Leaving

Factual employment reference letter

A short, accurate reference confirming dates, role and reason for leaving, with a standard disclaimer.

A former employee or their prospective employer has asked for a reference. You do not have to give one, but if you do, it must be true, accurate and fair. Most employers now give a factual reference: dates, title, duties, reason for leaving. Say only what you can evidence.

Before it goes

  • Your policy says who gives references and what they contain, and this follows it.
  • The facts match the personnel file: start date, end date, job title, reason for leaving as recorded.
  • You have the former employee's consent, or the request comes from them or with their authority.

The letter

[COMPANY NAME] [COMPANY ADDRESS] [DATE] [RECIPIENT NAME] [RECIPIENT COMPANY] [RECIPIENT ADDRESS] Dear [RECIPIENT NAME], Reference: [FORMER EMPLOYEE NAME] Thank you for your letter of [REQUEST DATE]. I can confirm the following details of [FORMER EMPLOYEE NAME]'s employment with [COMPANY NAME]. Dates of employment: [START DATE] to [END DATE]. Job title: [JOB TITLE][, and previously [EARLIER TITLE] from [DATE] to [DATE]]. Main duties: [TWO OR THREE LINES, factual, e.g. site-based [TRADE] work on commercial projects across [REGION]; supervision of a team of [NUMBER] from [DATE]; responsibility for daily plant checks and site diary entries]. Reason for leaving: [resignation / end of fixed-term contract / redundancy / as recorded on file]. It is the company's policy to provide factual references only, confirming dates of employment, position held and duties. This reference is given in good faith on the basis of the information held on our records. It is provided in confidence for the purpose of your enquiry only, and no liability is accepted for any loss arising from reliance on it, save where such liability cannot be excluded by law. Yours sincerely, [MANAGER NAME] [JOB TITLE] [COMPANY NAME]

Filling it in

Reason for leaving
As recorded. If they were dismissed, "dismissal" is accurate; the reason behind it is usually left out of a factual reference. Do not write "resignation" for a dismissal to be kind; that is misleading.
Duties
Facts from the job description and the file, not an assessment.

What the law says

  • Duty of care (Spring v Guardian Assurance; Bartholomew v Hackney LBC): a reference must be true, accurate and fair, and must not give a misleading overall impression by selective disclosure.
  • UK GDPR: a reference is personal data; give it only for the purpose requested and record what was sent.
  • Equality Act 2010 s.108: post-employment discrimination or victimisation, including in references, is unlawful.
Guidance, not legal advice. Employment law moves; check the current position before relying on any of it, and take advice on anything that could end someone's employment.

What turns this letter into a claim

  • Do not include opinions, unless your policy allows fuller references and you can evidence every one.
  • Do not mention sickness absence, grievances, or anything that could touch a protected characteristic.
  • Do not give a glowing reference to someone you dismissed for dishonesty. If it is untrue and the new employer relies on it, you can be liable to them.

Questions people ask

Do I have to give a reference?

Generally no, unless the contract promised one, a settlement agreement requires one, or the sector is regulated. If you give one, it must be accurate. If you refuse, refuse everyone in the same circumstances; a refusal for one person can be victimisation.

Can I mention a disciplinary warning?

A live warning that the employee knew about, recorded on file, can be disclosed if your policy allows and the reference remains fair overall. Expired warnings, and allegations never put to the employee, should not appear. Most employers avoid the whole area with a factual reference.

Can the former employee see the reference I gave?

From the recipient, often yes under a subject access request, though there are exemptions. Write every reference on the assumption the subject will read it.

The letter, with the names already in

Employ AI drafts letters like this one from the employee's record, so the dates, service and pay are already right, and the disciplinary module writes the invitation and outcome letters from the case itself. All 44 letter families, 49 UK policies, GPS clock-in, rotas, leave and timesheets: £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee. 14 days free, no card.

Start free trial