Below are 25 employee referral templates you can copy today: 4 launch and reminder messages, 4 role-specific requests, 6 chat messages (Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, SMS), 7 messages for the referrer and the referred person, and 4 legal text blocks for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Replace the square brackets, pick formal or informal address to match your company, and check the legal blocks with your data protection officer, payroll and works council before the first send (as of November 2026). This page is written for HR teams that run or restart an employee referral programme (German: Mitarbeiter werben Mitarbeiter).
Two things decide whether staff answer: a request that names a concrete role with the details a colleague needs to judge a contact, and a process that is clear about data and bonus before anyone shares a name. The templates are built around both.
Which template for which moment
| Moment | Sender | Templates |
|---|---|---|
| Programme launch | CEO, then HR | 1 CEO launch email, 2 HR kickoff email, 3 intranet or poster text |
| Ongoing reminders | HR or talent team | 4 open-roles reminder |
| A role is hard to fill | Hiring manager | 5 engineering, 6 sales, 7 finance, 8 warehouse or shift roles |
| Where staff do not read email | HR or team lead | 9 Slack channel, 10 Slack direct message, 11 Teams post, 12 WhatsApp formal, 13 WhatsApp informal, 14 SMS |
| After a name is shared | Employee, HR, recruiter | 15 employee to friend, 16 thank-you to the referrer, 17 status update, 18 bonus released, 21 first mail to the referred person |
| Keeping it alive | HR | 19 monthly success story, 20 relaunch after a quiet period |
| Legal text blocks | HR with legal review | 22 data protection, 23 bonus tax, 24 works council, 25 opt-out line |
Launch and reminders (templates 1 to 4)
A launch needs two messages: a short one from the top that says why, and a practical one from HR that says how. Keep them apart so the first stays readable.
1. CEO launch email
Subject: Your recommendations help us grow
Dear colleagues,
Many of our best colleagues joined because someone from the team recommended them. You know people who would fit our work and our culture. From today you can recommend them for every open role.
If we hire the person you recommended, you receive a bonus of [amount]. More important to me is that you help us build the team you want to work in.
HR will send you the details this week. Thank you for taking part.
Kind regards,
[CEO name]
2. HR kickoff email (the rules)
Subject: How our referral programme works
Dear all,
As [CEO name] announced, our referral programme is live. This is how it works:
- Recommend someone for any open role: [portal or email address]
- Bonus: [amount] after the new colleague has passed the probation period of [months] months
- The bonus is taxable income and is paid with your regular payroll
- You share a name only if the person agrees to be recommended
Open roles: [link to jobs page]. Questions: [HR contact]. Data protection and works council details are at the end of this mail.
[Opt-out line, see template 25]
Kind regards,
[HR lead]
3. Intranet or poster text (with QR code)
Know someone who would fit us?
Recommend them for [role] in [location]. Scan the code or write to [address]. If we hire them, you receive [amount] after the probation period. Your contact is only approached if they agree.
4. Open-roles reminder (weekly or every two weeks)
Subject: [Number] open roles: do you know someone?
Dear colleagues,
We are currently looking for:
- [Role 1], [team], [location]
- [Role 2], [team], [location]
- [Role 3], [team], [location]
A recommendation takes two minutes: [referral link]. Thank you.
[HR team]
[Opt-out line]
How often is too often? We have no measured benchmark for this. Start with one general reminder every two weeks while roles are open, send role-specific requests only to the people who can judge the role, and let people opt out with one click (template 25).
Role-specific requests (templates 5 to 8)
A general reminder asks everyone to think of anyone. A role request tells the right people what to look for, so they can check a contact before they share a name. Put into every one of these the details a colleague needs to pre-qualify: tasks, must-haves, location or remote rules, salary band if you may publish it, and the bonus.
| Role family | Details that help employees judge a contact |
|---|---|
| Engineering | Languages and frameworks, team size, on-call duty, remote rules |
| Sales | Product and customers, base and variable pay, territory, tools |
| Finance | Systems (for example DATEV or SAP), closing duties, certificates |
| Warehouse and shifts | Location, shift model, start date, licences (for example forklift), pay per hour |
5. Engineering role
Subject: Senior backend developer wanted: do you know someone?
Hello everyone,
Our engineering team is looking for a senior backend developer.
- Stack: [language, framework, database]
- Team: [size], [methodology], [remote rules]
- Salary band: [from to] per year
Full job description: [link]. If you know someone who fits, recommend them here: [link]. Referral bonus: [amount] after probation.
[Engineering manager]
6. Sales role
Subject: Sales development representative wanted
Dear sales colleagues,
We are growing the SDR team. What you should know before you think of someone:
- Focus: [market and customer type]
- Pay: [base] plus [variable part]
- Tools: [CRM, sales engagement tool]
- Path: [next role and typical timing]
Recommend someone here: [link]. Bonus: [amount] after probation.
[Sales lead]
7. Finance role
Subject: Accountant wanted: [system] and [accounting standard]
Dear colleagues,
Our finance team needs reinforcement: [tasks, for example receivables, monthly and annual closing], with [systems]. Salary band [from to], [working time model].
Do you know a qualified accountant? Recommend them here: [link]. Bonus: [amount] after probation.
[Finance lead]
8. Warehouse or shift roles
Subject: [Number] colleagues wanted at [location]
Hello team,
We are looking for [role] in [shift model] from [start date], pay [amount] per hour. Licence needed: [none or type].
Do you know someone? Send us the name and the number only if they agree: [link]. Bonus: [amount] after [period].
[Site manager]
Staff without a desk rarely read mail, so send number 8 as a chat message as well (templates 12 to 14). Why programmes fail for them: employee referrals for non-desk workers.
Slack, Teams, WhatsApp and SMS (templates 9 to 14)
Chat messages must stay short: the role, the bonus, one link. Use one channel per audience instead of every channel at once.
| Channel | Length | Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Slack | 2 to 3 lines | Teams that already work in Slack |
| Microsoft Teams | 2 to 4 lines | Companies on Microsoft 365 |
| 1 to 2 lines | Shift and field staff, only if staff opted in | |
| SMS | 1 line and a short link | Staff without a work chat tool |
9. Slack channel post
We are hiring: [role], [location]. Know someone? Referral bonus [amount] after probation. Details and recommendation: [link]
10. Slack direct message from the hiring manager
Hi [name], our team is looking for [role]. You know [community or field] well. Is there anyone you would suggest? Details: [link]. Only if they agree, of course.
11. Microsoft Teams post
New role: [title]
[One line on tasks] | [salary band] | [location or remote]
Recommend someone: [link]. Bonus: [amount].
12. WhatsApp, formal address
Hello, we are looking for [role] at [location]. Do you know someone? Details: [short link]. For questions please contact [HR contact]. To stop these messages, reply STOP.
13. WhatsApp, informal address
Hi all! We need [role] at [location]. Know anyone? Look here: [short link]. Bonus [amount]. Reply STOP to stop these messages.
14. SMS
[Company]: open jobs at [location]. Recommend someone and receive a bonus. Info: [short link]. Reply STOP to end.
Work messages on private phones need the employee's opt-in, given voluntarily and documented, and you should discuss the use of private numbers with your data protection officer and the works council first. Details: WhatsApp recruiting and GDPR.
For the referrer and the referred person (templates 15 to 21)
Most programmes lose people after the recommendation, not before. A quick thanks and honest status updates cost nothing and keep the referrer willing to recommend again.
15. Employee to friend (the mail a colleague sends)
Subject: A role that might suit you at [company]
Hi [name],
we are looking for [role] at [company]. I thought of you because [one concrete reason, for example your experience with X]. Here is the job description: [link].
If you are interested, I can pass on your details to our HR team. They would only contact you with your consent, and you decide whether to apply. No pressure at all.
[Name]
16. Thank-you to the referrer (within one working day)
Subject: Thank you for your recommendation
Hi [name], thank you for recommending [first name or role of the person] for [role]. We have received it and will get in touch with them. You will hear from us at each step: after the first conversation, after the decision, and when the bonus is released.
[HR contact]
17. Status update to the referrer
Subject: Update on your recommendation for [role]
Hi [name], your recommendation has reached the stage [interview scheduled, second round, decision pending]. We cannot share details about the person, but we wanted you to know where things stand. Next update by [date].
[HR contact]
18. Bonus released
Subject: Your referral bonus is on its way
Hi [name], [first name] has passed the probation period. Your bonus of [gross amount] will be paid with the payroll of [month]. As a taxable payment it will appear with the usual deductions on your payslip. Thank you for helping us find a good colleague.
[HR or payroll contact]
19. Monthly success story
Subject: A new colleague, thanks to [first name of referrer]
Dear colleagues, since [month] [first name of new colleague] has joined [team] as [role]. [Referrer] recommended [him, her or them] because [short reason, only with consent of both]. Thank you. These roles are open now: [link].
20. Relaunch after a quiet period
Subject: Referrals: what we changed and what is open
Dear colleagues, in the last [months] months we received [number] recommendations. Thank you. You told us [one real piece of feedback, for example that the process was unclear]. We changed [what]. The roles that matter most right now: [list]. Recommend here: [link].
21. First mail to the referred person (from HR or the recruiter)
Subject: [Employee] recommended you for a role at [company]
Hello [name],
[Employee first name] suggested that you might be interested in the role [title] at [company] and passed on your contact details. If you would like to talk, simply reply to this mail. If not, tell us and we will delete your details.
Information on how we process your data, including the source of your data (your contact, [employee]), your rights and our contact for data protection: [link].
[Recruiter name]
Legal text blocks (templates 22 to 25)
These blocks are drafting aids, not legal advice. Rules differ between Germany, Austria and Switzerland and between companies, so have them checked before use.
22. Data protection note for the referrer
Data protection: please share the contact details of another person only if they agree to be recommended. We use the data only to assess a possible application and delete it [period, set with your data protection officer] after the process ends if there is no hire. Your own data as the referrer is stored so that the bonus can be assigned to you. You can request information or deletion at any time: [contact].
Why the extra mail to the referred person (template 21)? If you obtain personal data from someone other than the person concerned, the GDPR requires you to inform that person, in general within one month at the latest (Article 14, Regulation (EU) 2016/679).
23. Bonus tax note
Tax: In Germany the referral bonus counts as taxable wages and is paid with your regular payroll, normally with the usual deductions. Questions: [payroll contact].
The basis for Germany is section 19 of the Income Tax Act (EStG) on income from employment; Austria and Switzerland have their own rules, so ask your payroll provider. For typical bonus sizes, KOFA, a German skilled-labour competence centre, names 1,000 euros as usual and 2,000 euros for roles that are especially hard to fill (KOFA practical guide Mitarbeiter werben Mitarbeiter). More on payout rules: referral policy templates for DE, AT, CH.
24. Works council note
This programme was designed with the works council. If you have concerns, you can also contact the works council: [contact].
Use this only if it is true. Whether a referral programme needs the works council depends on its design: section 87(1) of the German Works Constitution Act (BetrVG) can apply, for example to rules on conduct in the workplace (no. 1), technical systems that can monitor behaviour or performance (no. 6) and pay structures (no. 10). Talk to your works council before the launch, not after.
25. Opt-out line
No more referral mails? Reply "Unsubscribe" or click here: [link]. You can still recommend someone at any time.
What to measure after the first month
You do not need a dashboard to start. Track per channel and role: recommendations received, how many move to an interview, how many are hired, and how long a recommended person waits for an answer. Add a link tag to every link you send (for example utm_source=referral&utm_medium=email) so you can see which message produced a recommendation. A longer list of indicators is in 12 employee referral KPIs, and the overall set-up is in the employee referral programme guide.
When templates are not enough
Templates work as long as someone sends them, tracks the answers and pays the bonus on time. Beyond a few hundred employees or with shift staff, that becomes manual work. We build employee referral software at Sprad, so we are not neutral: it sends requests through email, Teams, WhatsApp, SMS and Slack, and the plan for companies up to 300 employees starts at 299 euros a month (as of November 2026, net, see our pricing). Our limits: the company sets and pays the bonus itself, Sprad does not settle payouts, and the legal blocks above remain your responsibility. You can run the whole programme with the templates on this page without any software.
Frequently asked questions
What should an employee referral email include?
The role and where it sits, the details a colleague needs to judge a contact, the bonus and when it is paid, how to recommend (link or address), what happens to the data, and a way to opt out. Keep it to what fits on one screen.
How do I ask employees for referrals without sounding pushy?
Ask for a specific role instead of "anyone", say that nobody has to share a name, and thank every recommendation within one working day, whether or not the person is hired. Templates 15 and 16 do exactly that.
How often should I send referral reminders?
We have no measured benchmark. A sensible starting point is one general reminder every two weeks while roles are open, role requests only to people who can judge the role, and a one-click opt-out. Reduce frequency if replies drop.
How high should a referral bonus be in Germany?
KOFA names 1,000 euros as usual and 2,000 euros for roles that are especially hard to fill (practical guide, see above). The right amount depends on the role, your pay level and how the bonus is staged, for example half after the start and half after probation.
Is a referral bonus taxable in Germany?
Yes, it is paid by the employer for the employment and is treated as taxable wages under section 19 EStG, normally with the usual deductions. Rules in Austria and Switzerland differ, so ask your payroll provider or tax adviser.
Do I need the works council for a referral programme?
That depends on the design. Section 87(1) BetrVG can apply to conduct rules, technical systems that can monitor behaviour or performance and pay structures. Clarify it with the works council and legal counsel before the launch.
Can I use WhatsApp or SMS for referral requests?
Only for employees who opted in voluntarily, with the use of private numbers agreed with your data protection officer and, where one exists, the works council. Always include a simple way to stop the messages.
What do I tell the person who was recommended?
That a colleague passed on their details, who processes their data and why, where the data came from, their rights, and that they can decline. Template 21 covers this; the GDPR requires the information in general within one month (Article 14).
Jürgen Ulbrich
Jürgen Ulbrich has more than a decade of experience in developing and leading high-performing teams and companies. As an expert in employee referral programs as well as feedback and performance processes, Jürgen has helped over 100 organizations optimize their talent acquisition and development strategies.
