How do you reference-check zero-hours workers?
Several employers at once, short assignments and breaks between them. The history looks messy, but it can still be checked properly.
How do you get zero hours references?
Ask for every current and recent engagement, including the ones that overlap, and take references from the people who supervised the work, whether that is an employer, an agency or a client. Treat short breaks between assignments as normal, but get them explained. Zero hours references matter as much as any other: the worker has the same access to sites and people. RefAssure chases each referee for you.
What makes zero-hours histories different.
None of these are warning signs on their own. They just need a slightly different approach.
Overlapping employers
A worker may hold two or three zero-hours contracts at once. Each one is a valid referee.
Gaps that are not gaps
A quiet fortnight between assignments is how the work is structured, not missing time.
Agencies as employers
The agency that supplied them is often the right referee, with input from the client supervisor.
Short engagements
A six-week assignment still tells you about reliability, timekeeping and conduct.
A practical approach
Collect a full picture first
Ask the worker to list every engagement in the period you need, with dates, the employer or agency, and the site they worked at. Overlaps are fine. The aim is a history you can explain, not a neat single line.
Pick referees who saw the work
A shift supervisor at the site often knows more than the payroll team at head office. Ask for a named contact with a work email and mobile. For very short or informal roles, add a character referee and record why.
Ask questions that fit casual work
Did they turn up when they accepted a shift? Did they let you know when they could not? Would you offer them shifts again? These tell you more than questions written for permanent staff. Add them to a template once and reuse it.
Record the attempts, not just the results
Small employers and sole traders can be hard to reach. If a referee never replies, a record of each request and reminder still shows you took reasonable steps, and tells the next person reviewing the file why a different referee was used.
Same rules in regulated settings
Contract type does not change the checks. A zero-hours care worker needs the same evidence of conduct and full employment history as a permanent one, and agencies supplying into roles with vulnerable people need two references under the Conduct Regulations. See temporary worker employment history.
Three referees, one clean file.
Add every referee to the same candidate. Each gets their own requests and reminders, and the results land in one record.
- Consent with signature before anyone is contacted
- 5 emails and up to 2 texts over 12 days per referee
- Replies sent by email instead of the form are captured
- One PDF with timestamps for every step
Zero hours reference questions
More in the full FAQs.
Do zero-hours workers need references?
Yes, in the same way as anyone else doing the same role. They have the same access to sites, customers and colleagues. In care and other regulated work, the contract type makes no difference to the checks required.
What if their previous employer was an agency?
Use the agency as a referee, and ask for the client supervisor too if you can. The agency confirms dates and conduct, the supervisor confirms how the work was done.
How should I treat gaps between assignments?
Ask the worker to explain them and record the explanation. Short breaks between casual work are normal. Longer unexplained periods are worth a conversation.
Can a character reference replace an employment reference?
It can add to one where employment was too short or informal to reference. It should not replace an employer who can be contacted. See reference check questions.
What if a referee just confirms dates?
Many employers give factual references. Record what you received and, if you need more, add another referee who supervised the work.
How much does it cost to reference several employers?
Each reference uses one credit, from 99p down to 80p, with no monthly fee and no VAT added. See pricing.
Related guides
Messy histories, tidy evidence.
Your first reference is free. RefAssure chases every referee for you.