Learning Hub · Team

Staff Directory & Team Management

Manage your team — employment types, pay rates, DBS checks, first aid certs, categories and welcome emails

What is the Staff Directory?

The Staff Directory is your central hub for managing every person who works with your business. It goes far beyond a simple contact list — it tracks employment classification (Employee, Self-Employed, Contractor, Zero Hours, Owner, Volunteer, Apprentice), payment structures (Hourly, Salary, Per Walk, Percentage), safeguarding records (DBS checks with expiry alerts, first aid certifications), emergency contacts, custom categories, and external links (LinkedIn, certificates, portfolio). When you add a new staff member, the system can automatically send a branded welcome email with their login credentials, getting them onboarded instantly.

How the multi-step staff wizard works

Adding a new staff member uses a guided 3-step wizard that ensures every required field is captured before the profile goes live. Each step validates its inputs before allowing you to proceed.

Step 1 — Employment Classification

Choose the employment type (Employee, Self-Employed, Contractor, etc.) and select the payment model. This determines which payroll and legal fields appear next.

Step 2 — Personal & Contact Details

Name, phone, email, address, role, start date, working pattern, emergency contact person with relationship. You can also assign categories and link external profiles.

Step 3 — Safeguarding & Compliance

DBS certificate number with check date and expiry, first-aid qualification with expiry date, notes, and the toggle to send a welcome invitation email on creation.

Welcome Email

If enabled, a branded invitation email is sent automatically to the staff member's email address with a link to create their account or login. No manual setup required.

Watch a staff profile being built

Adding a new Kennel Supervisor — see each field populate as the wizard completes

Sarah Mitchell

Kennel Supervisor

Active ✓

📋

Employment

Employee — Full Time

💷

Pay

£12.50/hr

🔒

DBS

001234567 — Exp 14 Mar 2027

🩺

First Aid

✓ Certified — Exp 01 Sep 2026

🏷️

Categories

Boarding, Daycare

📧

Welcome email sent to sarah@example.com

✓ Profile complete — staff member is live

Employment types explained

Each employment type carries different legal obligations, tax rules, and payment mechanisms. The system adapts the available fields based on your selection:

Employee (Full/Part-Time)

Standard PAYE employment. You control their hours, provide tools, and handle tax deductions. Entitled to holiday pay, sick pay, and pension auto-enrolment.

Self-Employed

The worker invoices you for services. They set their own hours, use their own equipment, and handle their own tax returns. No employment rights apply — they are a business-to-business arrangement.

Contractor

Similar to self-employed but often on a fixed-term contract. Commonly used for cover staff, seasonal workers, or specialist services (e.g., a groomer who works every Saturday).

Zero Hours

No guaranteed minimum hours — you offer shifts as needed. The worker can accept or decline. Still entitled to minimum wage, holiday pay (accrued), and workplace pension if earnings qualify.

Owner / Director

The business owner or a company director. Often paid via dividends plus a small salary. Important for licence applications — DEFRA needs to know who the responsible person is.

Volunteer

Unpaid helpers — still need DBS checks, induction training, and insurance cover. Record them properly so inspectors can see they're accounted for.

Apprentice

On a formal apprenticeship programme with a training provider. Minimum apprentice wage applies. Great for the "higher standards" DEFRA criteria around staff development.

Payment types & rate tracking

The payment structure adapts based on the employment type selected:

Hourly Rate

Paid per hour worked. Track the rate to cross-reference with timesheets and ensure minimum wage compliance.

Per Walk / Session

Common for dog walkers and mobile groomers. Each completed service triggers a payment at the agreed rate.

Percentage of Revenue

Staff earn a percentage of the revenue they generate — popular for self-employed groomers or dog trainers working from your premises.

Unpaid / Volunteer

No monetary payment — but still tracked for insurance, safeguarding, and compliance purposes.

DBS checks & first aid tracking

Safeguarding records are critical for licensed animal care businesses. The system provides proactive expiry warnings:

DBS Certificate Number

Store the full certificate number, check date, and expiry date. The system flags DBS checks expiring within 30 days as an amber warning in the header.

First Aid Certification

Toggle whether the staff member holds a valid canine first aid qualification. Record the expiry date — DEFRA requires at least one first-aid-trained person on-site at all times.

Expiry Alerts

A banner appears at the top of the Staff Directory when any DBS or first-aid cert is within 30 days of expiry, so you never get caught out during an inspection.

Categories, links & DEFRA compliance bridge

Additional organisational features that make your staff directory inspection-ready:

Custom Categories

Create your own category tags (e.g., "Boarding Team", "Weekend Staff", "Daycare Only") and assign multiple categories to each staff member. Filter the directory instantly by category.

External Links

Attach LinkedIn profiles, training certificate URLs, portfolio links, or any external reference. Each link has a label and URL.

DEFRA Compliance Bridge

When viewing a staff member's profile, the system automatically cross-references their email with the DEFRA Compliance module. If they have training records (courses completed, quiz results, CPD hours), it displays their compliance status directly in their profile card — no switching between screens.

What happens when you add a staff member

Click each scenario to see the result and email preview

Branded Welcome Email

If "Send welcome email" is toggled on, the staff member receives an invitation email with your business branding, their role, and a link to set up their account password.

Welcome to Pawsome Boarding — Your Account is Ready

to: client@example.com

Hi Sarah, Welcome to the Pawsome Boarding team! You've been added as a Kennel Supervisor. Click below to set your password and access your staff portal: [Set Up My Account →] Your manager will assign your training modules and shifts shortly. See you soon! — The Pawsome Team

Password Reset (Admin)

Admins can reset any staff member's password directly from their profile card — no need for the staff member to go through a "forgot password" flow. Useful for onboarding or when someone gets locked out.

Category Filtering

Once categories are set up, the toolbar gains a category filter dropdown. Combined with the search bar and employment type filter, you can instantly find "all self-employed boarding staff" or "weekend volunteers."

Pro tips for staff management

Always set DBS expiry dates when adding new staff — the 30-day warning banner only works if the expiry date is recorded. Inspectors ask to see current DBS checks for everyone with animal access.

Use categories to match your rota structure. If you schedule by "Boarding Team" and "Daycare Team," create those exact categories so filtering mirrors real life.

Self-employed staff should have their own public liability insurance on file. Add a link to their insurance certificate in the "External Links" section — it's the first thing an inspector or HMRC would ask for.

The welcome email includes your business name and branding. Make sure your branding is set up in Brand Centre before adding your first staff member — first impressions matter.

Set all volunteers to "Unpaid / Volunteer" employment type even if they receive expenses. This ensures the system doesn't include them in payroll calculations but still requires their DBS and training records.

Review inactive staff quarterly. Deactivating a staff member doesn't delete their records (important for audit trail) but hides them from the default view. Toggle "Show Inactive" to see everyone.

The DEFRA compliance bridge works by email matching — make sure the email address in Staff Directory matches exactly what's used in the Compliance module. Case doesn't matter, but spelling does.

First-aid certification: DEFRA requires "at least one" first-aid-trained staff member on-site at all times. Going for higher standards? Train all staff — the system tracks this for your star rating calculation.

Learning Hub • Staff Directory & Team Management

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