Reference Request & Provision template
A reference request and provision procedure is the written process for both sides of employment references — how your organisation collects references before a new starter's appointment is confirmed, and how it responds when another employer asks about a current or former member of staff.
References go wrong in predictable ways: offers confirmed before references arrive, managers improvising glowing or damning references by email, and requests answered without checking who is actually asking. One procedure, with one standard factual reference and named authorised signatories, removes all three risks.
This template gives you a complete, ready-to-edit procedure: the standard reference {{org.name}} gives, step-by-step processes for requesting and providing references, data protection rules, and what to do when something goes wrong.
Full text, ready to adapt.
Highlighted fields are placeholders — replace them with your organisation's specifics. A starting point, not legal advice.
Reference Request & Provision
SOP · HR & People
1. Purpose and scope
This procedure sets out how {{org.name}} requests references for candidates and provides references about current and former staff. It applies to all roles and to everyone who receives a reference request, in any format — letter, email, phone, or online form.
2. When to use this procedure
- Every job offer — offers are always conditional on references satisfactory to {{org.name}}.
- Every incoming request for an employment reference about a current or former member of staff.
- Requests for personal or character references connected to {{org.name}} in any way.
3. Roles and responsibilities
- [HR/office manager]: sends and chases all outgoing reference requests for candidates.
- [Named roles only, e.g. HR manager or a director]: authorised to provide references on behalf of {{org.name}}. Nobody else may respond, including line managers.
- All staff: forward any reference request you receive to [role/inbox] the same day, without answering it.
- [Senior role]: decides anything outside the standard — disputed references, regulated-sector requests, requests during live disputes.
4. Our standard reference
{{org.name}} provides a standard factual reference for everyone: dates of employment, job title or titles held, and [any other factual items you choose to include, e.g. confirmation the person resigned]. Salary is confirmed only with the individual's written consent. The same standard applies to every leaver — good, bad, or indifferent — which is what makes it defensible.
Anything beyond the standard reference — opinions on performance, suitability, or conduct — requires the written approval of [senior role] and must be verifiable from records. Personal references by individual staff must be written in a personal capacity, without {{org.name}} letterhead, email signature, or job title.
5. Requesting references for new starters
- 1Confirm the offer letter states the offer is conditional on references satisfactory to {{org.name}}.
- 2Get the candidate's consent and referee details — [number] referees covering the last [period], including their current or most recent employer.
- 3Verify each referee independently: use the employer's published contact details, not just a number supplied by the candidate.
- 4Send the written request with a short role summary and factual questions: dates, job title, reason for leaving, and [any role-specific questions].
- 5Chase after [number] working days; try phone where written requests stall, and record what was said.
- 6Log received references on the candidate file and assess them against the role. Refer any concern to [senior role] before confirming or withdrawing the offer under its stated conditions.
- 7Do not confirm an unconditional start until references are in or [senior role] has accepted the risk in writing.
6. Providing a reference
- 1Verify the requester is genuine: check the request comes from a real organisation and confirm via its published contact details if in doubt.
- 2Check the leaver's file for anything governing references — including any agreed reference wording from a settlement agreement, which must be used exactly.
- 3Complete the standard factual reference template, checking every fact against employment records.
- 4Exclude opinions that records cannot support, health information, and unproven allegations.
- 5Get sign-off from [authorised role] and send marked "Private and confidential — for the addressee only".
- 6File a copy of the request and the reference on the employee's record in [system].
7. Records and data protection
References received and given are personal data: store them in [system] with access restricted to [roles], and retain them for [period] in line with the data retention policy. Share only what the purpose requires, and never disclose a reference received in confidence from a third party without checking current ICO guidance first.
8. If something goes wrong
If a reference {{org.name}} gave turns out to be inaccurate, send a written correction to the recipient promptly and record both versions on file. If a former employee disputes a reference, [senior role] reviews it against the records and responds in writing. If a request relates to a regulated role, check the sector's referencing rules before responding — the standard factual reference may not satisfy them.
9. Review
This procedure and the standard reference template are reviewed [frequency, e.g. annually] by [name/role], and immediately after any reference dispute. Next review due: [date].
How to adapt this template.
Decide the exact contents of your standard factual reference and write it into section four — the value of the procedure is that it never varies.
Name the authorised reference-givers and tell every manager the rule: forward, never reply.
Add the conditional-references wording to your offer letter template so the two documents match.
Check whether any of your roles fall under sector referencing rules and note the exceptions in section eight.
Set the chase timescales to match your real hiring pace — references that arrive after the start date protect nobody.
File this procedure with your data retention policy and align the retention periods.
Turn this template into trained, proven behaviour
A policy in a drawer proves nothing. In TrainedTeam this template becomes assigned training with knowledge checks, e-signature acknowledgments, version history, and an audit-ready record of who completed what, when.
Reference Request & Provision template FAQs
Are UK employers legally required to give references?
Generally no — an employer can decline to give a reference at all. The main exceptions are regulated sectors with specific referencing obligations, so check your regulator's rules. What the law does require is that any reference you choose to give is true, accurate, and fair.
Can we give a negative reference?
Yes, if it is accurate, fair, and supported by records — the duty is honesty, not flattery. In practice most organisations give only factual references for everyone, because a consistent standard is far easier to defend than case-by-case opinions.
Can a former employee see the reference we wrote about them?
Confidential employment references have special status under data protection law, but the recipient organisation may still disclose it, and disputes can surface it anyway. Write every reference on the assumption its subject will read it — check current ICO guidance for the detail.
Should we check references before or after making an offer?
The standard approach is to make the offer conditional on satisfactory references, then collect them before the start date. This respects candidates who have not yet resigned, keeps hiring moving, and preserves your right to withdraw if a stated condition fails.
Who should give references on behalf of the organisation?
Only named authorised people — typically HR or a director — using the standard template. A line manager's informal email reference carries the organisation's legal responsibility without its checks, which is exactly the risk this procedure exists to remove.
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