Shop operations manual

Shop Operations

Manual

This is an interactive guide - use the buttons to work through the different sections. Selecting the icon in the top right corner will show you which elements of the page are interactive.It aims to make information quicker to access, easier to understand and most importantly, to inspire you within your role at Crisis. Use the Quick Links page to navigate the manual and find the information you need.

Quick links

FAQs

Directory

Our mission

Info for managers

Health, safety & security

Shop operatations

Your role

Volunteering

Welcome to Crisis retail!

At Crisis, our shops are more than just retail spaces—they are unique hubs that reflect our bold, impactful, and collaborative spirit. Each shop is a powerful expression of our commitment to ending homelessness, working in our local communities to provide the best customer experience. We encourage you to bring your creativity and passion to make your shop a welcoming, vibrant space that celebrates diversity and inclusion. You have the autonomy to help shape a space that not only serves our mission but also fosters strong connections with the people around you, including our loyal customers and supporting people with lives experience. Welcome aboard! Georgina Evans, Head of Retail

Our history

Crisis was formed in 1967, as an urgent response to the growing homelessness Crisis. Since then, we have helped tens of thousands of people out of homelessness and campaigned for changed. Today, we have colleagues and volunteers working across England, Scotland and Wales, in our offices, Skylights, shops, warehouses, and remotely. Our teams work across five directorates:

• Brand, Marketing and Fundraising
• Client Services
• Commerce and Enterprise
• People and Resources
• Policy and Social Change

Each directorate is overseen by a member of our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and we’re governed by a Board of Trustees.

Our vision

Our vision is that in 10 years, homelessness will be going down, and the end of homelessness will be in sight. Together, we'll achieve this through:

1. Securing the policies that solve homelessness.2. Delivering services that end homelessness for people and places.3. Building a community of people across Britain helping to end homelessness.

You can learn more about our vision and our plan for how to get there on the Hub.

Our values

You can learn more about our vision and our culture and values on the Hub.

To end homelessness, we'll be:

Bold

We're relentless in our mission to end homelessness. We'll make a real difference - no matter what challenges we face. We're not afraid to try new things, take risks, or sometimes fail.

Impactful

Our work is based on evidence, has big impact, and meets high standards. Everything we do should help end homelessness - and we'll be accountable to everyone we work with.

Collaborative

We work best together. We'll share ideas, find solutions, and embrace new ways of doing things. Co-production is at the heart of what we do - and people with lived experience of homelessness shape our work.

Equitable

We're about fairness and equity. We'll always champion the voices and experiences of people who are marginalised. With evidence and insight, we'll also challenge barriers put up by the system,

Crisis services

You can learn more about how we work with members on the Hub.

We work side by side with thousands of people each year as they find ways out of homelessness.

We operate nine Skylights – in Birmingham, Brent, Croydon, Edinburgh, London, Merseyside, Newcastle, Oxford and South Wales. Here, we provide practical one-to-one support to prevent and end homelessness by taking a housing led approach, supporting access to benefits, healthcare services, and employment opportunities.

Our main aim is to relieve the huge pressure of homelessness, by helping people find safe and affordable homes as quickly as possible.

A good way of finding out more about our services is to volunteer a shift with our Engagement and Assessment team – you will help out on our main reception, where we welcome and signpost people who visit the Skylight needing support. To do this, please speak to your manager and then email cslfrontdesk@crisis.org.uk.

Campaigning

You can learn more about how we bring about change on the Hub.

Through campaigning and advocating for policy change at local authority and central government level,

we work to address the root causes that push people into homelessness, and to shift public attitudes towards homelessness.

Campaigning

You can learn more about how we bring about change on the Hub.

In recent years we have:

Successfully campaigned to regulate landlords exploiting some of the most vulnerable in society

Unfrozen housing benefit, allowing more people to find and retain safe accommodation

Played a crucial role in repealing the Vagrancy Act, ending the criminalisation of people forced to sleep rough

In shops we have a crucial role to play in raising awareness, particularly in the way we talk about homelessness to members of the public. It’s important we frame the debate around homelessness to reflect the huge social injustice it represents. Discover more about how we frame homelessness and helpful tips for when you're chatting to members of the public...LINK

Our directorate

The Retail team is part of Crisis’s Commerce & Enterprise directorate. Our main purpose is to raise money through commercial activities to support our work:

Retail:

we operate charity shops all over London, and soon beyond!

E-commerce:

sells quality items online via shopfromcrisis.org.uk, based at our warehouse in Canning Town!

Venture Studio:

supports and invests in other companies with great ideas for ending homelessness

Innovation:

explores and tests new ways of raising money through commercial activities

Changing Lives:

this programme works with people who have experienced homelessness to start their own businesses

Impact & Involvement:

works to make sure people with lived experience are involved in all our commercial activities

Your role

Shop from Crisis

Shop from Crisis first opened its doors in Hackney in 2016. As of autumn 2024, we have 16 shops throughout London and are continuing to grow - with plans to expand beyond London in the coming years. In 2023/24, we raised a total of £5.1 million.We aim to be a different kind of charity shop. We see our competition as high street fashion retailers, rather than other charities, and we operate in a unique way:

Our shops are beautiful contemporary spaces, and we invest in making them fresh and welcoming.

As a management team, you have a lot of freedom in deciding how to run your shop – you will have targets and brand guidelines, but otherwise the space is yours.

We run lots of events and collaborations to involve the local community – it will be up to you to devise and deliver a programme that interest our customers and brings a financial return for Crisis.

Your role

Roles in our shops

Shop Managers

Assistant Managers

Supervisors

All shops from Crisis are led by a Shop Manager and will have a combination of Assistant Manager and Supervisor roles.

Click on each job role for job descriptions and expectations

There is a lot of flexibility within your role to explore your interests and make the most of your existing skills – please feel free to have a chat with your manager if there’s something you’re curious to learn about. We also encourage everyone to pitch in with practical tasks, including cleaning, cashing up, visual merchandising, and processing donations.

Your role

People team and payroll

The People team (previously known as the HR team) supports the delivery of our strategy by making sure Crisis is a safe, fair and productive place to work. It also ensures everything relating to your employment runs smoothly, including onboarding, payroll and holiday.

If you have questions about your pay or entitlements, including annual leave or any issues with Crisis Net, email hrteam@crisis.org.uk.Our team’s People Advisor is Anita Bhogal – you can email her if you need any HR advice. If you’re unhappy about anything within your role, you should always speak with your line manager in the first instance.

Your role

Wellbeing

At Crisis, we’re committed to building a culture with wellbeing at the heart of all we do, helping everyone to perform at their very best and have the greatest impact on ending homelessness.To help everyone take responsibility for your own wellbeing at Crisis we have a range of resources:

Headspace

EAP

Many of Crisis staff are trained as Mental Health First Aiders – colleagues who are there to listen, support and signpost. They are not therapists but can help you if you are struggling and need to talk to someone. There is a mental health first aider in most shops – if you need help to find someone you can email mhfa@crisis.org.uk.

Our Employee Assistance Program provides you with a 24 hour helpline with every call answered by a qualified counsellor. There is no limit to the number of times you can call, and where relevant you can access short term solution-focused counselling.

Contact Andy Webb, Wellbeing Lead, if you have any questions or want find out more

Wellbeing site

Your role

Rotas

Your shop manager is responsible for producing and managing your shop’s rota. We aim to produce rotas two months ahead – this gives you a clear idea of your schedule so you can plan your life around work, and allows us to plan ahead to ensure the shop is covered.For this reason, we ask you to request your holidays two months in advance. We will try to accommodate shorter notice requests where we can, but this may not always be possible. Holiday requests are first come first served, so please plan in advance.We will do our very best not to change your schedule once rotas have been confirmed. If we do need to make changes to rotas, we will talk to you first and work with you to minimise any inconvenience. All staff are expected to work regular weekends, but your manager will do their best to ensure that weekend work is spread fairly across the team.

All shop rotas

Your role

Booking holiday

Login to Crisis Net

All absences, including sick leave and holidays, are booked on Crisis Net, our HR system. New starters are entitled to 28 days of annual leave per year (Crisis’ leave year runs from 1 July to 30 June). This rises by one day per year of service to a maximum of 31 days. Leave is calculated in hours, not days, so you’ll start the year with 224 hours (pro rata if you’re part time). Please make sure you enter 8 hours for each day you take off. When you book time off, a message will be sent to your manager who will approve or reject your request. We recommend you talk with them about holiday dates before recording your time off on Crisis Net. From 1 September 2024, all Crisis staff are able to book Wellbeing Leave. This is the equivalent of two days (pro rata) which equates to 16-hours for full-time retail staff.

Crisis Net User Guide

Annual Leave Policy

Wellbeing Leave FAQs

Your role

Bank holidays

Retail staff do not get Bank Holidays as days off. Instead, 8 days are added to your annual leave allowance, so you will have a total of 36 days of annual leave (or more if you have at least one year of service). You may be required to work on some Bank Holidays, although we are closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday. If you work a Bank Holiday, you’re entitled to half a day of Time Off In Lieu (TOIL), which you can claim back at a time convenient for you and your shop. Please enter this on Crisis Net too.

Your role

Our policies

All Crisis Policies and Procedures can be found on the Hub, Crisis’ intranet. (https://crisisuk.sharepoint.com/sites/theHub). Some of the more frequently accessed policies and procedures include:

If you can’t find the policy or procedure that you need or if you require further information or guidance please contact Anita Bhogal, your People Advisor.

Resolution policy

Other leave entitlements

Maternity leave

Disability policy

Continuous Conversations

Annual leave and upaid leave

Your role

Diversity, equity, equality and inclusion

Our vision is for Crisis to be a truly inclusive organisation, where diversity, equity, equality, and inclusion (DEEI) is central to everything we do. We want everyone to feel valued, respected, and supported to achieve their full potential when working at Crisis. Creating a diverse and inclusive culture is not only important to ensure all staff members have a positive experience, but it also positively impacts the work we do with our members and the achievement of our overall mission to end homelessness. We know that homelessness discriminates, with people from marginalised groups and communities being disproportionately affected. It can also be more challenging to access appropriate support and/or find routes out of homelessness due to the systemic racism and discrimination present in society, more generally. When we refer to diversity, we mean the variety of differences among people, such as race, gender, disabilities, age, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background. We also value and respect differences in life experiences, such as lived experiences of homelessness. At Crisis, we treat lived experience of homelessness as though it were a protected characteristic within the Equality Act 2010. Inclusion is about how much people feel included and part of something. This includes feeling comfortable and confident to be yourself.

Staff Networks

The EEDI Strategy

EEDI policies & procedures

Your role

The Hub and Sharepoint

Our intranet is called The Hub and contains updates from Crisis alongside lots of information about the organisation. If you open a web browser on a Crisis laptop, the Hub should open automatically. You can also find it on a personal device by logging into your Crisis Outlook account. We store documents on SharePoint, which you can also access via The Hub. Your shop will have its own folder for storing relevant information. You also have access to Microsoft Office applications including Word and Excel, and you can store documents on your personal OneDrive account. Please ask your line manager if you’re unsure how to find any of the above.

Your role

Learning and Development

The Learning and Organisational Development team are here to support you with your L&D and are committed to providing opportunities for continuous learning. By enhancing your skills and knowledge, we can collectively work towards our mission to end homelessness while supporting your personal and professional growth.

Crisis Learn

Continuous Conversations

Contact L&OD

Leader Library

Crisis Trainer's Network

Professional development

Learning materials

Shop operations

Stock selection

We carefully curate our stock to make sure we always have the best range available on the rails. Our customers have high expectations and our stock must be: Every shop is different and reflects the area it serves, and our pricing and selection varies because of this. However, you may find these guides to brands and pricing produced by our Putney team useful as a starting point.

Clean and in good condition From brands our customers want Stylish and varied Fairly priced

Shop operations

Visual merchandising

Visual merchandising is vital to bring customers into our shops and display our stock at its best. We take our cues from the high street and reflect current trends and timeless looks – try to visit some fashion retailers to see what’s on trend, and use Instagram and other social media for inspiration. There’s more about visual merchandising here. Each Crisis shop also has its own Instagram account - you may want to follow them for ideas!

VM guide

Shop operations

Seasonal calendar

Our stock is selected to reflect the season – in the winter we sell warmer clothes, and vice versa. We aim to be a few weeks ahead of the weather, as customers start thinking about buying before the season starts.

Seasonal guide

We keep four categories of stock at the warehouse – summer, winter, high summer (very summery pieces to sell from May/June) and high winter (thick coats etc to sell from November/December). Please contact the warehouse team for more info.

Winter: we usually transition from the beginning of August, with all stock geared to winter by the middle of September

Summer: start to transition from the middle of February, with a full summer range by the beginning of April

Shop operations

Gift Aid

Donation

+

=

25%extra

Gift Aid

Gift Aid is vital for Crisis! If a customer chooses to Gift Aid their donation, Crisis can claim an extra 25% from HMRC (the government). In 2023/24, our shops raised over £320,000 in Gift Aid. There’s a full introduction to Gift Aid here. It’s really important that we explain to every donor how Gift Aid works and sign them up if they are willing. We should also train and empower our volunteers to do this. We aim for a Gift Aid conversion rate of 30% in every shop, although some shops achieve much higher. There is a Gift Aid course on Crisis Learn that all staff must refresh themselves on every year – you can revisit it whenever you need to. We must also ensure all volunteers who are involved with Gift Aid – e.g. working on the till or stickering items – complete Gift Aid training via My Crisis Volunteering.

Gift Aid e-learning

My Crisis Volunteering

Shop operations

The warehouse

Our warehouse team store and distribute all our out of season and cull stock. They’ll visit you once or twice a week to bring stock to your shop and collect stock you no longer need. For any questions about stock or the warehouse, contact our warehouse manager, Kevin Loader.

The warehouse manager will send you your shop's delivery schedule each month

The shop team messages the warehouse the day before your delivery to request stock.

Returning stock will be collected by the warhouse team and stored until it's ready to be sold, or sent to other shops for cull.

Sacks to be no more than 10kg and labelled correctly

Contact the warehouse on07971 181576

Fresh stock =SUMMER or WINTERCull = SUMMER CULL or WINTER CULL

Warehouse guide

Shop operations

Rags

We work with The Recycling Company to collect our unsaleable clothing, accessories and homeware donations (known as ‘rags’). They visit each shop on a set day once or twice a week.

We also work with World of Books to collect our unsaleable books – these are collected once a week in black and red boxes. Contact them on 01903 507544.

info@therecyclingco.co.uk

0333 240 7467

Shop operations

Tills and cashing up

Our tills are operated by a company called Wil-U, which also supplies our internet connection. You have access to the back office system for Wil-U, which will allow you to see and download data on your shop’s sales. You can log in here. Please ask your manager if you don’t have a login.

Your manager will show you how to operate the till and cash up. There are also guides here, which need a Wil-U login.

For security reasons, it is important that we take cash to the bank at least twice a week. You will also be asked to bank on the last day of the month so the finance team can finish our accounts.If you have issues with the till or Gift Aid printer, contact Wil-U on 01332 921 399 or email support@wil-u.com.

If you have questions about our till system, contact our Retail Analyst, Faridah Azizi. Faridah can also support you if you need sales data.

Call if the till has stopped working or you need urgent assistance.For any questions about cashing up, mistakes made on the till, or to order bank books, contact our Finance Executive, Maggie Slaughter.

Shop operations

Commission sales

We sometimes work with local artists, fashion designers and other creatives to sell their work in our shops. You are encouraged to organise collaborations in your own shop. We ask artists to sign a Commission Agreement where Crisis gets 25% of sales (plus VAT), with the rest going to the artist. Please save this in your shop folder on SharePoint. We have a special Commission button on the till to process commission sales, but where we have several items of the same price we can create unique barcodes. Please contact Maggie Slaughter in our Finance team to discuss before you start a new collaboration. For any questions about collaborations/commission, please speak to your Area Manager.

Shop operations

The Charity Shop Gift Card

We sell the Charity Shop Gift Card, which can be spent at a wide range of charity shops. There is a guide on how to sell and process gift cards here.Supplies of gift cards and marketing materials can be ordered from Acopia. If you have any questions about the Charity Shop Gift Card, please speak to your Area Manager.

Shop operations

Ordering Consumables and Supplies

Our consumables – including tags, paper bags, cleaning products and everything you need to run the shop – are ordered through the Acopia online portal. Your manager will share your shop’s login details. Please try to make one order per month, rather than multiple small orders – this saves on delivery charges.

If you have a cafe or sell vintage stock or greetings cards, you may also need to contact other suppliers. These can be found on the essential contact list.

Shop operations

Events and marketing

We love hosting events, and you are encouraged to be creative and get your community involved in your shop’s events programme. We have hosted fashion shows, late nights, DJ sets, vinyl fairs, upcycling workshops, art classes, yoga, dance and much more! The simplest way to find event partners is to advertise. Our communities are full of people doing interesting things, so put up posters in the shop and advertise on Instagram. You could also approach people and groups online whom you think could be good to collaborate with. Bear in mind that all events should bring a benefit to Crisis in terms of income, donations or community links, and we should only work with people/groups that share our values.

You can also contact our social media officer, Amelia Maggiora Davies, for help with event promotion or anything relating to your social media accounts.

You may need to create posters or other marketing materials for events – if you do this, please run them past our marketing specialist, Suzanne Hill, or your area manager before getting them printed. Suzanne can also support you with marketing materials such as volunteering/donation posters and leaflets.

Health, Safety & Security

Health & Safety checks

Shop Managers are responsible for maintaining health and safety standards in their shop. This should be done through weekly and monthly checks. We keep records of these checks in our Shop Health and Safety files.

Weekly checks

Monthly checks

If you have questions about health and safety, please contact our Facilities team on fachelpdesk@crisis.org.uk

Fire poses a significant risk to people’s safety. Shop Managers are responsible for daily checks to ensure fire exits are clear and easily accessible. It’s also important to keep the shop floor safe for customers, staff and volunteers. Floors must be kept dry, with wet floor signs used on wet days, and all areas must be kept clear of trip hazards. Make sure items cannot fall from high shelves on topple onto people if disturbed.

• Fire alarms
• Escape routes

• Emergency lighting
• Fire extinguishers
• Hot water heaters

Health, Safety & Security

Manual handling

Heavy items at waist height

Medium items at foot level

Lighter items above shoulder level

All sacks, crates and boxes should be kept at a manageable weight. Sacks sent to the warehouse, for example, shouldn’t be any heavier than 10kg. Each shop has weighing scales to help make sure sacks aren’t overloaded. If heavy items are donated, get a second person to help you.

Make sure you sort stock at a table and not on the floor – bending down for long periods can damage your back. If you are performing repetitive movements, such as using the steamer, make sure your muscles are not under stress and you don’t need to stretch or twist uncomfortably. You will receive guidance on manual handling at your induction and you can complete this course on Crisis Learn.

The stock room should be organised with....

There is also a safe manual handling poster in the back room of every shop.

Health, Safety & Security

Lone working

To keep everyone safe, we do not work alone in any of our shops. On some occasions you will be the only paid member of staff on shift, but you will always work with at least one volunteer.If you are the only person in your shop (e.g. if a volunteer or colleague calls in sick), do not open the shop. Instead:

• Please contact your volunteers in the first instance – often people will be willing to help, even at short notice.

• If you cannot get support from volunteers, call nearby shops and ask for support.

• If you receive a call from a colleague in another shop asking for help, we expect you to help unless this would mean you were left alone.If in doubt, please contact your Area Manager.

Health, Safety & Security

Safeguarding

More info on support needs

What is Safeguarding? Safeguarding only applies to when the individual is at risk of experiencing harm or abuse and is an:

• Adult at risk (adults who need support* to look after their wellbeing and/or who have other support needs* and may be unable to protect themselves from harm because of that need for support*); and

• Children (under 18s in England)

The Safeguarding Adults Policy and Procedure (or the Safeguarding Children Policy and Procedure for under-18s) should be followed where there are concerns that anyone (members, staff, volunteers, the public) is at risk of experiencing harm or abuse. It is important to note that someone disclosing only that they are experiencing homelessness is not a safeguarding issue, but an incident. If someone discloses that they have a support need* and are experiencing or you suspect that they are experiencing abuse or neglect then this is a safeguarding issue. If someone is in immediate danger – call the emergency services.

Support needs include, but are not limited to:

• A disability
• A mental health condition
• Dementia
• A personality disorder
• An addiction to alcohol or a substance
• Being elderly and frail due to ill health, disability, or mental health

Health, Safety & Security

Safeguarding

All Shop Staff should have completed Level 1 Safeguarding training, providing you with knowledge on Safeguarding legislation and your responsibilities in relation to safeguarding so you can respond effectively to a concern.

How can you know how to identify and respond to safeguarding concerns?

All Shop Managers and Area Managers should have completed Level 1 and Level 2 Safeguarding training, understanding how to recognise abuse, how we work with consent, and the role of local authorities in safeguarding alerts.

Who should I get in touch with to report a safeguarding concern?

Commerce & Enterprise Safeguarding Officer: Serrena Tanna

Designated Safeguarding Lead: Michelle Kielty

Health, Safety & Security

Signposting

This resource will help you by....

We know that when people see Shops from Crisis they associate this with our frontline services. As more people face homelessness, increasingly individuals may come into the shop looking for support from Crisis. Alternatively, you may have a disclosure from a volunteer or colleague that they are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. To equip yourself for these conversations, you should have knowledge of what is possible, and what is in your area. This template form should be completed and printed by all Shop Managers.

Equipping Retail teams for this is an ongoing piece of work. Shop Staff and Shop Volunteers have access to the Understanding Homelessness training, and the Best Practice team will be creating a tailored Retail training package in 2025.

Health, Safety & Security

Theft & agrressive behaviour

Unfortunately we do sometimes experience theft and/or aggressive behaviour from customers. The safety of our staff and volunteers is our number one priority, and you should never put yourself in a situation where you are in danger. Do not try to remove items from potential shoplifters or pursue them out of the shop. If you notice someone behaving suspiciously in the shop, make sure you alert others. All shops have a bell behind the counter, and you should use it to call colleagues from the back room. If a crime is happening, or you or others are in danger, you should call 999. Please make sure you create an incident report after larger thefts and all incidents of aggressive/abusive behaviour. There is information on how to create an incident report here [LINK]. Incidents should also be reported to the police and a crime reference number recorded. We run annual training on de-escalating aggressive behaviour for new starters – if you haven’t done this, please speak to your line manager. There is also guidance on de-escalating difficult situations on Crisis Learn [LINK].

Health, Safety & Security

What is an incident?

It is very important we record all accidents and incidents that happen in the shops. Incident reporting allows us to make changes to keep everyone safe (for example by reviewing our security arrangements), and helps us make sure we don’t make the same mistakes twice. You should make an incident report on the Crisis Incident Management tool if any of the following occur:

• Any accident that requires medical attention, either on the spot or later (with the exception of very minor injuries such as papercuts)

• Any incident of aggressive or abusive behaviour that makes someone feel uncomfortable or unsafe

• Larger thefts and any other incident where the police were informed

• A near miss – where an accident almost happens, but is prevented

Health, Safety & Security

How to record incidents

Incidents are reported via the Crisis Incident Management System on the Hub. It’s very simple to use. All incident reports are reviewed by the retail senior team and you will be informed of any follow-up.

We recognise incidents can be distressing. Please speak to your manager or Area Manager if you need any support. You may also wish to refer to the Wellbeing section of this handbook which outlines more support we have available.

If you have any questions about incidents or the reporting system, please contact Ed Hardwick, Health & Safety Manager.

!

Our volunteers

Volunteering

Volunteers are essential to Crisis and to our shops. Without the dedication of volunteers our shop floors would be messy, our tills empty, and the vibes low! Volunteers are not staff members, so the expectations, rules and regulations around their time with us differ:

• Volunteers do not have a contract, but expectations around conduct and commitments should be set at the start of volunteering and revisited regularly. Use the “How we work together” document found in the volunteer sign off to support this. • Regular check-ins are essential to ensure that the volunteer is happy and fulfilled in their role • Create open lines of communication to discuss any concerns, working to ensure that they don’t experience discrimination or harm of any kind during their time with us.

Your role as a volunteer manager

Volunteering

It is your role to recruit, train and manage the volunteers you need for your shop. This may involve actively seeking volunteers from your local community, providing in shop training, creating development opportunities for your team and supporting volunteers on to the next step of their journey when they leave your shop. There are a number of e-learning modules to support you with this – just search “volunteering” on Crisis Learn. Molli Edwards is your Volunteering Partner and visits shops regularly to help out with all things volunteering. Feel free to contact her with any questions you may have.

Crisis Learn

My Crisis Volunteering

Volunteering

My Crisis Volunteering (MCV) is our portal for managing volunteer applications and data. It keeps our organisation compliant with data protection law, offers a consistent experience for our volunteers, has integrated e-learnings and offers us insight into who is applying to our roles and joining our teams. You will be granted access to MCV when you have completed the training or attended one of the volunteering team’s virtual drop ins. Speak to your manager about how to do this. You will also be given access to our test site. This is where you can practice using the system without fear of editing a legitimate volunteer or applicant’s data. We advise working through the user guide in the test site, ensuring you can complete the steps before managing your volunteer team on MCV.We hold weekly drop ins virtually on Teams to answer any questions – these should already be in your diaries. Alternatively you can email Molli Edwards (Volunteering Partner) and she will get back to you as soon as possible.

My Crisis Volunteering

Recruitment

Volunteering

Volunteer recruitment can be challenging, but it can also be very rewarding. It is important to think both about building your team for now, but also making sure you have the right people for your shop in the long term too.

In-shop recruitment

Initial Conversations

Responding to applications

Outreach

Expenses

Volunteering

Volunteers are entitled to have any reasonable public travel expenses reimbursed by us. We also reimburse lunch expenses up to £6.00 for a volunteer shift of 6 hours or more. Expenses are processed through the till and are refunded in cash. You will need to collect and retain a copy of all relevant receipts from the volunteer.

Some volunteers may find it difficult to provide travel receipts at first, either due to lack of confidence with IT or personal circumstances. If this happens, you are allowed to refund expenses at your discretion – please work with the volunteer to make sure they can bring a receipt for future shifts. If in doubt, please contact our Impact and Involvement Manager, Serrena Tanna.

Volunteer data protection

Volunteering

It is important that you are familiar with our Data Protection processes in relation to volunteering. Make sure you have completed the GDPR mandatory e-learning.Most data and information that you will need will be stored on My Crisis Volunteering (MCV). Do not keep separate records of volunteer data (e.g. a list of phone numbers on a piece of paper), as this leaves us vulnerable to data breaches. All members of the paid team should know how to look up a volunteer’s phone number and email address on MCV. Volunteers will (if they have consented) receive a range of communications via email from Crisis. When we do so, we will let shops know so you can let your teams know.

Keeping volunteers engaged

Volunteering

It’s both easier and more rewarding if your volunteers stay with us for a while, so it is important to keep them engaged and motivated in their role. Here are some ideas for this:

Volunteer Check-ins

Reward and Recognition

Boundaries

Working with member volunteers

Volunteering

Working with member volunteers can bring the heart of Crisis’ work into our Shops. As with many volunteers, for various reasons, volunteering can have challenges. However, with our links to the Skylight we’re in a strong position to ensure that any challenges are overcome smoothly. The key to this is communication with the Lead Worker of the member volunteer. Although it is important to remember that not all volunteers may want to share that they are a member.

If you find out a volunteer is a member whilst they are volunteering, you should be led by them on whether they want to have their Lead Worker involved (unless there is an emerging need for you to communicate with the LW). If that is agreed then follow the steps above. If you have any questions or challenges with member volunteering you can get in touch with your Volunteering Partner.

What should I do if I'm aware a volunteer is a member at the point of application?

Your role as a manager

Managers

Your role as a Shop Manager manager is to effectively manage day to day shop operations – in simple terms, you are responsible for everything that happens in your shop. This includes sales, stock, volunteers, and perhaps most importantly, people management.You are responsible for the recruitment of your shop team, managing their performance, providing meaningful feedback and coaching, and investing in their professional development. You are also responsible for setting the vision and direction of your shop, helping your team to understand how to deliver the best possible results. We expect you as a line manager to lead with compassion, kindness and empathy, understanding and prioritising health, safety and wellbeing. You will create a supportive environment where your team can flourish and to take a person-centred approach to performance and development conversations, using the Continuous Conversations framework.

Performance, objectives and progress

Managers

Continuous Conversations We expect you as a line manager to take a person-centred approach to performance and development conversations, using the Continuous Conversations framework. As a minimum, you should have a monthly structured conversation with each of your direct reports, with notes taken and goals set. Every quarter, you should have a Quarterly Review in place of your monthly conversation, which must then be uploaded to Crisis Learn.

Feedback toolkit

Continuous Conversations guidance

SMART objectives

You may want to use this template for your monthly Continuous Conversations meetings. Feel free to adapt it to suit you both.For your Quarterly Reviews, you should use this template.

Managing absences

Managers

As a line manager, you should monitor sickness absence within your team – both for performance management and to support your team’s wellbeing. If someone has been off sick, you should have a short meeting with them on their return to check they are fully recovered and to find out if any support is needed. If you are concerned about a team member’s sickness absence or wellbeing, seek advice from the People Team.

• If an employee is absent for less than seven consecutive days, they should self-certify by recording the details on Crisis Net on the day of their return. It is your responsibility to ensure absences are recorded.• If an employee is absent due to sickness for more than seven consecutive days, they should obtain a ‘statement of fitness for work’ from their doctor or hospital covering the duration of the absence, which should be submitted to their line manager. • The line manager is responsible for recording the ‘statement of fitness for work’ on Crisis Net for payroll processing purposes and then forward to the People Team. It is important to keep in contact with staff who are off sick. Consider agreeing suitable times for getting in contact, establishing preferred methods of communication, providing an opportunity for the employee to explain their situation and asking whether any support or adjustments could be put in place to support the employee back to work.

Crisis Net

Rotas and annual leave

Managers

As Shop Manager, you are responsible for ensuring your rota is covered and your shop always remains operational. This means you must plan your team’s holidays so they do not overlap or leave gaps. In some cases, this may involve asking other shops for support. We currently split shops into groups of three, known as ‘bubbles’. If you need staffing support, please speak first to the shop managers in your bubble and try to arrange cover.Bear in mind this should be a last resort, and you should try to cover your rota using volunteer support where possible.Your direct reports will submit annual leave requests to you via Crisis Net. You can approve or reject these via the verification tab. If you need to reject a request, please make sure you explain why and discuss alternatives with the member of staff.

All shop rotas

Recruitment processes and principles

Managers

Shop Managers are responsible for recruiting new team members with help from the Jobs team. If you have a vacancy in your team, speak with your area manager and then contact the Jobs team, who will post and promote an advert online. Check out the recruitment checklist for more information.To promote roles in your shop, use the recruitment poster template.Once your member of staff has started, use this induction pack to guide them through their first few weeks.

Jobs team

L&OD inbox

Induction pack

Recruitment poster

Recruitment checklist

If you have any questions about recruitment, please contact Harriet Jordison, Talent Acquisition Specialist. For questions about inductions, contact your area manager or the Learning and Organisational Development team.

Common problems

My colleague/ volunteers have called in sick and I can’t open the shop

Remember if you’re stuck, your colleagues in other shops will be happy to help – don’t be afraid to ask!

There’s water leaking from the ceiling or plumbing

There’s an urgent maintenance issue

The intruder alarm won’t set

The WiFi, till, Gift Aid tablet or label printer isn’t working properly

The rags haven’t been collected

The printer or laptop isn’t working

There has been an incident with a customer or volunteer

First contact your volunteers and see if anyone can come in. If not, contact your nearby shops and ask for support. You can also use the staff WhatsApp group (which you’ll find on your shop’s mobile phone)

Call your Area Manager – leaks are usually the landlord’s responsibility, but need to be dealt with urgently

Contact SLN Facilities Services on 020 8300 3924 or 07973 176207, and inform your Area Manager

Contact your alarm company – this varies from shop to shop, so check with your manager

Call Wil-U on 01332 921 399

Call The Recycling Company on 0333 240 7467

Contact the IT service desk on it.servicedesk@crisis.org.uk or 0203 855 4563

Complete an incident reporting form. Contact your Area Manager or a nearby shop if the incident is serious or you need immediate support. If anyone is in danger, call 999

The Leader Library has a host of resources for managers, as well as aspiring managers, including skills and policy toolkits to support you in your role. Leader Library

To help foster a culture of inclusion and belonging, there are 5 Staff Networks at Crisis which are voluntarily led by colleagues: • Race Equity Network (REN)

• Disability Awareness Network (DAWN)

• LGBTQ+ Network

• Lived Experience of Homelessness (LEH) Network

• The Women’s Network

We use a model called Continuous Conversations for performance conversations. Using this model, managers and their reports have objective-focused conversations at monthly check ins, and regular reflections on progress. Use your quarterly reviews and check ins to discuss your learning needs and aspirations with your line manager. Continuous Conversations guidance

1. Shop from Crisis

2. Roles in our shops

3. The People team

4. Wellbeing

5. Rotas

6. Booking holidays

7. Bank holidays

8. Our policies

9. Diversity, equity, equality & inclusion

10. The Hub & Sharepoint

11. Learning & Development

The team can support you in creating learning materials which you can request here.

It is important to catch up with your volunteers on a regular basis to check on their wellbeing and motivation – this is more than just asking how they are and making a cup of tea, although that’s important too! Regularly ask your volunteers: - Is there anything you would like to be doing in the shop that you haven’t had a chance to try yet? - What would you like to do more/ less of when you come to volunteer? - Do you have an idea for the shop that you would like to try? Remember that volunteers can access additional e-learning on a range of topics through MCV.

1. Health & safety checks

2. Manual handling

3. Lone working

4. Safeguarding

5. Signposting

6. Theft & aggressive behaviour

7. What is an incident?

8. How to record incidents

Our learning management system (LMS), Crisis Learn, provides the opportunity to browse and book onto training courses, create a personal CPD log and, for line managers, gives valuable insight into the development of their team. This is also where you’ll complete your mandatory training as part of your induction, as well as ongoing refreshers.

The Crisis Trainers Network is a formal group of staff who deliver training as a local subject matter expert. Complete this form, with agreement from your line manager, if you deliver training within Crisis.

Shop Supervisor's support all elements of day-to-day operations in the shop, including working on the shopfloor, supporting volunteers, and processing stock ready for sale.

Shop Supervisor

Job description

Ideally your team should check MCV daily to ensure that no volunteering applications go unanswered - remember applicants may have been applying to multiple charities, so we need to be quick.

1. Detailing how you can make a referral to a Skylight and the process someone can expect e.g. timelines - Including other national organisations who may be able to support and what they specialise in2. Having space for you to use a linked search tool to add in local organisations around your areaIf you do have a disclosure, the recommended approach is to:

• Create a space for the individual to share
• Be led by them on what support they need - Refer them to the Skylight or other services (using the form)
• Don’t go into work that is beyond your role as a Shop from Crisis staff member

1. Your role as a manager

2. Performance, objectives & progress

3. Managing absences

4. Rotas & annual leave

5. Recruitment & induction

All shops should have promotional volunteering materials displayed or available for customers to see, but that is only one element of the in-shop recruitment process. Here are some other things to consider: • Shop layout – is your shop a pleasant and inviting place to be? Do people enjoy spending long periods of time in your shop? • Shop floor conversations – are the existing volunteers on the shop floor having a nice time? Are they having friendly and professional conversations with colleagues and customers? • Stock – Are displays changing regularly and showing off the breadth of stock and the creativity of the shop?

Saying thank you is a crucial part of maintaining a happy and motivated team. Volunteers should be thanked at the end of every shift and reminded whenever possible of the positive impact of what they are doing. Volunteer birthdays, Christmas and Volunteers’ Week (1-7 June) are also great opportunities to remind volunteers how valued they are.

1. Stock selection

2. Visual merchandising

3. Seasonal calendar

4. Gift Aid

5. The warehouse

6. Rags

7. Tills & banking

8. Commision sales

9. The Charity Shop Gift Card

10. Ordering supplies

11. Events & marketing

Caring about your volunteer team is a crucial part of your role and it can be difficult to understand where your boundaries and duties of care lie. It is important to set clear boundaries between staff volunteers. Where possible: - Only contact your volunteers to arrange volunteering shifts/ discuss things to do with the shop - Contact them using the shop email address or shop phone – do not give them your personal number - Socialise only in the shop during shifts, or at Crisis social events - If a volunteer is looking for additional support, direct to organisational resources as much as possible – do not offer your own resources (time, accommodation, money etc) Whilst these are not hard and fast rules, and we understand that there may be some exceptions, please do use your judgement.

You can request external professional development opportunities via the request process, which is reviewed by the team on a weekly basis. Read more about this process here.

1. Welcome to Crisis retail

2. Our history

3. Our vision

4. Our values

5. Crisis services

6. Campaigning

7. Our directorate

The Crisis Trainers Network is a formal group of staff who deliver training as a local subject matter expert. Complete this form, with agreement from your line manager, if you deliver training within Crisis.

1. Our volunteers

2. Your role as a volunteer manager

3. My Crisis Volunteering

4. Recruitment

5. Volunteer expenses

6. Data protection

7. Keeping your volunteers engaged

8. Member volunteers

Assistant Shop Manager's support the Shop Manager and often will run the shift and manage volunteers. The Assistant Shop Manager is responsible for managing volunteer admin and support.

Assistant Shop Manager

Job description

Your first conversation with a potential volunteer is the most important factor in whether they go on to apply. It is an opportunity to not only persuade them to join your team, but to learn about them so you can tailor their volunteering experience. When talking to a potential volunteer: • Give a taste of the volunteer experience in your shop – what could they be doing? Introduce them to other volunteers in the shop • Ask about them – not just what their availability might be, but why they are interested in volunteering with you and their background • Invite them to a trial shift

Shop Manager's are responsible for overall management of the shop and for meeting income targets. The shop manager sets a direction for the team and is accountable for everything that happens in the space.

Shop Manager

Job description

Whilst your shop floor is the best place for recruiting volunteers, it is also important to get the message out into your wider community to let people know you are looking for volunteers.Try:

• Leaflets/ posters in local community hubs

• Engaging with local social media pages

• Reaching out to volunteer centres

• Using online recruitment sites such as Charity Job, Indeed and Do-it

1. Reach out to the Lead Worker 2. Invite them to the shop to get a feel for the vibe/customers/busy-ness (could be with or without the member) 3. Complete a three-way meeting before the member begins volunteering, covering (could be before a trial shift): a. whether there are any support needs, b. any anticipated challenges, c. Safety and Inclusion Plans in place d. what the member volunteer wants to get out of this experience e. Ensure that the volunteer knows the process for expenses f. Agree a check-in point with the Lead Worker (can check-in via email)