„wünschen ihm für die Zukunft viel Glück“
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)
“...wish him good luck for the future...”
What Swiss HR actually reads
This coded remark implies that the employee desperately needs luck due to professional and personal failure (grade 2.0 on the Swiss 1-6 scale).
Hidden rating
Weak / Deficient (grade 2.0)
German rating: Schwach / Mangelhaft (Note 2.0)
What it means in detail
Under Swiss labor law (art. 330a CO), employers use closing formulas coded under the principle of goodwill. Wishing someone 'good luck' rather than success signals that their performance relied on chance rather than skill. This reflects a weak rating of grade 2.0.
How to fix it
The employee should lodge a written objection with the employer and request that this 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 2.0)
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 freeClosing statement: a signal, not a legal right
BVGer A-364/2022 vom 17. August 2023, E. 7.3
A missing or curt closing statement is often read as a negative signal in practice. Legally, however, there is no enforceable right to thanks, regret or good wishes – their use is at the employer’s discretion (likewise Federal Supreme Court 4C.36/2004 of 8 April 2004, E. 5). You can ask for an addition, but you cannot sue for it.
Read the full decision (German)„Nach der Rechtsprechung besteht kein durchsetzbarer Anspruch der angestellten Person auf bestimmte Dankesworte, Zukunftswünsche oder Bedauernsbekundungen über den Austritt.“
Unofficial translation: “According to case law, the employee has no enforceable right to particular words of thanks, good wishes for the future or expressions of regret about their departure.”
Related phrases
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Check your whole certificate freeRead this entry in German: Bedeutung von „wünschen ihm für die Zukunft viel Glück“