"ihre Arbeitsbefähigung entsprach nicht in allen Bereichen unseren Anforderungen"

Category: Capability

Switzerland
4
unsatisfactory
Germany
5
poor

Meaning

Work capability poor. The qualifier 'not in all areas' clearly relativises the suitability and places the capability at the bottom of the scale (cf. ZC-BEF-001 to ZC-BEF-004).

A nearby wording to compare

Compare this with "war eine äußerst tüchtige Mitarbeiterin, ihre Arbeitsbefähigung war stets in jeder Hinsicht sehr gut", assessed as Swiss grade 1 rather than 4. The change in wording illustrates why modifiers and sentence structure matter.

"war eine äußerst tüchtige Mitarbeiterin, ihre Arbeitsbefähigung war stets in jeder Hinsicht sehr gut"

Hidden Meaning

The capability was insufficient for essential parts of the role.

Switzerland vs. Germany

This phrase is rated grade 4 (unsatisfactory) in Switzerland, and grade 5 (poor) in Germany. In Switzerland, this phrase is rated better than in Germany.

Background: In Switzerland, "good" is the norm qualification (Labour Court Zurich), while in Germany, "satisfactory" (grade 3) is the statistical average (BAG 18.11.2014, 9 AZR 584/13).

Variants

  • "war den Anforderungen nur teilweise gewachsen"

Sources

  • Karriereakademie 200 Formulierungen
  • Haufe Zeugnissprache
Medium confidence

Swiss employment-reference context

Swiss guidance says a full work reference should clearly cover duties, performance, and behavior, and that ambiguous coded messages are not permitted. The decoder explains common interpretations but cannot determine whether a specific reference is legally valid.

Read SECO's official work-reference FAQ

Note

Fills the gap below ZC-BEF-004 (grade 4). FLAG: Verify against Weuster/Scheer; openly negative capability statements are rare and context-dependent.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "ihre Arbeitsbefähigung entsprach nicht in allen Bereichen unseren Anforderungen" mean in a work reference? +

Work capability poor. The qualifier 'not in all areas' clearly relativises the suitability and places the capability at the bottom of the scale (cf. ZC-BEF-001 to ZC-BEF-004). Hidden Meaning: The capability was insufficient for essential parts of the role.

What grade does "ihre Arbeitsbefähigung entsprach nicht in allen Bereichen unseren Anforderungen" correspond to in Switzerland? +

In Switzerland, this phrase corresponds to grade 4 (unsatisfactory). In Germany, it corresponds to grade 5 (poor).

What does "war den Anforderungen nur teilweise gewachsen" mean in a work reference? +

Work capability poor. The qualifier 'not in all areas' clearly relativises the suitability and places the capability at the bottom of the scale (cf. ZC-BEF-001 to ZC-BEF-004). Hidden Meaning: The capability was insufficient for essential parts of the role.

Related Phrases

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