A thought I’ve had today while demanding my work certificate for the job I’ve been fired from 2.5 months ago (you’d think in such a plannable process, the certificate would be ready on the last day of work…): while HR works for the company, I enjoy having a good HR department that handles things professionally and in a timely manner.
Fear of litigation/care for the preservation of resources also makes it easier to discuss with them what should be in the work certificate.
As a whole, in my career, I’ve always enjoyed dealing with professionnals rather than amateurs even when they’re on the other side of the negociation table: it’s easier to understand what they care for, negociating toward them getting that and you getting what you truly care for and having them agree to it rather than meaninglessly talking around the pot, not knowing how to close a deal or thinking they can be lazy and/or greedy and get away with it.