{"id":4518,"date":"2015-01-22T16:55:46","date_gmt":"2015-01-22T16:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/?p=4518"},"modified":"2025-12-09T18:41:21","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T18:41:21","slug":"arbeitsrecht-bei-mobbing-durch-kollegen-oder-vorgesetzte-kann-ein-schmerzensgeldanspruch-des-arbeitnehmers-bestehen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/labor-law-in-cases-of-bullying-by-colleagues-or-supervisors-the-employee-may-have-a-claim-for-compensation-for-pain-and-suffering\/","title":{"rendered":"Labor law: In cases of bullying by colleagues or supervisors, the employee may have a claim for compensation for pain and suffering."},"content":{"rendered":"

Labor Court Siegburg, 11.10.2012, Case No.: 1 Ca 1310\/12<\/strong><\/p>\n

The term \u201ebullying\u201c (Mobbing) is increasingly becoming a topic in both out-of-court and judicial disputes in today\u2019s working world.<\/p>\n

The Federal Labor Court defines bullying as the systematic hostility, harassment, or discrimination of employees by one another or by supervisors.<\/p>\n

Bullying is often exacerbated by stressful situations in the workplace, which may arise due to over- or under-demanding work tasks for individual employees or employee groups, issues in work organization, or the behavior of supervisors.<\/p>\n

Identifying bullying, assessing the credibility of those affected, and distinguishing it from socially accepted behavior in the workplace pose significant challenges.<\/p>\n

The documentation of bullying by the employee through a so-called bullying diary represents an additional burden for affected employees, but it is absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n

The case mentioned above, from the Labor Court of Siegburg, is particularly suitable for illustrating how an employee\u2019s personal rights can be violated through systematic discrimination via seemingly insignificant actions.<\/p>\n

\"Bullying<\/p>\n

<\/span>Facts of the Court Case<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The plaintiff, an industrial clerk born in 1950, had been employed by an information technology company since 1992. Despite a 30% disability, he worked as a department head for software services until 2005. After a restructuring, he took on the role of a task manager, where he was required to handle daily performance accounting. As early as 2006, the plaintiff repeatedly expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of workload and requested additional tasks. After unsuccessful severance negotiations in 2009, disputes between the plaintiff and his employer arose, leading to various conflicts.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Disputes and Bullying Allegations<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

After the severance negotiations failed, the employer allegedly began to systematically harass the plaintiff. Starting in 2010, the plaintiff was required to submit detailed daily reports. Additionally, his vacation request in 2010 was denied, although he had coordinated his vacation plans early with colleagues. In contrast, a colleague\u2019s vacation request was approved. The plaintiff was later assigned to sort IT scrap, a task he found degrading as it did not match his qualifications. He was also assigned an inferior workstation, and further humiliating incidents occurred, such as being instructed to clean the toilet after use.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Health Consequences and Reintegration Attempts<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

During the disputes, the plaintiff developed moderate depression and participated in a rehabilitation program. A subsequent request for recuperative leave was denied by the employer, prompting the plaintiff to obtain a court injunction to continue his recovery. Upon returning to work, the plaintiff found his workstation occupied by a trainee, and he was assigned to an inferior workstation. Several attempts at reintegration failed, partly because the plaintiff was given tasks that did not align with his former responsibilities, which he perceived as degrading.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Claim for Compensation and Court Decision<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The plaintiff eventually filed a lawsuit with the Labor Court in Siegburg, seeking compensation for pain and suffering due to a violation of his personal rights. The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, finding that the employer\u2019s actions constituted a systematic violation of the plaintiff\u2019s personal rights. The employer had deliberately underutilized the plaintiff and marginalized him through degrading tasks, such as sorting IT scrap. The handling of the vacation request and the assignment of an inferior workstation were also considered hostile actions. The court determined that the plaintiff was entitled to compensation.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Rationale for the Judgment<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

The court found that the employer had breached its contractual duty of care. It had not only restricted the plaintiff's ability to work, but had also violated the plaintiff's general right of personality through continued humiliation. In particular, the instruction to sort IT scrap was to be seen as part of systematic bullying aimed at humiliating the plaintiff. The refusal to grant the plaintiff protected leave and the insensitive handling of health problems exacerbated the situation. Overall, the court recognised the employer's actions as an intentional violation of personal rights, which justified compensation in the form of damages for pain and suffering. Those affected should Employment and Labour Law<\/a> get advice.<\/p>\n

Source: Labor Court Siegburg<\/p>\n

Important Note: The content of this article has been prepared to the best of our knowledge and belief. However, due to the complexity and constant evolution of the subject matter, we must exclude liability and warranty.<\/strong> Important Notice: The content of this article has been created to the best of our knowledge and understanding. However, due to the complexity and constant changes in the subject matter, we must exclude any liability and warranty.<\/p>\n

If you need legal advice, feel free to call us at 0221 \u2013 80187670 or email us at info@mth-partner.de.<\/p>\n

Lawyers in Cologne advise and represent you in labour law.<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If employees are repeatedly harassed, belittled or even insulted by their bosses or other employees, this may constitute bullying. This can lead to the employee being entitled to compensation for pain and suffering, which can vary depending on the severity of the bullying. <\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3653],"tags":[2884,529,2532],"class_list":["post-4518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mobbing-bossing","tag-arbeitnehmer-verletzung-des-persoenlichkeitsrechts","tag-beleidigung-kundigung","tag-rechtsanwalt-koeln-mobbing"],"yoast_head":"\nArbeitsrecht: Bei Mobbing durch Kollegen oder Vorgesetzte kann ein Schmerzensgeldanspruch des Arbeitnehmers bestehen.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Mobbing ist das systematische Anfeinden, Schikanieren oder Diskriminieren von Arbeitnehmern untereinander oder durch Vorgesetzte.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/labor-law-in-cases-of-bullying-by-colleagues-or-supervisors-the-employee-may-have-a-claim-for-compensation-for-pain-and-suffering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Arbeitsrecht: Bei Mobbing durch Kollegen oder Vorgesetzte kann ein Schmerzensgeldanspruch des Arbeitnehmers bestehen.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mobbing ist das systematische Anfeinden, Schikanieren oder Diskriminieren von Arbeitnehmern untereinander oder durch Vorgesetzte.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/labor-law-in-cases-of-bullying-by-colleagues-or-supervisors-the-employee-may-have-a-claim-for-compensation-for-pain-and-suffering\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rechtsanwaltskanzlei\u00a0Tieben\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=100054481000178\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-01-22T16:55:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-09T18:41:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Arbeitsrecht-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"helmer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mth_Tieben\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mth_Tieben\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"helmer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Labor law: In cases of bullying by colleagues or supervisors, the employee may have a claim for compensation for pain and suffering.","description":"Bullying is the systematic hostility, harassment or discrimination of employees against each other or by superiors.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.mth-partner.de\/en\/labor-law-in-cases-of-bullying-by-colleagues-or-supervisors-the-employee-may-have-a-claim-for-compensation-for-pain-and-suffering\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Arbeitsrecht: Bei Mobbing durch Kollegen oder Vorgesetzte kann ein Schmerzensgeldanspruch des Arbeitnehmers bestehen.","og_description":"Mobbing ist das systematische Anfeinden, Schikanieren oder Diskriminieren von 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