„Verhalten gegenüber Kollegen und Kunden war vorbildlich“
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)
“...conduct towards colleagues and clients was exemplary...”
What Swiss HR actually reads
Deliberately omitting superiors points to a severely disturbed relationship with authority figures, evaluating to grade 5.0 overall.
Hidden rating
Good (grade 5.0)
German rating: Gut (Note 5.0)
What it means in detail
Mentioning colleagues and clients while omitting superiors is a classic coded warning in Swiss references. Bound by goodwill principles under art. 330a CO, employers use selective omissions to communicate conflict. HR professionals understand this as trouble dealing with management.
How to fix it
To improve the reference toward top marks (grade 6.0), the employee should ask to include superiors and strengthen the wording with terms like "stets" or "jederzeit hervorragend".
Suggested wording (German, for your HR department)
Zur Aufwertung auf die Bestnote (6.0) kann die Formulierung verstärkt werden, z.B. durch Einfügen von „stets“ oder „jederzeit hervorragend“.
One good phrase ≠ a good certificate
Swiss employers often hide weaknesses elsewhere – in the conduct section, in the closing statement or through omissions (“telling silence”). Check whether the rest of your letter keeps up.
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
- Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten, Kollegen und Kunden war jederzeit vorbildlichGood (grade 5.0)5.0
- gegenüber Kollegen und Kunden war jederzeit vorbildlichGood (grade 5.0)5.0
- Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten und Kollegen war vorbildlichGood (grade 5.0)5.0
- Verhalten gegenüber Vorgesetzten, Kollegen und Kunden war stets vorbildlichExcellent6.0
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 „Verhalten gegenüber Kollegen und Kunden war vorbildlich“