How to write your incident chronology
You need to turn scattered memories into a timeline a lawyer can use.
How do you write a useful incident chronology?
Build it as a simple dated list, not a long story, so anyone can follow the sequence quickly. For each entry, note the date, what happened, who was involved and any document that supports it.
The format matters most where timing is part of the legal test. Resigning without unreasonable delay after a breach is one of the conditions courts examine closely, and a dated sequence makes that easy to answer.1
What belongs in your chronology?
Include the events that led to your dismissal or resignation, even ones that felt minor at the time. Include any written objections you raised and how your employer answered, or did not.
Note where each entry has a document, message or witness behind it. The employer must still prove just cause for a dismissal that is challenged.2
How do you make it useful?
Start with your best estimate of dates and refine them against emails or messages. Keep the language factual, and put emotional context in a short separate note if you want it.
Writing it can bring back hard memories, so take breaks and return over a few days. If an entry feels too painful to detail now, leave a brief placeholder to fill in later.
What should you do next?
Read the full evidence checklist alongside your chronology, since the two work together. Read it through once for accuracy before you set it aside.
If you want a lawyer to act, an employment lawyer can review your draft chronology, flag gaps to fill and act on it if it shows grounds.
If your chronology is drafted and you are considering a claim, an independent employment lawyer can review it and act on it if it shows grounds.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.
Common questions
What format should a chronology actually take?
A simple dated list works best: the date, what happened, who was involved and any document that supports the entry. Avoid long paragraphs, since a reviewer needs to scan it quickly.
Should I include how I felt at each point?
Keep the main entries factual, and add a short separate note on impact if you want. Facts and dates carry more weight in a claim than emotional description alone.
How far back should my chronology start?
Start from the first event that feels connected to your dismissal, even if it was months earlier. A chronology that starts too late can miss a pattern that only shows over a longer period.
What if I cannot remember exact dates?
Use your best estimate, mark it as approximate and check it against emails, messages or calendar entries. An approximate date is far more useful than none.
Sources
- Bayer (M) Sdn Bhd v Anwar Abd Rahim requires the employee to resign because of the breach and without unreasonable delay, which makes a dated sequence of events especially useful. Thomas Philip
- The burden falls on the employer, not the employee, to prove the dismissal was for just cause or excuse. Mah Weng Kwai & Associates
Keep reading
If your chronology is drafted and you are considering a claim, an independent employment lawyer can review it and act on it if it shows grounds.
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
First contact: general facts only, such as date, location, employment status and a short summary. Keep documents private until an identified independent lawyer contacts you and specifically requests them.