„durch seine gesellige Art im Team beliebt“
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)
“...popular in the team due to his sociable nature...”
What Swiss HR actually reads
The employee was overly talkative, distracted colleagues, or had work ethic issues, sometimes serving as a code for alcohol problems (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 must frame references benevolently, often encoding negative behaviour as seemingly friendly social traits. Describing someone as 'sociable' usually implies their focus was on socialising rather than working.
How to fix it
It is recommended to lodge a written objection with the employer and request replacing the formulation with a clearly positive performance clause such as "erledigte die Aufgaben stets zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit".
Suggested wording (German, for your HR department)
Es wird empfohlen, beim Arbeitgeber schriftlich Einsprache zu erheben und die Ersetzung der Formulierung durch eine klar positive Leistungsklausel (z.B. „erledigte die Aufgaben stets zu unserer vollen Zufriedenheit“) zu verlangen.
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
- durch seine gesellige Art war er im Kollegenkreis sehr beliebtWeak / Deficient (Grade 3.0)3.0
- wegen seiner geselligen Art im Team sehr beliebtWeak / Deficient (Grade 3.0)3.0
- Wegen seiner geselligen Art war er im Team sehr beliebtWeak / Poor (grade 3.0)3.0
- gesellige Art war er im Team sehr beliebtInsufficient (grade 3.5)3.5
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Check your whole certificate freeRead this entry in German: Bedeutung von „durch seine gesellige Art im Team beliebt“