Employment Verification and Sample Policy

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A prospective employer, government agency, or an outside entity, such as a lending institution may seek employment verification on an individual who is applying for a job or other obligation. This process is undertaken to ensure that the current or former employee is or was employed by your organization. In most cases, the requesting organization wants to verify:

  • Dates of employment
  • Salary information
  • If still employed by your organization

In the case of employment verification requests by prospective employers, information about the employee's performance and potential rehire are often requested. It is also not unusual for the employment verification to request the employee's specific history of job responsibilities, title, and salary history, in addition to the current or most recent employment information. 

Releasing the Information

It is up to the employer how much information to release, but an employment verification policy, that is consistently enforced, should exist. It is important to practice consistency when dealing with employment verification requests.

Your managers and staff members need training on how to respond to an employment verification request. They will also need to understand how to respond to more lengthy and detailed requests. Detailed reports are usually requested at the point when employers do background checking.

Government agencies, lending institutions, and in some situations rental agents will not seek detailed reference or work experience. Prospective employers will most often want additional information.

Employment Verification Sample Policy

Most companies will include a business policy or procedure defining how they will go about handling such requests.

Sample Employment Verification Company Policy

Direct all employment verification inquiries to the Human Resources department manager for an official company response. A request may be received from

  • Current or former employees
  • Prospective employers of current or former employees
  • Governmental agencies
  • Financial or lending institutions
  • Other organizations such as rental agencies

Under no circumstances is any other employee authorized to provide a written or official employment verification response for the company. The Human Resources staff are trained in responding to employment verification requests. They will also know whether signed permission to release information, from former employees, is on file.

All requests for employment verification must contain the employee's or former employee’s signature authorizing the release of information. In the case of current employees, as a courtesy, the HR office will notify the employee when employment verification information is requested.

When a signed permission signature is present, the company will release employment information about current and former employees.

The company will release:

  • Whether the individual is currently employed at this company
  • The employee’s current or last job title
  • Beginning and ending (if applicable) dates of employment
  • The current or final salary of the employee

Depending on the circumstances of the request, and input from the past or current employee,

The company might also release information about salary history, and the history of job titles for a current or past employee. The company can also state if they would rehire the employee.

Exceptions to this policy must be approved by the President of (Your company name).

(Date of the policy's enactment / Date of the last change to the policy.)