Christopher Achkar, employment lawyer, on workplace bullying, “Documentation is everything in harassment cases”
Some workers can find themselves in a toxic workplace environment leading them to quit. But before you do that, avoid these three mistakes.
Toxic workplace environments are far more common than one would think at first. According to Monster’s 2025 Mental Health in the Workplace survey, 80 percent of respondents said they work in a toxic environment. That is up dramatically from the year before when 57 percent said the same.
Employees are not afraid to walk away from an unbearable workplace environment. Nearly 54% of participants that took part in an iHire survey last year reported that they have quit a job because their workplace was toxic.
However, Christopher Achkar laments that too often employees quit before consulting a professional employment lawyer and thus not knowing what that resignation will cost them. He shared a video on TikTok about three mistakes toxic bosses are waiting for employees to make.
@christopherthelawyer Your toxic boss wants you to make these 3 mistakes at work. And most people make all of them. Here are the 3 mistakes people make when they are being bullied or harassed at work — and every one of them makes it harder to protect yourself later. If this is happening to you right now, you need to know your rights before you do anything else. Workplace harassment and workplace bullying are serious legal issues. Your employer has a legal obligation to act. Save this video. You might need it — or someone you know might. #workplaceharassment #workplacebullying #employmentlawyer #legaladvice #knowyourrights @Achkar Law
♬ original sound - Christopher Achkar
Three mistakes employees make when bullied at work
First and foremost, Achkar says that employees stay silent about harassment at work for too long. He understands that people do this because they are scared of making the situation worse.
“I get it you’re scared of retaliation, that nobody will believe you, you’re worried HR is always on the company’s side. These are legitimate concerns,” he says. However, he warns that “your silence will become the company’s defense” if you wish to pursue a constructive unfair dismissal case against your employer.
“If you never formally report these issues at work, it will be harder to say later that the company knew about these issues and failed to act,” he explains. Companies are legally required to investigate once they’ve been informed of workplace harassment he points out.
“Documentation is everything in harassment cases”
The second major error employees make is not documenting the harassment. He shares that typically in these cases by the time people come to him, “the incidents are blurry, the dates are forgotten, and the people involved have moved on,” he says. “Documentation is everything in harassment cases.”
He says to take note of every incident the same day it happens, putting in writing everything, “dates, times, locations, who was involved, what was said, everything.” If there are emails or texts, he urges that you save everything outside the company system so you can still access them if you get locked out.
Don’t resign before consulting a professional
The third mistake Achkar says employees make is resigning before consulting a professional employment lawyer and thus not knowing what that resignation will cost them.
“A lot of the time, depending on the circumstances, a hostile workplace environment and them being forced to resign actually supports a claim for constructive dismissal,” he says. “But if you resign without getting proper advice first may really weaken your position.”
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