Employee Handbook Template for UK Trade Businesses (2026)

What to include (and why regulators care)

ACAS and Working Time Regulations expect you to keep written rules on rest breaks, overtime approvals, and holiday accrual. Toolbox talks buried in WhatsApp don’t count. Use Toolfy Documents so your insurer, auditor, or employment solicitor can see version history instantly.

• Working time + overtime: state limits, opt-out process, and Toolfy time-tracking expectations.
• Vehicle + equipment use: outline daily checklists (link to DVSA pack) and penalties for unsafe driving.
• Customer communication: remind staff that SMS/WhatsApp lives inside Toolfy so you have transcripts.

Link every rule to a Toolfy workflow

Policies only work when the enforcement lives in your software. Translate each section into a Toolfy automation or checklist. Example: “Clock in before starting the engine” becomes a required photo upload on the job “On my way” status. Discipline logs become a checklist inside the employee profile.

1. Use job templates to pre-fill rest-break reminders for multi-day installs.
2. Attach your vehicle policy to every job scheduled for that van via Documents → Shared Files.
3. Trigger a Toolfy automation that pings managers if someone hasn’t acknowledged the handbook yet.

Track acknowledgements like any other job

Upload the PDF to Toolfy Documents and generate a secure link. Create a “Handbook 2026 Acknowledgement” job for every employee so you have an audit trail with timestamps, signatures, and follow-up tasks for anyone who drags their feet.

Once signed, lock the document but schedule a quarterly review reminder. Regulations shift, and your manual should too—BLOG_ENHANCEMENT_SUMMARY.md reminds us that dark-mode tokens changed this autumn; treat HR language the same way.