Documenting workplace harassment — how to recognize and record it
Published July 20, 2026
The short answer
Harassment at work is unwelcome conduct — comments, jokes, messages, touching, images, or behavior — that targets you, often because of who you are. It can come from a manager, a coworker, or even a customer. A single serious incident can matter, and so can a stream of smaller ones that add up over time.
What makes harassment hard to deal with is that so much of it happens in passing — a comment here, a message there — and each piece on its own can be waved away. That's exactly why a record matters. When each incident is written down with its date, what was said or done, and who was nearby, the pattern that's obvious to you becomes visible to someone who wasn't in the room.
This page won't judge whether what you experienced crosses a legal line — that depends on the conduct and the rules that apply, which is why it points you to the EEOC and your state's fair-employment agency below. What it can help you do is capture the facts while they're fresh: the who, what, when, where, and who else saw or heard it. Note how it has affected your work — that documents the impact, as evidence, not as a measure of your feelings.
rippedoffworker is not a law firm or a counselling service. What it does is let you log each incident as it happens, with the date and the details, so a factual, dated record exists in one place — ready for whoever you decide to bring it to.
Common signs
Any one of these can have an innocent explanation on its own — it’s the pattern, recorded with dates, that becomes clear over time.
Unwelcome comments or jokes
Repeated remarks, jokes, or 'banter' that target you and that you didn't invite.
Messages or images
Texts, emails, or images that are offensive, sexual, or demeaning.
Unwanted physical contact
Touching, blocking, or invading your space without consent.
Targeting who you are
Conduct tied to your race, sex, religion, age, disability, or another part of your identity.
Escalation after you object
The behavior continuing or worsening after you said stop or looked uncomfortable.
Third parties
Harassment from customers, clients, or vendors that the employer knows about and allows.
What you can do
- 1
For each incident, record the date, time, and place, and exactly what was said or done — in plain, factual words.
- 2
Note who did it and who else was present or nearby.
- 3
Save any evidence: messages, emails, images, or screenshots — keep the originals where you can.
- 4
Write it down as soon as possible after it happens, while the details are clear.
- 5
If you reported it, record when, to whom, and what response you got.
- 6
Note how it affected your work — this records the impact as evidence.
- 7
Keep your record somewhere private that the employer cannot access or change.
Where to get help
These are real, outside sources of help — official agencies and personal support, not this app. For the rules and complaint routes, start here.
EEOC
The federal body that handles workplace harassment based on protected characteristics — https://www.eeoc.gov.
Your state fair-employment agency
Many states have their own agency; see your state's page for the local route.
A trusted person or counsellor
If this is affecting how you feel, a counsellor, a doctor, or someone you trust can offer support that this app cannot.
A relevant helpline
If any conduct feels threatening or you fear for your safety, contact local authorities or a relevant helpline.
In plain terms
- Harassment
- Unwelcome conduct, often based on who you are, that a worker is subjected to at work.
- Hostile work environment
- When harassment is severe or frequent enough to change the conditions of your work — a term with a specific legal meaning; see the EEOC.
- Protected characteristic
- A trait like race, sex, religion, age, or disability that anti-discrimination rules cover.
- Contemporaneous note
- A record made at or near the time of an incident — often clearer and more useful than one written much later.
Where rippedoffworker comes in
The guide tells you what to do — the app does it with you.
rippedoffworker helps workers of every kind — hourly, salaried, gig and contractor, and commission-based — log the hours, pay, and treatment as they happen. It builds a dated record over time: unpaid or underpaid wages, missing gig or commission earnings, missed breaks, off-the-clock work, and mistreatment or retaliation — soyour own figures and the pattern behind it are organized in one place, ready to take to the people who can help.
rippedoffworker is a record-keeping tool, not a law firm, and does not give legal advice. Any amounts are arithmetic on the figures you entered — apparent, not a guaranteed or legally determined amount.