How to read a Swiss employment reference (certificat de travail)?

Two documents, not the same content

In Switzerland, practice distinguishes a work certificate (nature and duration of the employment) from a qualified reference, which adds an assessment of work and conduct. Article 330a of the Code of Obligations gives the employee the right to request a reference. At the employee’s express request, it may be limited to nature and duration.

The legal text on Fedlex is authoritative. This guide summarises the article for orientation. It is not legal advice, and a disagreement over a reference is handled with the employer or counsel, not with an automatic grid.

What to check first, before reading between the lines

Before the formulas, the reference must make the facts clear.

• Who employs, who is employed, start and end dates.
• The role or roles, with recognisable tasks.
• The date, place and an employer signature.
• Whether an assessment of work and conduct is present, or whether the document sticks to facts.

Formulas recruiters read between the lines

Some recruiters in Switzerland read certain phrasings as a scale: “always” and “complete satisfaction” are not read like “satisfaction” alone. The order in which superiors, colleagues and customers are mentioned is sometimes discussed, as is a missing group. That reading is market practice. It is not written in the Code of Obligations, and an isolated sentence does not prove a judgement.

My Swiss Career offers “Decode a certificate” to review a text (formulas, missing elements). On the Free plan, that feature is closed. It is included in Plus (5 decodes per month) and in Pro. The result is a reading aid, not a guaranteed correction or a legal qualification.

Sources

• Code of Obligations, article 330a (Fedlex)