1. Login
You (HR) initiate a reference letter process by sending an automated email to a line manager. The line manager can log into the reference letter tool by clicking the received link.
Prior to the first log-in procedure, the line manager will receive an email with log-in and password information. If the password is forgotten or the line manager wants to change his/her password, it can be created automatically through the same URL (forgot your password?)
2. Prepare a reference letter
There are two ways of initiating a reference letter process:
- Initiating by HR
A reference letter processes for employees who work at the company or have left the company can be initiated by selecting the (+) button.
- Reference letter request via Intranet
You can provide a link in the intranet portal. The employee and the line manager have an option to fill in their own reference letter request which is then visible in the system.
The reference letter process starts by accepting or refusing a reference letter request of an employee.
Personal information can be entered either through an interface or manually.
Fields marked by a * are mandatory fields.
A reference letter type and reason are interrelated and have to be selected manually. Zeugnisart und
Job family:
Avenir has developed job families for user-specific reference letter creation, allowing the line manager to select only specific and matching criteria. The following job families were defined and recorded in the system:
- Leaders: middle-level and top-level management
- Leaders: team leader
- Technical specialist
- Clerk
- Trainees / Apprentices
- Interns
Workload below 80% will be mentioned by default.
After filling in all the fields, you can save, cancel or release the process for evaluation.
The process of Release for evaluation starts at the line manager who then receives all instructions vie email in order to be able to provide evaluation.
At this point you can also decide, whether a reference letter shall be an express order. An express reference letter is delivered within 5 working days.
!!! Communication between HR and a line manager
The tool sends automatic notifications, which directs a line manager through the process. The notifications contain all necessary links as well as contact information and provide the possible ways how to access further information.
The tool provides the opportunity for a direct exchange with a line manager.
Please use always the communications options of the tool to interact with a line manager.
The system allows iterations of a line manager, whereby HR decides when the applicable process shall be aborted.
The input of a line manager can be overridden by HR users at any time.
3. Review by HR
After the completion of a performance evaluation by a line manager, reference letters are in the Draft Review status.
The input of a line manager should be checked at this stage so that a reference letter can be handed over to the authoring process at the end of this stage.
The tool verifies whether an evalution by a line manager has been done and sends a reminder email to him/her to perform the evaluation.
4. Authoring process
After completing the evaluation, you have to assign a writer and, if necessary, a reviewer. However, a reviewer is not mandatory.
The author has to be an HR user. A line manager cannot be assigned as an author
The author has to select text blocks in order to create a correct reference letter. By positioning the cursor on the criteria you will get, depending on the language, different formulations of text blocks corresponding to the evaluation.
At this point, the text blocks can be changed and adjusted before the Word document is created.
We recommend that you insert the line manager’s comments directly into the text blocks.
After selecting all text blocks, you can create a reference letter. Thus, you can click "edit reference letter" to open and edit the Word document.
After editing the text, save it directly in the the Word editor and close the page by clicking the "x".
5. Review a reference letter in HR
If the author is not a HR user himself, the HR user must control the draft of the certificate and edit it, as required.
!!! All changes made by every person are recorded by the tool for complete traceability.
6. Review with the line manager
At this point the evaluator will receive a reference letter draft for review.
If the line manager makes more changes, the HR user or author must review the reference letter.
!!! All changes made by every person are recorded by the tool for complete traceability.
7. Finalising by HR
A final version of a reference letter will be created by clicking the «gift box» icon.
!!! This operation is final and a reference letter cannot be amended any more.
After finalising a reference letter, you can download it for printing and signing. Please save a reference letter copy also in your archive, resp. on the Cloud.