Reference request consent form

This Reference request consent form should be used by the employer to seek a candidate’s express consent for the employer to take up work references to assess their suitability for a role.

Providing a reference as part of the recruitment process is likely to involve processing personal data under the UK GDPR and so an employer must prove that it has a legal basis for processing data. In this context, the likeliest condition is that the candidate has consented to their data being processed. This Reference request consent form can be used for these purposes. A copy of the signed consent form can be sent with the formal reference request. It is good practice for a copy of the Reference request consent form to be retained on file.

As an alternative to using this reference request form, employers could seek an employee’s consent in respect of providing references at the exit interview stage. See the Exit interview form.

Reference request consent form is part of Employment Documents. Just £35.00 + VAT provides unlimited downloads from Employment Documents for 1 year.