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For most HR service teams, reference requests are the quiet disruptors of the workday. They seem minor, just another email to respond to, another date to confirm - but over time, they stack up. While HR is expected to lead on people strategy, retention and culture, too often time is lost to repetitive admin.
If you are still manually managing these requests, it is likely taking more of your team’s time and attention than you realise.
Despite widespread automation in modern HR systems, employment referencing remains a largely manual process for many organisations.
Third-party requests, often from landlords, lenders or prospective employers and background screening providers, arrive in shared inboxes or are addressed directly by team members. Each request needs someone to:
Handled one by one, it can feel manageable and burdensome. For organisations with a large employee or alumni base, receiving 10, 20 or more inbound reference requests per week, this creates a steady stream of distractions that adds up to hours of lost time every month.
Although many requesters ask for additional details, such as reason for leaving, this information is rarely shared. Most employers now provide factual-only references, typically limited to dates of employment, job title and occasionally salary. This is exactly the type of data Respond delivers, making it a natural fit for HR teams - returning the same information they already provide, just faster, more securely and without the admin.
More than just a time issue, reference handling has quietly become a compliance concern.
Reference responses typically include personally identifiable information, often salary, start and end dates, job titles, and even dates of birth or National Insurance Numbers. This data is frequently shared over email, without clear consent, identity checks, or an audit trail. It leaves employers exposed to risks around GDPR and data misuse.
There is usually no consistent process across the organisation, and responsibility often falls to whoever checks the inbox first. That lack of control, especially when sharing sensitive
For most HR leaders we speak to, the answer is simple. It is just easier to keep doing it the way it has always been done. Reference requests are seen as minor, not worth the hassle of reviewing or improving. There may also be concerns about responsiveness, that employees or leavers could be left waiting if a request goes unanswered.
But this mindset overlooks one key fact: referencing no longer needs to be a manual task.
Respond is Konfir’s free employer-facing platform designed to take referencing off your team’s plate. Instead of replying to each request manually, HR teams can direct requestors to a secure, branded landing page.
From there, the process is fully self-serve. The applicant provides consent, connects to verified data sources, and the required employment or income information is sent directly to the requester. No forms to fill out, no documents to upload, and no back-and-forth from your team.
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Getting started is simple - Respond requires no contracts, no integration, no cost, and can be live in under 24 hours.
Employers already using Respond have seen clear results:
It is a small change that delivers immediate impact for HR, compliance, and for the people who rely on reference responses to move forward.
Manual referencing might seem harmless, but it quietly drains time, introduces risk, and distracts from higher-value work. With modern alternatives now available, there is little reason to keep handling these requests internally.
If your team is still replying to reference emails or juggling inconsistent formats, now is the time to consider a better way.
👉 Discover how Respond can eliminate reference admin for good
