Worauf muss ich beim Arbeitszeugnis schreiben achten?
What should I look out for when writing a reference?
The content of an employment reference must be true, complete, linguistically correct and benevolent. It must not be a hindrance to an employee's future job search. There are clear rules to be observed here, which define, among other things, which aspects of the content are mandatory. It is also stipulated which (negative) content is not permitted in a reference. Depending on the information provided, the respective relationship is decisive. For example, highly personal points, such as illnesses or disabilities, may not be included in the reference, but only insofar as these do not have a decisive influence on an employee's employment and would therefore be in the legitimate interest of the future employer. Longer absences or periods of absence are also generally not mentioned, provided they do not account for more than half of the total period of employment.
The following points may not be included in the reference:
- Any private behavior that takes place outside the company: Personal problems, marital disputes, party membership, assets, sex life, religious affiliation, secondary employment, participation in strikes, voluntary work, commitments, etc.
- One-off misconduct, warnings
- Single late arrival
- One-off dispute with the employer
- One-off temporary drop in performance
- One-off disagreements with work colleagues
- Suspicion of criminal offenses or criminal acts that are not related to work
- Pregnancy and parental leave
On the other hand, the following points may be mentioned when writing an employer's reference, provided that they are mentioned in the correct language:
- Contentiousness
- Failure to follow instructions in repeated cases
- Careless working methods in repeated cases
- Inability to work in a team
- Repeated harassment of colleagues at work
- Repeated drunkenness at the workplace
- Offenses in the workplace
