Ireland
The employment basics, in one place.
Most disputes come from a handful of the same gaps, and nearly all of them are paperwork you can fix in an afternoon.
In short
Irish employers must give written terms of employment within set timeframes, keep accurate working time records, provide statutory breaks and rest periods, and hold a written tips policy. Record-keeping is where most restaurants are exposed, because in a dispute the absence of records tends to count against the employer. This is a summary, not legal advice.
Updated 28 August 2026
Written terms, early
Employees are entitled to written terms of employment within statutory timeframes, with core terms provided very early in the employment. Restaurants frequently rely on a verbal arrangement for casual staff, which is exactly the situation where a later dispute has no documentation to resolve it.
Working time records are the common exposure
You must keep records of hours worked. In a dispute over pay or hours, an employer without records is in a weak position, because the burden effectively falls on you to show what happened. Rota software or a signed timesheet both work; memory does not.
- Written terms within the statutory period
- Records of hours worked and breaks taken
- Payslips showing gross to net
- A written tips and gratuities policy
- Annual leave and public holiday entitlements tracked
Breaks and rest are enforced
Statutory rest breaks and daily and weekly rest periods apply, and hospitality is a sector where they are commonly missed in practice during a rush. Record breaks as taken, and make it operationally possible to take them, because a pattern of missed breaks is both a legal exposure and a retention problem.
The tips policy is now a specific obligation
Since December 2022 there are distinct obligations around distributing and displaying how tips and service charges are handled, including giving employees a written policy. This is one of the newest and most commonly missing documents in Irish restaurants.
The honest limitation
Employment law is detailed, changes, and the consequences of getting it wrong are individual to your circumstances. This page lists where restaurants most commonly have gaps. It is not a compliance review, and anything contested should go to an employment specialist.
Questions, answered straight.
Not covered here? Just ask us.
Do casual staff need contracts?
Written terms obligations apply broadly, including to part-time and casual arrangements. Casual staff are where documentation is most often missing and where disputes most often arise.
How long do I keep records?
Working time and pay records must be retained for a statutory period. Keep them longer than you think you need, since the cost of storage is nothing against the cost of not having them.
What about young workers?
There are specific rules on hours and times of work for under-18s, which matter in a sector that employs a lot of students. Check them specifically rather than assuming general rules apply.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is an outline of common gaps. Take proper employment law advice for your own arrangements.
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