Essential HR Policies Every Event Staffing Company Needs (Free Templates Included)

HR policies aren't the most exciting part of running an event staffing company, but they're the thing that protects you when something goes wrong.

Most gig and event companies don't have proper documentation in place until they actually need it, and by then it's usually too late. A worker claims they were terminated unfairly. A former employee shares client information with a competitor. Someone disputes the terms of their pay. Without clear policies and signed agreements, you're left trying to piece together what was said in a conversation six months ago.

This post covers the core HR documents every event staffing operation should have, the mistakes companies make when putting them together, and how to get started with templates you can customize for your business. If you're running event staff, security, production, or any kind of on-demand workforce, these are the basics you need to have in place.

Why HR Policies Matter for On-Demand Staffing

Gig and event work creates HR challenges that traditional businesses don't face. You're dealing with high turnover, variable schedules, workers who might be on three different client sites in the same week, and a mix of full-time staff and on-call workers who may not interact with your office regularly.

That variability creates risk. When expectations aren't documented, misunderstandings happen. When termination procedures aren't clear, disputes turn into legal headaches. When confidential information isn't protected by a signed agreement, you have no recourse if someone shares your client list or event details.

Good HR policies create consistency across your operation. They set expectations for workers before issues arise, they give you a defensible position if something does go wrong, and they show clients and partners that you run a professional operation. It's not about bureaucracy for its own sake. It's about protecting both the company and the people who work for you.

The Core HR Documents You Need

There are four documents that form the foundation of HR compliance for most event staffing companies. You can get more sophisticated as you grow, but these are the ones you shouldn't operate without.

Employee Handbook

An employee handbook sets the ground rules for your organization. It covers things like conduct expectations, attendance policies, dress code, communication procedures, and how you handle issues like harassment or safety concerns.

For event companies specifically, your handbook should address the realities of gig work: how shifts are assigned, what happens if someone bails on an event, how workers should interact with clients on site, and any industry-specific rules like alcohol service policies or security protocols.

The handbook isn't just for workers. It's also documentation that you communicated your expectations clearly, which matters if you ever need to justify a termination or respond to a complaint.

Employee Agreement

An employee agreement defines the relationship between your company and each worker. It covers their role, compensation structure, schedule expectations, and the terms under which employment can be ended.

For on-demand staffing, the agreement should be clear about how pay works (hourly rates, overtime, when paychecks are issued), whether the position is at-will, and any conditions around availability or minimum shift commitments. This document protects both sides by making sure everyone understands the deal from day one.

Non-Disclosure Agreement

NDAs protect sensitive information, and event staffing companies have more sensitive information than they sometimes realize.

Your client lists, event details, pricing structures, vendor relationships, and operational processes all have value. If a worker leaves and takes that information to a competitor, or shares details about a high-profile client's private event, you want a signed agreement that gives you legal standing to respond.

This is especially important for event security and production companies where workers may have access to confidential venue information, celebrity schedules, or proprietary production methods.

Settlement Agreement

Settlement agreements come into play during terminations, particularly when there's any potential for dispute. They're a way to formalize the end of the employment relationship, resolve any outstanding issues, and get a release of claims in exchange for severance or other consideration.

Having a template ready means you're not scrambling to draft something when you're already in a difficult situation. A good settlement agreement includes clear terms about final pay, confidentiality obligations that survive termination, and non-disparagement clauses that protect your reputation.

Common Mistakes Event Companies Make with HR Policies

Having policies is good, but having the wrong policies or implementing them poorly can create its own problems.

Using generic templates that don't fit your business. A lot of companies download a free employee handbook template designed for traditional office jobs and call it done. But those templates don't address the realities of event work, like variable schedules, on-site client interactions, or the unique compliance issues around things like alcohol service or security licensing. Your policies need to reflect how your business actually operates.

Not updating policies as laws change. Employment law changes constantly, especially at the state level. Rules around predictive scheduling, salary history bans, hair discrimination, and cannabis use have all evolved in recent years. If your handbook still references policies that are no longer legal in your state, that's a liability. You can read more about federal employment laws for event planners on our blog.

Having policies but not enforcing them consistently. Documentation only protects you if you actually follow it. If your handbook says you have a three-strike policy for no-shows but you fire someone on the first offense, that inconsistency can be used against you. Whatever your policies say, you need to apply them the same way across your workforce.

Waiting until there's a problem. The worst time to create HR documentation is after something has already gone wrong. By then, you're reactive instead of proactive, and anything you put in place looks like it was designed to justify a decision you already made. Get your policies in place before you need them.

Download the Free HR Policy PowerPack

We put together an HR Policy PowerPack specifically for gig and event companies. It includes:

• Employee Handbook Template customized for on-demand staffing
• Employee Agreement Template with clear terms for variable-schedule work
• Non-Disclosure Agreement Template to protect your client and operational information
• Settlement Agreement Template for managing terminations cleanly
• Pro Tips from HR experts with decades of experience in the industry

The templates are designed to be customized for your specific business. Download them, adapt them to your operation, and review them regularly to make sure they stay current with changing laws.

Download the HR Policy PowerPack

When to Go Beyond Templates

Templates are a great starting point, but as your operation scales, you'll need systems that keep HR organized alongside everything else you're managing.

When you're coordinating scheduling, time tracking, payroll, and HR documentation across dozens or hundreds of workers, spreadsheets and standalone templates start to break down. That's when it makes sense to look at platforms that bring everything together, so your HR records connect to your scheduling data, your time tracking feeds into payroll, and you're not managing five different systems that don't talk to each other.

Roosted is built for exactly this kind of operation. But whether you use us or not, the important thing is to get your foundational HR policies in place now, while things are manageable, so you're not scrambling to catch up later.

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