Work Certificate 2.0, a Statement

In other countries it scarcely plays a role, whilst in Switzerland, Austria and Germany it often plays a decisive one. Added to this are coded text passages which can make the certificate appear very extensive and also "old-fashioned".

Manuel Wiesner, a Swiss restaurateur, had an idea a few years ago: "What if the certificate were much simpler to create and to read?" Completely rethought. "We wanted to abolish the platitudes, enable genuine statements and also relieve managers," explains Manuel Wiesner, initiator of the project.

Instead of encrypted formulations, the new format, also called Work Certificate 2.0, should present strengths and performance more clearly. This in the form of graphics, bar charts and on just one A4 page, but based on studies, surveys and psychological insights.

The aim is not only to relieve the certificate-issuing employer, but also to make reading certificates easier for recruiters or job providers.

A Project in Motion

The idea took shape and was developed further. In 2024, the initiators founded an association, currently with around 40 member companies. These members actively drive the vision forward, including companies from all sectors, such as from the energy sector, catering, banking sector or from the software field. Additionally, there are almost 170 participants who exchange ideas about the project at the "round table". Here, employee associations such as Employees Switzerland are also represented.

Software in Focus

The certificate should particularly be able to be created via known certificate tools and be standardisable for various functions.

It is important that software companies also implement the idea in their products. There are already successes to record here: even today, the first providers have implemented Work Certificate 2.0. These include, amongst others, zeugnis.ch, Skriba and confer!, which have adapted their software solutions accordingly. The companies Abacus, Weka, zep – certificate manager or certicat have also shown willingness according to Manuel Wiesner, the association is in talks with others.

Employers Rethink

At the Wiesner Gastronomy family business, the certificate is already in use: "This certificate works very well for 80 per cent of employees," says Wiesner. Particularly for operational activities or in the catering and service sector, the system can bring advantages: fewer disputes, more comparability, faster processes.

Outdoor Switzerland AG

At Outdoor Switzerland AG, a provider of leisure and outdoor experiences, they are also newly adopting the new form. Nina Spitznagel, an employee in HR, reports on the problems that existed previously:

"I think we were like many other companies: creating a work certificate was associated with enormous time expenditure – for all parties involved. Managers had to fill out extensive certificate applications with numerous evaluations, of which ultimately only a few were adopted into standardised formulations. The effort was also great in HR: sometimes we worked with AI support, yet it remained a time-intensive and – honestly – little satisfying task. Especially when one knows that many certificates are ultimately hardly read anymore – which makes the whole process seem somehow pointless."

The need for an alternative arose. During her research, she came across the new concept and was positively surprised. The HR team and management were quickly convinced and they decided to switch to the new format.

For this reason, the marketing department has created a template in Outdoor's corporate identity, based on Work Certificate 2.0.

Nevertheless, there are also critical voices which cannot be entirely dismissed. Certificates in higher positions with management responsibility would be challenging. Here, the new form might potentially not be meaningful enough. "In such cases, we would reserve the right to continue issuing a classic work certificate. On this point too, however, we are still at the beginning and have only limited empirical values," says Nina Spitznagel.

Outdoor Switzerland AG is currently in the preparation phase and plans introduction throughout the entire company in late autumn.

Criticism and Open Questions

There are still some uncertainties. What about academic professions or specialised activities? Manuel Wiesner himself admits: "For certain jobs, an individual reference letter in combination with Work Certificate 2.0 continues to make sense."

The question of appreciation also remains open. Critics fear that personal recognition could be lost in the sober standard certificate. "The discussion should always take place in the employee meeting," emphasises Wiesner; neither the old nor the new certificate can replace this dialogue.

Work Certificate 2.0 could become a "game changer" for many employees: fewer encrypted messages, more transparency and comparability. At the same time, the danger remains that individuality and appreciation might be neglected.

Employees should follow the development attentively and, when in doubt, additionally obtain personal references. We too, as an employee association, will keep an eye on this and represent the interests of workers in this process.

The conclusion is overall optimistic: the goal is to implement the vision of a contemporary and fair assessment whilst bringing as many stakeholders as possible to the table.