The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) prohibits discrimination on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, gender, religion, worldview, disability, age or sexual identity. This also applies to employment references.
Typical violations
Gender-specific formulations that go beyond the grammatically correct form of address (e.g. "as a mother of two children").
References to age ("despite her age", "young, dynamic colleague").
Nationality or origin references ("integrative attitude", "good German skills" without professional relevance).
Religious or worldview characteristics, unless professionally relevant.
Fairness check in Zeugnispilot
Before export, Zeugnis checks the text for potentially discriminatory formulations — regardless of the chosen grade.
In case of doubt: formulate factually and neutrally. Assess performance and conduct, not personal characteristics protected by the AGG.