Why you should document workplace bullying yourself
Workplace bullying starts quietly: dismissive remarks, deliberate exclusion, tasks withheld for no reason. People who notice often stay silent. Without a written record, the other side later denies each incident, and it comes down to your word against theirs. That is exactly what a workplace bullying diary is for: your personal record that keeps each incident so you can back it up.
You log each incident with date, time, place, people involved, witnesses and wording, and add a photo when needed. Every entry gets a SHA-256 timestamp seal that makes later edits visible. With full-text search and filters you review your entries by month, incident type and person. On the day you have to explain your case, you have every incident recorded in full.
All your entries stay behind your PIN, on your device only. No account, no server, no cloud, no sharing. A workplace bullying diary keeps your incidents on record and makes edits visible; the app documents and reminds, it does not replace legal advice.
Documenting mobbing: what belongs in every entry
Mobbing thrives on being hard to pin down โ each incident looks harmless on its own, and only the sum of them reveals the picture. For your documentation to hold up in front of managers, the works council or a lawyer, every entry should carry at least the following:
- Date and time of the incident โ the starting point for any pattern
- Place and situation โ a meeting, the hallway, an email, a chat or a call
- People involved and possible witnesses
- What exactly happened โ factual and, where possible, word for word
- The effect on you โ concrete, without overstating it
- Evidence โ references to emails, screenshots or notes
Loose notes get lost, and weeks later there is little you can reliably reconstruct from memory. The Mobbing-Tagebuch walks you through the same fields with every entry and keeps everything in order โ PIN-protected and offline on your device. Instead of isolated complaints, you end up with a coherent, traceable record.
Why a complete record matters with mobbing
Mobbing is not a one-off conflict but repeated, often systematic behaviour over an extended period. That is exactly what only a complete, dated record can show: frequency, pattern and escalation become visible only across weeks and months โ turning a diffuse feeling into a documented chronicle.
You need this basis the moment you push back. The employer has a duty of care and consideration (ยง 241 Abs. 2 BGB), and as an employee you have a right to complain (ยง 84 BetrVG). Whether you talk to the works council, lodge a complaint or weigh up legal steps โ a factual record is your strongest argument on every one of those paths.
Mobbing is legally complex and, in Germany, is not governed by a single law; whether and how you proceed depends on the individual case. The Mobbing-Tagebuch gives you the ordered basis, but it is not legal advice โ the works council, a union or an employment lawyer can help. If the situation is affecting your health, seek medical or psychological support.
How to document mobbing properly
Good documentation is calm, factual and regular โ not written in the heat of the moment. Here is how to go about it:
- Record promptly: Note the incident the same day, while the details are still precise in your memory.
- Stay factual: Describe what happened rather than judging it โ facts convince more than outrage.
- Be concrete: Verbatim quotes, times and names make the entry checkable.
- Secure witnesses and evidence: Note who was present, and save the emails or screenshots.
- Keep it protected: Use the PIN so your records stay private.
That way you walk into a conversation not with a vague accusation but with a coherent record โ the best basis for the works council, employer or lawyer to even assess your situation.