„[Auslassung]: Fehlendes Bedauern und fehlender Dank am Zeugnisende“
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 regret and thanks at the end of the reference”
What Swiss HR actually reads
Omitting thanks and regret in the closing section is generally 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
A reference ending without thanks or regret signals to Swiss recruiters that the parting was not amicable. However, under Swiss legal precedent (BGer 4C.36/2004; BVGer A-364/2022), employers cannot be legally compelled to include closing wishes, regret, or thanks.
How to fix it
The employee should request the addition of the missing passage in writing, as eloquent silence ('beredtes Schweigen') 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 und fehlendes BedauernInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
- [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 für die ZusammenarbeitInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
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Check your whole certificate freeRead this entry in German: Bedeutung von „[Auslassung]: Fehlendes Bedauern und fehlender Dank am Zeugnisende“