„[Auslassung]: Fehlender Dank und fehlendes Bedauern“
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 and missing regret”
What Swiss HR actually reads
The absence of thanks and regret in the closing section is read in practice 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
In Swiss reference writing, leaving out closing expressions of thanks and regret indicates relief at the employee's departure. However, established case law (BGer 4C.36/2004; BVGer A-364/2022) confirms there is no enforceable legal right to these closing statements under art. 330a CO. You may ask the employer to include them, but you cannot successfully sue for them.
How to fix it
The employee should request the missing passage in writing, as eloquent silence ('beredtes Schweigen') represents 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]: Fehlendes Bedauern und fehlender DankInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
- [Auslassung]: Fehlendes Bedauern und fehlender Dank am EndeInsufficient (Grade 3.5)3.5
- [Auslassung]: Fehlendes Bedauern und fehlender Dank am ZeugnisendeInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
- [Auslassung]: Fehlendes Bedauern und fehlender Dank für die ZusammenarbeitInsufficient (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 und fehlendes Bedauern“