Food, Beverage & Hospitality · Employer knowledge

People & employment records

Keep agreements, rosters, actual hours, pay and leave records aligned — especially where shifts, weekend work and hours can vary.

New Zealand employers must provide employees with a written employment agreement and keep complete and accurate wage and time, and holiday and leave records. Employment New Zealand says an employee's hours of work must be agreed in the written employment agreement. Where hours change so often that it is not practical to state the specific hours in the agreement, an accurate and timely written record of the hours actually worked is needed.

This matters in food and hospitality, where rosters and actual shifts can differ. A roster can support record-keeping, but managers still need to make sure the employment agreement, time records, payroll and leave information accurately reflect the employee's arrangements and work.

What should a manager have in place?

Use one reliable process from agreed employment terms through to roster, actual time worked, payroll and leave. Do not assume payroll software automatically makes the records compliant.

Employment agreementsKeep the required written agreement for every employee and make sure hours, pay and other agreed terms are recorded appropriately.

Rosters & actual hoursKeep accurate records of hours worked. Where shifts or hours vary, make sure actual work is captured rather than relying only on the planned roster.

Pay, breaks & public holidaysMake sure pay records support the correct calculation of wages and minimum entitlements. Employees are entitled to paid rest breaks and unpaid meal breaks according to their work period; public-holiday records and payments also need to be handled correctly.

Leave & retentionKeep the required holiday and leave records. Employment New Zealand states wage and time, and holiday and leave records must be retained for six years, including after an employee leaves.

Manager check

Does every employee have the required written employment agreement?
Where hours vary, can we reconcile the planned roster with the hours actually worked and paid?
Are paid rest breaks and unpaid meal breaks being provided in accordance with current requirements?
Can our records support calculations for public holidays, alternative holidays and other leave entitlements?
When an employee's agreed hours or pay arrangements change, are the relevant records and systems updated rather than left on old settings?
Could we retrieve the required wage, time, holiday and leave records without reconstructing them from messages or memory?

Employment NZ record-keeping →Hours & breaks →Back to Food, Beverage & Hospitality Hub

NZQC provides practical educational information. It is not legal advice and does not certify that a provider is compliant. Check the official source and the requirements that apply to your service, contracts and scope.