care of your own health and safety and employ due care and diligence towards others at all times

Report all health and safety concerns to an appropriate person (Bar Manager or Supervisor or RGB core crew members)

Provide your manager with details of any medical conditions that you may be suffering and any medication that you are currently taking

Use any personal protective equipment as required and instructed by RGB

Follow instruction from your managers and supervisors quickly and efficiently

Talk to us and your supervisors. About any issues, concerns or suggestions you may have at any time.

In wet conditions please bring extra footwear so that you can have an alternative pair of shoes/boots to wear while at work

Keep long hair tied back while at work and ensure that any cuts or grazes are clean, treated and covered with an appropriate blue plaster

Behaviour and Conduct

We expect friendly, professional and efficient bar service at all times.

You will be expected to help with bar-backing and floor-clearing as part of your work

It is imperative that you turn up for work on time. If you are repeatedly late you may lose your position and forfeit all, or part of, your wages

We will not tolerate surly attitudes or people who don’t pull their weight as part of the team. If you have a problem please talk to your manager or supervisor about it so that we can try to find a solution as quickly as possible.

Never use offensive or obscene language to each other or within hearing of the general public

Be polite and courteous to customers and co-workers at all times

We expect our staff to look out for each other and also look out for the customers. If you see any unusual behaviour or anyone who might be in a difficult position of any sort we expect you to talk to your manager immediately so that we can assist. It is hugely important that our staff are approachable and friendly and that our bars are safe, friendly environments for everyone.

The Really Good Bar Company will not tolerate any abusive, discriminatory, anti-social, prejudiced or illegal behaviour. This includes:

Theft. This includes stealing money or stock and giving away drinks. All are criminal offences and will be treated as such.

Sexual, physical or psychological abuse behaviour of any sort towards anyone.

Discrimination. Of any kind to anyone at any time.

Prejudice. Of any kind to anyone at any time.

Drunkenness. If you arrive to work drunk, or get drunk at work, you will be evicted from the event and forfeit your wages.

Drugs at work. If you arrive to work under the influence of illegal drugs, or are found to have taken any illegal drugs at work, you will be evicted from the event, will forfeit your wages and be reported to the police.

Legal highs. Legal highs may be legal but if you turn up to work under their influence you will be evicted from the event and will forfeit your wages.

Smoking behind the bar. This is illegal. It is also illegal to smoke in any of the marquees or structures on site. When having a cigarette break make sure you have your supervisor's permission and find somewhere legal and outdoors to have it. Do please also dispose of your cigarette butts properly.

Lateness. This puts undue pressure on your colleagues. Your wages will be docked accordingly and repeated lateness may result in you losing your position and being evicted from the event.

If you have concerns about any of the above or witness, or are subject to, any unacceptable behaviour while working or attending any events RGB is involved with, please voice your concerns to a colleague or supervisor or Jess Neame (whoever you are most comfortable with) as soon as possible. All information will be treated confidentially and subsequent courses of action will always be dealt with sensitively and appropriately according to the victim's wishes or needs.

General rules and regs of working behind a RGB bar:

There is no such thing as a free drink!
One of the things that makes our events special are the people. Working behind the bars at our events you will make a lot of new friends – other bar staff, festival staff and crew and, of course, customers and artists. While this is a good thing and all adds to the happy environment you are not allowed to develop these friendships by giving away free drinks. To anybody. At any time. No matter how convincing they may appear or how much you like them or think they deserve it. Every drink at the event represents a vital part of the event’s revenue and future existence. There will be drinks tokens on site and the people who are entitled to a “free” drink will have one to exchange across the bar. If you really think someone deserves a free drink then ask your manager and they can approve it or not.

Licensing
You are all expected to be fully up to speed on current licensing laws. Our Bar Managers are all Personal Licence Holders and should be able to answer any questions you have about these laws. It is imperative that all bartenders know who the event DPS (Designated Premises Supervisor) and their duty manager are at all times. Make sure you read and digest the separate licensing document before you start work on any of our bars and are fully up to speed on current licensing laws and penalties.

If you are remotely uncomfortable about serving anyone at any time for any reason while working behind one of our bars please ask your manager or supervisor for assistance. They are there to support you and we do appreciate the difficulties and issues that arise in this job.

Weights and measures and receptacles
Under no circumstances can you ever serve glass across any of our bars at any of our outdoor events. All drinks will be served in appropriate reusable, recyclable or biodegradable cups or PET bottles

All spirits will be served in multiples of 25ml

All still wine served by the glass will be in multiples of 125ml or 175ml. Please note that our wines are usually served as 175ml as standard but if someone asks for a 125ml measure you must provide this. If the price for the smaller measure isn't on your till then please refer to a supervisor. All sparkling wine products (Prosecco, Cava, Champagne) are served in 125ml measures as standard although at some events this may be 175ml so please check.

All draught products will be served in half pints or pints

Cash handling
You will usually be required to handle cash at our bars, although increasingly we are being asked to use cashless systems. Where this is the case you will be shown the procedures on site. While handling cash it is vitally important not to make mistakes. Things to be aware of include:

Forged notes and coins. Your manager will talk through the best ways to check for forgeries. There are a few key areas to examine. The first and most failsafe method with notes is feel – run your thumb across the embossed area – if it doesn't feel right then check it more thoroughly. If you take a forged note and identify as such then you will need to keep the note and the customer and fetch your manager. The note will need to be taken out of circulation and the customer will need to find an alternative method of payment.


Giving the correct change. We have all experienced the situation when a customer is adamant they gave you a larger note denomination than you have given them change for. Some ways to help reduce these instances include stating what the note is to the customer when you take it from them and keeping the note out of the till until you have counted the correct change and given it to the customer.

If a customer remains adamant that you have given them the wrong change the first thing you can do is to check the till drawer to see that there isn't a wrong note in the wrong section (sometimes just sometimes it is a genuine bartender mistake in which case apologise and give them the correct balance). If this hasn't happened then fetch your duty manager and they can take a record of the time and till as well as the customer's details and see if there is a discrepancy when the till is cashed up at the end of the shift.

Dipping in the till. If you ever have any valid reason to take money out of a till that is not part of a customer transaction please make sure to get a Manager or Supervisor to witness what you are doing and why. This avoids any misinterpretation by colleagues or customers.

Be honest. We are trusting you to work honestly behind our bars, please don't let us down or betray that trust. We have excellent managers and supervisors and plenty of friends and colleagues on the other side of the bar. If you are caught stealing from us in any form we will take it very seriously indeed.

Credit and Debit card transactions
Most of our bars will have mobile card izettle card readers which work on mobile technology. These are fairly straightforward to work with but do make sure you know what you are doing before using one for the first time, if necessary get a colleague to do the first transaction alongside you. These machines usually work fine but sometimes fail when the mobile reception is insufficient.

All our card terminals will accept contactless payment for transactions up to £tbc. Please check with the customer that they wish to pay by contactless before putting the card next to the reader, show them the amount on the terminal so that they can approve the payment. Receipt options tbc.

Our bars do not offer a cashback facility.

Tips and customer bought drinks
All tips should be kept out of the till in separate cups on the back bar. If you are bought a drink please ring it through the till as usual and notify your supervisor so that they can record it and you can then have it at the end of your shift.

Mistakes and wastage
There are several reasons that a drink may be wasted. You might make a mistake and serve the wrong mixer; a bottle may break; the customer may manage to walk off without paying...whatever the reason we need to be able to account for the waste so that our stock accounting remains accurate.

Whatever the reason – please make sure you notify your supervisor and that the details are recorded in the waste records book which should always be present on the back bar.

Staff drinks
We are happy for you to have a drink at the end of your shift as long as the bar is running well – your tills and stock counts are accurate and your customers are happy. As long as this is all going as required then you will get a drink with our compliments and thanks at the end of your shift – however we still need to record it so that we know where it went! If your tills and stock take are out or we are receiving customer complaints then we will not be able to justify these drinks.

Noise advice
You will be working in places where music is played at high levels – usually getting louder throughout the time you are there!

You can’t control the volume, but you can reduce the effects

There will always be earplugs available for your use – just ask your manager if you require some.

Q: How loud is too loud?
A: Risk to your hearing is based on ‘how loud’ and ‘how long’. Immediate signs are ringing in your ears, or muffled hearing after listening to loud music. However, you may still be damaging your hearing if you don’t have these symptoms. If loud music causes pain in your ears – move away immediately.
Handy Tip : If you can’t hear someone 2 metres away without them shouting, the noise level could be damaging your hearing

Q: How long can I listen to loud music for?
A: It depends what the volume is. Even a small increase will reduce the time you can listen before damage occurs. When we are at work, The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 requires us to wear hearing protection if the daily average (over 8 hours) for noise levels reaches 85dB(A). In many night clubs and dance venues, levels can reach over 110dB (A) – unprotected exposure to this will cause damage after only 2 minutes.

Q: Can your ears get used to loud music?
A: No!
If you think your ears have got used to loud music – thinking ‘it doesn’t seem as loud’ – you are already experiencing short-term damage…which may become permanent and long-term very quickly!
Noise-induced hearing loss is usually painless and gradual, you can’t feel it happening, and once you notice it, there’s no reversing it!

Shift patterns
You will be required to work a variety of day and night shifts across the event. You will be given your rota at your staff briefing on site. If you wish to swap shifts with anyone at any time please discuss with your Bar Manager first who will then see if the swap can be accommodated.

Dress code
At some of our events there may be a dress code – you will be informed of this where applicable on an event by event basis. The most important thing is that you are comfortable and have appropriate footwear. There are to be absolutely no open-toed shoes/sandals/flip flops/high heels worn at any time behind any of our bars. Wellies or walking boots are often the most appropriate footwear. Fancy dress is usually encouraged.

Accommodation and equipment
Since most of our events take place outdoors you will be required to bring your own tent and camping equipment. There will usually be a staff area for you to camp in which will have its own designated staff showers and toilet facilities. Live-in vehicles are usually permitted in crew camping areas but please inform Jess if you have a vehicle so that she can let you know the designated areas for these on an event by event basis. These will usually need to be registered in advance with the event so it is important that you provide this information as early as possible. Some events are very restricted on camping space and live-in vehicles may not always be permitted.

Food and Drink
You will be allowed to drink soft drinks while working on the bars. Some events will offer food while you are working but not all so you will need to check the event brief for each event for this. No alcohol may be consumed while on shift but you will usually receive a staff drink at the end of each shift (although this is not guaranteed and the managers reserve the right to remove this privilege if they have a valid reason to do so – such as the bar not running well, inaccurate cash accounting, individual misbehaviour).

Please remember that you are a vital part of the event you are working at. We aim to ensure that you have the tools and resources needed to do your job well at all times, in return we expect your full cooperation and commitment. If you have any concerns, queries or suggestions at any time please speak to your Bar Manager or Supervisor or Jess Neame from The Really Good Bar Company.

Useful contact details:
Jess Neame – Director: HR and Admin, The Really Good Bar Company
Email: jess@reallygoodbars.com or staff@reallygoodbars.com
Office : (01273) 044107

Chris Corry – Director: Logistics and Stock, The Really Good Bar Company
Email: chris@reallygoodbars.com or staff@reallygoodbars.com
Office : (01273) 044107