Zero-hours working suits a lot of real businesses, a café covering unpredictable weekend rushes, a shop staffing up for the run to Christmas, an events firm that needs ten people one week and none the next, and a zero hours contract template UK employers can use with confidence has to get several specifically British rules right. A zero-hours contract engages a casual worker with no guaranteed hours: the employer offers work when it has it, and the worker can accept or decline. But "no guaranteed hours" does not mean "no rules". The worker is still entitled to the National Minimum Wage for hours actually worked, still accrues paid holiday, and, importantly, cannot lawfully be tied by an exclusivity clause. This guide explains what a UK zero-hours contract should cover and how to draft one from vetted clauses in 99 Data Rooms. It is general information, not legal advice.
The employers who use this most are in hospitality, retail and events, plus any business with genuinely variable staffing needs. The reason the wording matters is that zero-hours arrangements are an area where it is easy to get the law wrong in the employer's favour and create liability. Two mistakes recur: assuming casual workers have no rights, and trying to stop them working elsewhere. A vetted template built around the actual statutory position, no mutuality of obligation, no exclusivity, minimum wage, and holiday accrual, protects the business precisely by being fair. Where the reality is a permanent role or a genuinely self-employed contractor, an employment agreement or a consultancy agreement is the honest document instead.
What a UK zero-hours contract should cover
The defining feature is the absence of mutuality of obligation: the contract makes clear that the employer is not obliged to offer work and the worker is not obliged to accept any that is offered. Stating this plainly is what makes it a genuine zero-hours arrangement rather than something that looks, on closer inspection, like a contract with guaranteed hours. The document should describe the type of work, how shifts are offered and accepted, and the process for each, because in practice the relationship runs shift by shift.
Three statutory points then have to be reflected accurately. First, pay: the worker must receive at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for the hours they actually work, so the contract cannot undercut that floor (see Sources). Second, exclusivity: under section 27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996, exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts are unenforceable, an employer cannot lawfully prevent a zero-hours worker from working for someone else, and a compliant template does not attempt to (see Sources for the legislation and Acas guidance). Third, holiday: zero-hours workers accrue paid statutory holiday under the Working Time Regulations, calculated in proportion to the hours they work, and the contract should set out how that accrues and is paid. Getting these three right is the difference between a contract that stands up and one that generates claims.
It also helps to be clear in the contract about the practical rhythm of the arrangement, because that is where casual working tends to go wrong in real life. Spelling out how shifts are offered, how much notice a worker can expect, and how they accept or decline without penalty keeps expectations aligned and reduces the friction that builds up when staff feel messed around. A contract that treats casual workers fairly on these everyday points is also easier to staff from, because people come back to employers who are straight with them.
Beyond the statutory floor, a sensible zero-hours contract covers the ordinary ground: confidentiality where the worker sees sensitive information, conduct and health-and-safety expectations, and how the arrangement ends. It should also be honest about status, because a "zero-hours" worker who is in reality given regular, obligatory shifts may accrue additional rights over time, and the label will not prevent that. As with the other employment templates, this is general information rather than legal advice, and an arrangement that starts to look like regular employment in practice is one to review.
How to draft one in 99 Data Rooms
The 99 Data Rooms drafter, "Legal Drafting", carries the Zero-Hours Contract in its "People & Founders" cluster, next to the employment and intern templates, and it is written for the real UK position: it reflects the exclusivity ban under ERA 1996 section 27A, the NMW floor, and holiday accrual under the Working Time Regulations. As with every template here, the assistant selects vetted England and Wales clauses by ID from your answers and fills the blanks, assembling from a maintained clause library rather than writing the wording itself. Vetted clauses, assembled, and, crucially, clauses that do not contain the unlawful exclusivity term a careless template might.
You can open the template or describe the arrangement in plain words, "zero-hours contract for casual bar staff, minimum wage, shifts offered week to week", and the assistant asks the questions that shape it: the worker, the type of work, how shifts are offered, and the pay. It assembles the draft, including the no-mutuality and holiday-accrual clauses and confidentiality where relevant, and saves it free to keep. As always it is a starting point rather than the final word: general information, not legal advice, so if a casual arrangement is drifting towards regular hours it is worth a professional check.
Draft it, share it, sign it, one flow
Drafting the zero-hours contract in 99 Data Rooms keeps your casual-staffing paperwork in one controlled place rather than as attachments scattered across a busy inbox. Once the draft is ready, you share it with the worker as a tracked, revocable link rather than an attachment, gated behind a verified email and a one-time code so you know the right person is opening their own contract. Page-by-page analytics show whether they have read it and how long they spent, distinguishing a raw visit from a verified viewer who cleared the gate, useful when you are onboarding several casual staff at once and want to know who has actually looked.
When they are ready, you send it for signature in the browser. The worker signs without needing an account, you can send a reminder if a first shift is imminent, and the executed PDF comes back with an audit certificate recording who signed, when, their IP, intent to sign, and a SHA-256 fingerprint, a clean, dated record for your files. Electronic signatures are admissible for most commercial documents in England and Wales, with exceptions such as deeds, wills, land transfers and lasting powers of attorney (see Sources), general information, not legal advice. The signed contract files itself where you can find it, and access is revocable in one click. Drafted, shared, tracked and signed, one document, always under your control.
Draft your zero-hours contract for free
Draft a compliant zero-hours contract from vetted England and Wales clauses in 99 Data Rooms, keep the draft, and share or sign it in the same place, with the exclusivity ban, minimum wage and holiday accrual handled correctly from the start. The free tier is genuine, not a trial: three rooms, twenty-five active links, forever, no card. Start for free: it is in beta and improving fast, and the path from "we need casual staff on proper contracts" to a signed agreement with an audit trail already runs end to end in one place.
Sources
- Exclusivity ban in zero-hours contracts: Employment Rights Act 1996, Part 2A, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/part/2A ; Acas, zero-hours contracts, https://www.acas.org.uk/zero-hours-contracts
- National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates: https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates
- Statutory holiday of 5.6 weeks (accrued in proportion to hours worked): https://www.gov.uk/holiday-entitlement-rights ; Working Time Regulations 1998, https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/1833
- Electronic signatures, validity and witnessing of deeds in England and Wales: Law Commission, Electronic execution of documents (2019), https://lawcom.gov.uk/project/electronic-execution-of-documents/ ; HM Land Registry Practice Guide 82, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electronic-signatures-accepted-by-hm-land-registry-pg82
Are zero-hours contracts legal in the UK?
Yes, zero-hours contracts are lawful in England and Wales, provided they respect workers' rights: at least the minimum wage for hours worked, accrued paid holiday, and no enforceable exclusivity clause. They are a legitimate way to handle genuinely variable staffing. What is not lawful is using the label to sidestep those rights. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I stop a zero-hours worker working for someone else?
No. Under section 27A of the Employment Rights Act 1996, exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts are unenforceable, so you cannot lawfully prevent a zero-hours worker from taking other work. A compliant template does not include one. General information, not legal advice.
Do zero-hours workers get holiday pay?
Yes. Zero-hours workers accrue paid statutory holiday under the Working Time Regulations, calculated in proportion to the hours they actually work. The contract should set out how that accrues and is paid. The vetted template handles this; take advice on specific calculations if needed.
Is a zero-hours worker an employee?
Not necessarily, many are "workers" rather than employees, which affects which rights apply. But status depends on the reality of the arrangement, and a casual worker given regular, obligatory shifts over time may acquire additional rights regardless of the label. If an arrangement is drifting that way, it is worth reviewing. General information only.
Can the worker sign the contract online?
Yes. Once drafted it flows into e-signature inside 99 Data Rooms, so the worker signs in the browser and you get an executed PDF with an audit certificate. E-signatures are admissible for most commercial documents in England and Wales, subject to the usual exceptions. General information, not legal advice.