Swiss Work Certificates: The Complete Guide (Art. 330a CO)

In Switzerland, every employee can ask for a work certificate at any time: during employment, when they leave, and years afterwards (Art. 330a of the Swiss Code of Obligations, CO). The full certificate (Arbeitszeugnis, certificat de travail) describes the role and assesses performance and conduct. At the employee's express request it's limited to the nature and duration of the employment, which makes it a confirmation of employment.

A full certificate must be truthful, benevolent, complete and clear. What that means for the text is set out below, together with a typical structure and example wording.

Legal basis

Art. 330a CO (unofficial English translation):

1 The employee may at any time request from the employer a reference concerning the nature and the duration of the employment relationship, the quality of his work and his conduct.

2 At the employee's express request the reference must be limited to the nature and duration of the employment relationship.

The law sets no length, structure or deadline. The rules on content come from case law and legal commentary. Under the prevailing legal view, the claim becomes time-barred ten years after the employment ends (Art. 127 CO). Apprentices get an apprenticeship certificate under Art. 346a CO, which by default states only the trade and the length of the apprenticeship and assesses performance and conduct only on request.

If you only need the nature and duration confirmed, there's a template in Confirmation of Employment in Switzerland.

Interim and final certificates

An interim certificate (Zwischenzeugnis) can be requested at any time without a reason. Typical occasions are a new line manager, a reorganisation, a move within the company or a long leave. Asking for one again and again without any reason can, however, be an abuse of rights.

The final certificate comes when the employee leaves and has to be consistent with a recent interim certificate. If it's clearly worse, the employer must be able to explain what changed. The interim certificate is written in the present tense and gives no reason for leaving; the final one is in the past tense and ends with a closing statement.

What makes a certificate correct

First, it has to be true. Facts must be accurate, and assessments must be measured against what's normal in the industry. Assumptions and one-off incidents stay out.

It has to be benevolent, meaning it shouldn't make the employee's career harder than necessary. That doesn't create a right to a good certificate. Negative statements are allowed if they're accurate and relevant to the overall picture. When truth and benevolence collide, truth wins. An employer who hides an employee's embezzlement risks being liable to the next employer.

It has to be complete, covering the main duties, performance and conduct. Readers notice what's missing, too. If there's no word on teamwork, or on leadership for a manager, that gap stands out and is read as criticism.

And it has to be clear. Phrases that describe effort instead of results, such as "tried to" or "showed willingness", are read as hidden criticism and have no place in a correct certificate.

Structure

The employer is free to choose the structure. This order works well:

1. the title, "Work certificate" or "Interim work certificate"
2. first name, last name and date of birth, sometimes also the Swiss place of origin (Heimatort)
3. start date, end date and role, with the workload for part-time staff
4. one sentence about the company, so outside readers can place the role
5. duties and responsibilities, most important first, with promotions and deputy roles
6. performance, meaning expertise, quality and quantity of work, independence and concrete results
7. conduct towards managers, colleagues and customers, and leadership for managers
8. a one-sentence overall assessment
9. the reason for leaving, in principle only if the employee wants it
10. thanks, regret and good wishes
11. place, date, signatures

Example wording

These sentences range from neutral to good.

• Duties: "As the person responsible for accounts payable, Ms Müller independently processed around 600 invoices a month and prepared the monthly closings."
• Performance: "She had full command of the processes in her area and worked accurately and reliably, even at peak times."
• Result: "On her initiative, invoice processing time fell from ten days to four."
• Conduct: "Managers, colleagues and our suppliers valued her direct, friendly and solution-oriented manner."
• Closing: "Ms Müller is leaving us at her own request. We thank her warmly for her commitment, very much regret her departure and wish her every success, professionally and personally."

A figure like "from ten days to four" says more than any adjective. A certificate made only of general praise looks to an experienced reader like a favour.

Are there codes?

Secret codes contradict the principle of clarity, and an employer may not phrase criticism so that only insiders understand it. HR readers still pick up on gradations. "To our satisfaction" is weaker than "to our full satisfaction", and missing thanks at the end stand out.

Whoever writes a certificate should therefore check that the overall assessment, the performance statements and the closing statement agree. Whoever receives one does best to read it as a whole. If thanks or regret are missing from an otherwise very positive certificate, it's worth asking about.

Signature, date and deadline

The certificate is issued in writing on company letterhead and signed by an authorised signatory who is senior to the employee, often the direct line manager together with HR. A qualified electronic signature is equivalent to a handwritten one (Art. 14 para. 2bis CO). An oral statement is a reference, not a certificate.

The final certificate usually carries the end date of the employment or a date shortly after. If it has to be corrected, the new version keeps the original date so that no dispute shows. There's no statutory deadline. The usual practice is to hand over the final certificate on the last working day or a few weeks after the request.

Illness, absences and reason for leaving

Diagnoses never belong in a certificate. Absences are generally not mentioned. A long absence may only appear if it was so significant relative to the whole employment that the certificate would be misleading without it. The reason for leaving appears in principle only if the employee wants it to. The most common wording is simply "is leaving us at her own request".

If the certificate is wrong

It starts with a conversation. The employee points to specific passages that are wrong or incomplete and often proposes their own wording. If no agreement is reached, the remaining step is a claim for correction before the labour court.

There's no right to particular wording; the employer decides how to phrase it. False facts, significant gaps and an overall misleading assessment must be corrected, though. Whoever claims an above-average assessment generally has to prove it, while the employer has to prove any negative facts.

Checklist before signing

• Do the overall assessment, the performance statements and the closing statement agree?
• Is every important duty also assessed?
• Is there no contradiction, such as "independent" in one place and "under close supervision" in another?
• Are there concrete examples or figures?
• Are illness and details of the termination left out, unless agreed otherwise?
• Is the right person signing, on letterhead, with the correct date?

Write faster with ZeugnyAI

In ZeugnyAI you rate each aspect on a scale of 1 to 5 and enter the duties. ZeugnyAI turns that into the certificate section by section, in English, German, French or Italian. For any sentence, you can ask which rating it expresses.

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Swiss Work Certificate in English explains which language a certificate has to be in and when you're entitled to an English version.

General information, not legal advice for individual cases.