In every investigation I’ve been near, the person with a dated, specific log was the most credible person in the room — and the person with only memories was the easiest to dismiss. Not because they were lying. Because memory can’t be checked, and a log can.
So here is the template I teach. Copy it into a notebook or a private document on your own device — never on company systems — and use it every single time. Not just for the big incidents. The small ones are what prove the pattern.
The Seven Fields for Every Entry
Every entry gets all seven. Skipping fields is how logs get picked apart.
1. Date and time. Exact. “Tuesday, March 4, about 2:15 p.m.”
2. Location. Where it happened, specifically. “Third-floor break room.” “His office, door closed.” “Team video call.”
3. Who was involved. The person who did it, and everyone present — including people nearby who may have seen or heard.
4. What happened, in exact words. As close to verbatim as you can manage. Quote what was said. Describe what was done, physically and specifically. No interpretation here — just facts. “He said, ‘Women shouldn’t be running this project.’” Not “He was sexist again.”
5. What you did. Your response in the moment. Did you tell him to stop? Leave the room? Say nothing? Record it honestly — including if you froze. Freezing is human and investigators know it.
6. Who you told, and when. The coworker you called that night. The friend you texted at 6 p.m. The spouse you told at dinner. These people become witnesses to your state of mind at the time, and the closer to the incident, the stronger.
7. Effect on you and your work. Briefly. “Couldn’t concentrate in the 3 p.m. client meeting.” “Skipped the team lunch to avoid him.” “Didn’t sleep.” This is what turns incidents into “changed conditions of employment.”
A Filled-In Example
Date/Time: Thursday, March 6, approx. 9:40 a.m.
Location: Open office, near my desk.
Involved: [Manager name]. Present: [Coworker A] at the next desk, [Coworker B] walking past.
What happened: He stopped at my desk and said, loud enough for others to hear, “Nice outfit. Dressing up for someone?” Then laughed and said, “You should do that more often.” This is the third comment about my appearance this month (see March 1 and March 4 entries).
What I did: Said, “Please don’t comment on my clothes,” and turned back to my screen. He said, “Relax, it’s a compliment,” and walked away.
Who I told: Texted [Friend] at 9:52 a.m. (“He did it again, in front of everyone”). Told [Spouse] at dinner.
Effect: Felt humiliated; avoided the 10 a.m. stand-up he runs; kept my cardigan on all day.
The Five Rules That Keep It Credible
Write it the same day. Contemporaneous notes carry real weight; reconstructed ones don’t. Set a phone reminder if you have to.
Facts only — no adjectives about him. “He said X” is evidence. “He’s a creep who said X” is an opinion that makes an investigator wonder what else you’ve editorialized. Save your feelings for field seven, where they belong.
Never exaggerate. One claim that doesn’t hold up casts doubt on fifty that do. If you don’t remember exact words, say “words to the effect of.”
Keep it off company systems. Your own device, your own notebook, your own time. And don’t forward confidential company documents to personal accounts — summarize instead: what the email said, its date, sender, subject.
Log the small stuff too. The eye-roll when you speak. The “joke.” The meeting you weren’t invited to. Individually, none of it is a case. Together, dated, over months, it’s the pattern — and the pattern is what “pervasive” means.
Two Companion Files
Keep two more sections in the same notebook. The reports log: every time you told the person to stop or reported to anyone official — date, to whom, how (verbal or written), and their response. This is your retaliation protection. The wins file: your reviews, praise, metrics, and thank-yous, dated. When someone claims your complaint is really about your performance, this section ends the conversation.
Fifteen Minutes a Week
Put a recurring fifteen-minute appointment on your personal calendar to update and review the log. Keep the habit small enough to survive the weeks when things seem better — especially those weeks, because harassment runs in cycles and the calm phase is when most people stop writing.
And know this: the log does something for you beyond evidence. Once an incident is written down, your mind can put it down. The file carries it so you don’t have to replay it at 2 a.m.
Go Deeper
This template is one piece of the complete documentation system in my book — the five logs, the confirmation-email habit, the clean-hands doctrine, and the whole playbook for surviving under authority that’s working against you: The Spirit of Saul: Surviving the Boss Who Wants to See You Fall.
Start the log today. Seven fields, same day, facts only. It may be the most important document you ever keep.
Commissioner William Epps is an author and security leadership consultant. His books are published through E.P.P.S Method Publishing Co. This article is general guidance, not legal advice.
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