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View full libraryOur Response to Reference Request Letter Template ensures prompt, accurate, and professional responses to reference requests, streamlining the process.
If you wish to respond to a reference request for an ex-employee from their new employer, issue this model template.
If you are managing employment reference responses, the toolkit brings together practical HR templates covering requests, verification, review, response and record keeping.
[Sender name]
[Sender address]
[date]
[Recipient name]
[Recipient address]
Dear [Recipient first name],
Reference for [name][, [NI number (if known)]
Thank you for your recent request for a reference for [Name of the ex-employee]. I am happy to provide you with information regarding their employment with our company.
[Name of the ex-employee] worked for our company from [Start Date] to [End Date]. During their time with us, they held the position of [Job Title]
[EITHER]
Their main responsibilities included [Brief Description of Job
You've seen 30% of how the Response to reference request letter template is structured. Get the complete editable template instantly and customise it for your organisation.
A response to a reference request letter is a formal document that provides truthful information about an ex-employee's work history, job responsibilities, and performance.
It helps the new employer make an informed hiring decision, and employers must ensure accuracy and adherence to a clear reference policy.
Related HR resources and workflow
Explore the HR resources that may be relevant before and / or after using the Response to reference request letter, helping you understand the wider process, maintain appropriate documentation and follow a consistent approach.
An Acknowledgement of Reference Received Letter is used to confirm that an employer has received a reference for a current or former employee.
Use these best practice actions, recommended timescales and process stages to understand when and how the Response to reference request letter should be used, helping ensure each step is handled consistently and appropriately documented.
Yes. This template has been designed for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities and growing employers. It follows UK employment law best practice and can be adapted to suit your organisation.
Our templates are developed with UK employment legislation, Acas guidance and HR best practice in mind and are reviewed and updated as relevant requirements change. However, every employment situation is different, so the template should be adapted to the circumstances and checked against the employee's contract and your organisation's procedures before use.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the document that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable format (such as .doc or .xls) so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Response to reference request letter template, along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
AI can produce a document quickly, but effective HR documentation needs to be more than well-written words. It needs to reflect relevant UK employment law, HR best practice, practical considerations and the circumstances in which it will be used. These resources have been professionally developed around that wider HR context, drawing on extensive practical experience, rather than simply generating a generic document from a prompt.
It gave us sensible wording for a message that needed to be handled carefully. The wording gave us a clear basis for the correspondence. It gave us a useful reference when checking the final correspondence.
It helped keep the communication consistent with the rest of our HR paperwork. It gave the manager a clear route through what could otherwise become a fiddly piece of correspondence. The document fitted neatly into the steps we were already following.
How this content is developed and reviewed
The Response to reference request letter template is developed using a practical HR methodology that considers current UK employment legislation, ACAS guidance, CIPD good practice and the real-world HR process it supports. Templates and supporting information are regularly reviewed and updated, with additional reviews triggered by significant changes to legislation, guidance or established HR practice, helping ensure each document remains practical, relevant and suitable for UK employers.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing reference response HR processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
HRDocBox has been creating practical UK HR documents since 2009.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
Whether you employ 5 people or 50, hrdocbox gives you the structure, documents and expertise needed to manage employees professionally and legally.
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