Preloaded UK policy

References Policy template

Giving and receiving employment references: factual-only approach, liability, consent and DBS disclosures.

Legal basis
  • UK GDPR
  • Data Protection Act 2018
  • Common law duty of care (Spring v Guardian Assurance [1994])
Last reviewed April 2025. Guidance, not legal advice.

What the policy covers

  1. 1. POLICY STATEMENT
    your company will provide references that are truthful, accurate and fair, protecting both the interests of former employees and potential employers.
  2. 2. PROVIDING REFERENCES
    Only authorised individuals may provide references on behalf of your company.
  3. 3. LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
    There is no general legal obligation to provide a reference, with the following exceptions:
  4. 5. DATA PROTECTION
    References constitute personal data and must be handled in accordance with the Data Protection & GDPR Policy.
  5. 6. RECEIVING REFERENCES
    All job offers made by your company are conditional upon satisfactory references.

Who needs it

Any UK employer running rotas, leave and the day-to-day of employing people. These set out the rules once so nobody argues about them twice.

Questions people ask

Is a references policy a legal requirement?

It rests on UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 and Common law duty of care (Spring v Guardian Assurance [1994]). Some policies must be written down once a business reaches a certain size or does certain work; others are simply how a tribunal, an inspector or a client's auditor expects to see that you have thought about it. A clear, dated, signed policy is the evidence either way. Guidance, not legal advice.

Can I change it to suit how we work?

Yes. Inside Work-Lynx it is a starting point: put your company name in, adjust the arrangements to what you actually do, set the review date and publish it. Staff read and acknowledge it on their phones, and you can see who has not.

Is it up to date?

Last reviewed April 2025. The pack is updated when the law moves, and every policy carries a review date so it does not quietly go stale.

How do I get it?

It is preloaded in Work-Lynx with the other 48 UK policies. Work-Lynx is £2.50 a month plus £1 per employee, 14 days free, no card, and what you see on the pricing page is the bill.

Who is it for?

Any UK employer running rotas, leave and the day-to-day of employing people. These set out the rules once so nobody argues about them twice.

All 49 UK policies, £2.50 a month

This policy and 48 others are already in Work-Lynx, alongside GPS clock-in, rotas, timesheets, leave and Employ AI for UK employment law. £2.50 base plus £1 per employee a month. 14 days free, no card, no sales call.

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