I am very excited that my husband has been granted his settlement visa and will be joining me here in a few weeks time so we can start our life together

He is allowed to work and is keen to get a job as soon as possible.
However I have a concern about references for employment.
There are a couple of his friends that live here who may be able to provide a personal reference but I'm asuuming he will need to provide potential employers with a work reference. The problem is he currently works for his father in the family business.
Can anybody help with any advice please?
Thanks