{"id":175563,"date":"2022-08-31T06:49:37","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T05:49:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/?p=175563"},"modified":"2026-02-24T11:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T11:06:08","slug":"staff-references","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalvision.co.uk\/employment\/staff-references\/","title":{"rendered":"What an Employer Needs to Know About Providing Staff References in the UK"},"content":{"rendered":"

When you employ staff, you might receive a reference request from another business, asking for a professional reference for one of your current or former employees. If your references are not fair or are inaccurate, misleading or discriminatory, you could face an employment claim such as discrimination or unfair dismissal. This article will explain what you need to know about providing staff references for those in your business in the UK.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a Job Reference?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are two types of job references.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. An essential reference<\/strong> is a short reference and can be a factual reference. It provides a summary of the employee or former employee\u2019s employment with you.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. A detailed reference<\/strong> is a longer reference, also called a character reference.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    If you are asked to provide a job reference for your employee or former employee, there is no law stating that you have to do so.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    However, there are two exceptions:<\/span><\/p>\n