| The article says that "Germany, alongside with Switzerland, are the only countries in Europe where the employee has the right to a reference letter in which their performance is graded". In addition at least in Finland, the employee has similar rights to a reference letter with assessment stating duties and performance - and the assessment may not be negative. In Finland, the law states that "the reference letter must not imply other meanings than what is literally said". That is of course a bit of an impossible requirement. You can always read something implied if there is any assessment, and not having an assessment can also be interpreted as implying something (although it is generally a normal and neutral thing, there is a "long form" of reference with assessment, and "short form" without). In Sweden, there is also a right to reference letter (arbetsgivarintyg), but it only needs to list duties, not give assessment. Some years back in Finland, an employer actually went to jail because he refused to sign a reference letter which he considered not true regarding work duties. Negative assessments are not allowed. The employment had lasted for a few months, but the employee had been on strike for almost all the time, only actually performing work duties for two weeks. The employer, en electrician, agreed to write the reference letter for this two week period but not sign that the employee would have been at work when he was actually on strike. But this was required by law because the employment contract had been valid. A court case ensued. The employer was sentenced to a couple of months prison and was about to be sentenced again and again for as long as he would not sign the letter; eventually an undisclosed agreement was reached as the identity of the employee also made the news. This feels rather strange in a country where you otherwise have to do some very graphic violence to go to jail. Personal references in the US style have become more and more usual here, particularly in white-collar jobs. |