„er betonte stets seine Ehrlichkeit“
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)
“...he always emphasised his honesty...”
What Swiss HR actually reads
This implies the employee was dishonest or under reasonable suspicion of theft or embezzlement in the warehouse, corresponding to a grade 3.0 on the Swiss 1-6 scale.
Hidden rating
Weak / Unsatisfactory (Grade 3.0)
German rating: Schwach / Mangelhaft (Note 3.0)
What it means in detail
In Swiss references, explicitly highlighting that an employee 'emphasised' an obvious baseline trait like honesty is a coded warning. Due to the principle of goodwill under art. 330a CO, negative assessments must be masked. Swiss HR professionals read this phrase as a signal of untrustworthiness or suspected misconduct.
How to fix it
It is recommended to lodge a written objection with the employer and request that the phrase be replaced 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 3.0)
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 freeGoodwill vs. duty of truth
BGE 136 III 510, E. 4.1
The Federal Supreme Court describes the two poles of a Swiss reference letter: it should support your career and therefore be worded benevolently, but it must also give future employers a faithful picture – so it has to be true and complete.
Read the full decision (German)„Ein solches qualifiziertes Zeugnis bzw. Vollzeugnis soll einerseits das berufliche Fortkommen des Arbeitnehmers fördern und deshalb wohlwollend formuliert werden. Andererseits soll es künftigen Arbeitgebern ein möglichst getreues Abbild von Tätigkeit, Leistung und Verhalten des Arbeitnehmers geben, weshalb es grundsätzlich wahr und vollständig zu sein hat.“
Unofficial translation: “Such a qualified reference letter should, on the one hand, support the employee’s career and therefore be worded benevolently. On the other hand, it should give future employers as faithful a picture as possible of the employee’s activity, performance and conduct, which is why it must in principle be true and complete.”
Related phrases
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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 „er betonte stets seine Ehrlichkeit“