„[Auslassung]: Fehlender Dank für die geleistete Arbeit“
What this German phrase in your Swiss Arbeitszeugnis (employment reference letter) really says about you – and which grade it hides.
Literal translation vs. real meaning
Literal translation (what DeepL tells you)
“[Omission]: Missing thanks for the work performed”
What Swiss HR actually reads
Omitting thanks for the work performed is widely interpreted as a negative signal (grade 3.5 on the Swiss 1-6 scale).
Hidden rating
Insufficient (grade 3.5)
German rating: Ungenügend (Note 3.5)
What it means in detail
Under Swiss employment law (art. 330a CO), employers often resort to coded language or omissions to express dissatisfaction while maintaining the principle of goodwill. Omitting expressions of gratitude or good wishes in the closing section signals a strained departure. However, employees have no legal right to demand thanks, regret, or future wishes in a reference (BGer 4C.36/2004; BVGer A-364/2022), meaning this addition can be requested but not enforced in court.
How to fix it
The employee should request the addition of the missing passage in writing, as eloquent silence constitutes a hidden devaluation.
Suggested wording (German, for your HR department)
Der Arbeitnehmer sollte schriftlich die Ergänzung der fehlenden Zeugnispassage verlangen, da beredtes Schweigen eine versteckte Abwertung darstellt.
Hidden criticism detected (grade 3.5)
Under Art. 330a of the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR), a reference letter must be true but benevolent. Coded downgrades rarely come alone – the same letter often contains further codes or omissions.
Check your whole certificate freeTelling silence & social conduct
Verwaltungsgericht ZH VB.2019.00365 vom 9. Mai 2020, E. 2.4
The Administrative Court of the Canton of Zurich describes the practice of “telling silence” (beredtes Schweigen): if a quality that would normally be mentioned is left out, the reader concludes that it is missing. Leaving out one group of people when describing conduct (e.g. superiors) is generally read as a hint at negative behaviour.
Read the full decision (German)„Darunter gehört, wenn etwa bei der Verhaltensbeurteilung nur das Verhalten zu Mitarbeitern und Kunden erwähnt wird, nicht aber jenes zu Vorgesetzten.“
Unofficial translation: “This includes, for example, a conduct assessment that mentions behaviour towards co-workers and customers, but not towards superiors.”
Related phrases
- [Auslassung]: Fehlender Dank für die geleistete Arbeit im SchlusssatzInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
- [Auslassung]: Fehlender Dank für die geleistete Arbeit in der SchlussformulierungInsufficient (Grade 3.5)3.5
- [Auslassung]: Fehlender Dank für die ArbeitInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
- [Auslassung]: Fehlender Dank für die geleistete Arbeit und fehlendes BedauernInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
Decode your entire reference letter
Upload your Arbeitszeugnis and get your overall Swiss grade, the number of issues found and a short legal assessment – explained in English.
Check your whole certificate freeRead this entry in German: Bedeutung von „[Auslassung]: Fehlender Dank für die geleistete Arbeit“