Short Answer

Aggressive screaming and verbal abuse from a manager violate your legally protected personal rights and employer duty of care.

You are not required to tolerate hostile behavior, and you have the right to file a formal grievance with the company.

What Most Expats Don't Realize

You stayed silent when your manager repeatedly shouted at you during team meetings, believing that enduring the hostility was part of the local work culture. The continuous psychological stress caused you to develop severe anxiety, resulting in a three-week medical breakdown and complete career stagnation. You lost out on a €3,500 performance increase because the unchecked hostility destroyed your standing and productivity in the department.

What To Do

  • Print out a private physical log immediately after any incident to document the exact time, date, spoken words, and present witnesses.
  • Email a formal complaint letter (Beschwerde) directly to your HR department and the internal Works Council (Betriebsrat).
  • "Ich weise dieses unprofessionelle Verhalten zurück und fordere Sie auf, sachlich zu bleiben." (I reject this unprofessional behavior and request that you remain objective.) — say this firmly if a manager loses control in front of you.