Zero-hours contract

A zero-hours contract is an arrangement with no guaranteed hours: the employer offers work when it is available, and the individual can usually accept or decline. It is common in hospitality, events and care, where demand moves week to week.

Rights on zero hours

No guaranteed hours does not mean no rights. Most zero-hours staff are workers in law, which brings the National Minimum Wage, paid holiday (the 12.07% accrual method suits irregular hours well), rest breaks and payslips. Exclusivity clauses — terms stopping someone from working for anyone else — are unenforceable in zero-hours contracts, and workers are protected from detriment for ignoring them.

Using them fairly

Zero-hours arrangements work best when flexibility runs in both directions: give as much notice of shifts as you can, be straight about how much work is realistically available, and treat declined shifts as a normal part of the deal rather than a black mark. If someone has worked a steady pattern for months, it is worth asking whether guaranteed hours would serve you both better — and this is an active area of reform, so check GOV.UK for the current position on rights to guaranteed-hours offers and notice of shifts.

Exclusivity ban: Employment Rights Act 1996, section 27A (inserted by the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015), extended by the Exclusivity Terms for Zero Hours Workers (Unenforceability and Redress) Regulations 2022.

Related terms

• Rota
• Statutory holiday entitlement
• Flexible working request