Peak season reference checking for hundreds of temps.
Q4 doubles your intake, not your team. Send references the moment an offer goes out and let the chasing run itself.
How do you handle peak season reference checking?
Plan it before the surge. Buy credits in advance (they never expire), set one reference template for seasonal roles, and send each request the moment an offer is made. RefAssure collects candidate consent, then chases referees with 5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days. Half of references come back within 24 hours, so most are done before induction.
Get ready before October.
Buy credits early
Larger packs cost less per reference: 100 for £85, 250 for £200. Credits never expire, so anything left over is there for January or the summer peak.
Fix one seasonal template
Pick a starter template or upload your own form once. Keep it short: dates, role, reliability, attendance, conduct and whether they would re-employ.
Send at offer, not at start
Add the candidate and referees as soon as someone accepts. Every day you wait is a day less for the referee to reply before the shift starts.
Agree your start rule
Decide in writing who can start before references are back, and on what conditions. Then apply it the same way to everyone.
Chased for you, day by day.
5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days, stopping the moment the referee replies.
Can a seasonal temp start before references are back?
Often, yes. For most warehouse and logistics roles there is no law that says references must be complete before day one. Right to work is different: the Home Office expects that check to be done before work starts, with no exceptions. See our right to work checks guide.
What matters for references is that the decision to start someone early is deliberate, recorded and consistent. A simple peak season policy usually covers four things:
- Which roles can start early. General pick and pack might be fine. Roles with access to high-value stock, cash, keys, customer homes or vulnerable people usually are not.
- The minimum before day one. For example, right to work done, consent given and both reference requests sent.
- Controls while you wait. Supervised shifts, no lone working and no access to secure areas until references are back.
- What happens if a reference raises a concern. Who reviews it, how quickly, and how the outcome is recorded.
Check client contracts too. Some retail and distribution clients set their own vetting rules for agency workers on their sites, and those can be stricter than yours. Our guide to client site requirements covers the common ones.
See every pending reference at a glance.
At peak you need to know who is cleared and who is not, without opening a spreadsheet.
- Live, pending and awaiting counts on the dashboard
- Progress dots for every candidate and referee
- Bounced emails flagged, most within minutes
- Unlimited team members sharing one credit balance, so every depot can send
Peak season questions
More in the full FAQs.
How many references can I send at once in peak season?
Send as many as you need. Each request runs on its own chase schedule, so 20 starters or 200 makes no difference to your workload. See bulk reference checking for running high volumes.
How fast do references come back?
Across 229 completed references, the median was about 23 hours and half were done within 24 hours. About 4 in 10 came back after an automatic reminder, which is why the chasing matters at peak.
Will unused credits expire after Christmas?
No. Credits never expire, and there is no monthly fee or contract. Buy before peak and use what is left in the next one. Pack prices are on the pricing page.
What should seasonal staff references ask?
Keep it short so referees answer quickly: dates of employment, role, attendance and timekeeping, reliability, conduct, any safety concerns and whether they would re-employ. You can start from our free reference template.
What if a referee does not reply in time?
After the final reminder on day 12 you are told, so you can add another referee. Many temps have short agency assignments, so a second agency or a previous direct employer is often a quicker route.
Does this work across several depots?
Yes. Add as many team members as you like at no extra cost, and they all draw on the same credits. Our multi-depot guide explains how teams usually set it up.
Related guides
Peak season, without the backlog.
Your first reference is free. Buy credits before the surge and use them whenever you need them.