The National Reference Register in the UK
Kroll’s NRR eases the burden on organizations that need to provide or request employee references, and also helps individuals seeking their next job.
How it works
Employment data from all past employees of the subscribing organization is stored electronically on the NRR, ready to be provided quickly, securely, accurately and uniformly to prospective employers.
Subscribing organizations supply a report containing core facts on past employees as simple text files, which they can source directly from their existing employee data management system. After the initial provision of historical data to the NRR, subscribing organizations will need to upload a report for exiting employees on a regular basis.
The report from the subscribing organization typically consists of the following information for each exiting employee:
- Full name and title
- National Insurance number
- Start and end dates of employment
- Date of birth (optional)
- Position(s) held (optional)
- Reason for leaving (optional)
- Remuneration (optional)
The NRR translates these files into individual employment histories which will be used to generate the reference certificates.
On leaving an organization, employees are given a card containing information on the service and the URL of the NRR. Candidates use this card to direct their prospective employer to the NRR website.
The prospective employer, after logging in and passing through security measures, uses the identifying information supplied by the candidate to instantly obtain a reference certificate (upon payment of a small fee). This certificate is created directly from the data in the subscribing organization’s report, ensuring it is always an accurate reflection of the information supplied. At no point in the process is there any charge to the past employee/candidate.
Security
Access to the NRR system is strictly controlled via several security and audit mechanisms. System penetration testing and vulnerability scanning have been deployed to ensure that the application meets Kroll’s stringent security and access control standards, which include encryption of any personally identifying information in the database. Staff members are bound by a confidentiality agreement, helping ensure no information is made available to the press or any other unauthorised personnel. Reference certificate requests to the NRR will also be spot-audited to establish their legitimacy.
Privacy
Kroll takes the individual’s right to privacy very seriously. Protection of privacy is of the utmost importance, both for ethical as well as legal propriety reasons. Kroll is not a soliciting agent and has no need to track personal information of individuals for any purpose. Data uploaded to the NRR remains the property of the subscribing organization.
Kroll’s full privacy policy can be accessed here.
Who benefits from the NRR?
Benefits to subscribing organizations
By far the greatest benefit of the NRR for subscribing organizations is that their HR personnel are free from the time-consuming task of attending to reference requests. This enables staff to focus on other activities that add value to their organization.
Other subscriber benefits:
- Helps ensure references are accurate and based on fact
- Makes current HR procedures compliant and standardised
- Establishes a good marketplace reputation for prompt response, as reference requests for all past employees are dealt with equal speed and accuracy
- Eliminates subjective comments, thus reducing the risk of legal action from an employee over defamatory comments
- Reduces risk of lost reference files
- Precludes need to search old files
Benefits to employers
References requested through the NRR are available immediately, removing the time-consuming process of contacting past employers and chasing for references.
Other employer benefits:
- Provides online reference information that is accessible at an employer’s convenience, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Helps ensure consistency and accuracy of reference data
- Standardises format of certificate information
- Enables quicker time to hire through rapid turnaround of references
Benefits to past employees
The fact that references are instantly available online provides an advantage over other job seekers whose references may take longer to verify. An online reference can help speed up the recruitment process and lead to an earlier start date, which can be critical to individuals who are out of work.
Other past employee benefits:
- Guarantees references checked through the NRR are accurate against information provided by the supplying organization
- Provides online reference information that is accessible by prospective employers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
- Helps ensure references are factual and devoid of subjective comments