I live and work in Switzerland. I have some of these reference letters. About twenty years ago there was a backlash against the codes, so I got some reference letters with a declaration that they weren&#x27;t «coded».<p>I never worked for big corporations. Once one of the founders did the HR herself, but she was not a HR person and hated the codes herself. Another time I was asked to write my reference letter myself.<p>My opinion is that Germany has painted itself into a corner. The requirements are contradictory in itself. It&#x27;s not possible to be truthful and generous at the same time. However the employers are obligated, and between a rock and a hard place. Either the employee sues them because the reference letter is not benevolent enough or another employer sues them because the reference letter was not truthful.<p>So HR invented the codes, but not all employees were easily duped. The saga goes on.