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Introduction to this document

 

Letter to ex-employee requesting information

Once an employee's contract has ended, they've no duty to assist you. But if information is needed - and they're the only one that can help you - ask, but tread carefully. Our letter to ex-employee requesting information can help you here.

Out the door

It doesn't matter who terminates a contract of employment - it could be you, e.g. via a redundancy, or the employee by resigning - from the point it ends their obligation to assist you with any work-related matters goes right out of the window.

This means that you can't rely on their help if something arises, or goes wrong, later on. For example, you might need them to answer a customer query, clarify an IT-related matter, or confirm that something was ordered (or not as the case may be).

 

Safeguards

Your best bet in this situation is to see whether your ex-employee will help you voluntarily, although this is unlikely if you parted on bad terms. The starting point is a letter requesting their urgent assistance. However, it shouldn't give too much information away - after all, you still have a duty to protect the confidentiality and the personal data of the third parties that you are dealing with. Any failure to do so could mean that you inadvertently breach the data protection rules.

So your correspondence should:

  • briefly set out the problem you are experiencing
  • confirm the information that you require
  • set out the contact name and information for the person who is dealing with the matter
  • invite the ex-employee to contact you as soon as possible.

Our Letter to Ex-Employee Requesting Information does all this. It politely asks your ex-employee for assistance, yet protects your position.

Tip. Before an employee leaves, it's always worth going through a detailed handover. This allows you to confirm any outstanding problems or issues that could arise. Plus, you can obtain their up-to-date contact details; this means that you don't have to go hunting around for them in the event of a problem.