TikTok’s general manager in Germany, Tobias Henning, has gone on leave as the company launches an investigation into his behavior following allegations of verbal abuse, Fast Company has learned.
Several current and former TikTok employees allege that Henning, who has worked with the company since October 2020 and oversees “development of the strategy, the product and operations in Germany” according to an official bio, as well as in central and eastern Europe, would make unreasonable demands, be verbally abusive, and act with hostility toward employees he disliked. The alleged abuse resulted in some workers leaving the company, which as of mid-2022 reportedly employed around 200 people, though staff numbers are believed to have swelled since then. The allegations date back several years.
Most spoke on condition of anonymity, because they fear repercussions from TikTok or Henning, whom they say is powerful within the company.
Henning, who oversees the German branch of the company and reports into its European headquarters in London, previously worked at German publisher Axel Springer, and before that, at international law firm Hengeler Mueller.
Allegations against Henning date back at least two years, but employees only began speaking with Fast Company about them over the past few weeks. They include claims that Henning would target female employees for abuse, singling out those he disliked for criticism in meetings, some of whom were hounded out of the company, and would make unreasonable demands of staff. (Henning did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment.)
On May 6, a week after Fast Company approached TikTok about the allegations, one current and one former employee said TikTok announced to staff in a meeting that Henning is on leave while an investigation takes place.
The investigation came after current and former staff approached Fast Company to allege mistreatment. Following conversations with staff, Fast Company made inquiries to TikTok about Henning’s alleged behavior on April 30. On May 6, staff were told he was on leave.
Fast Company has seen three official complaints filed with TikTok against Henning. One of them alleges “misogynistic, reckless, and disrespectful” behavior and says he is “threatening and aggressive” and will often “humiliate” staff. Another complaint cites an internal message sent between people working under Henning that calls him “fucking unhinged.”
“Tobias Henning is a bully and it’s known by the leadership for years,” says “Anne,” a current TikTok Germany employee who spoke under the condition of a pseudonym.
“He had a very aggressive leadership style,” adds Charles Bahr, a former employee who overlapped with Henning between 2020 and 2021.
Anne says Henning would also “intimidate” younger employees.
“If you are on his ‘list,’ he will not care about you and he will be extremely harsh and cold and not treat you fairly,” alleges “Barbara,” another current TikTok Germany employee who spoke under the condition of a pseudonym. “He will find excuses to have that go on your yearly performance review. He punishes people for daring to actually go up against him.”
“Going against him” could be as simple as explaining why it wasn’t possible for some impractical and unusual requests—including meeting celebrities with whom Henning had no clear business dealings—to be completed, current and former staff claim.
Barbara says she’s experienced this firsthand. “When I’ve also gone up against him, he doesn’t let it go,” she says. “He will in meetings later bring it up again.”
Barbara says that Henning is especially harsh toward female employees. “The pattern seems to be very female-driven,” she says. “He singles out women in meetings, he will just kind of disregard them when they say something, and he will just immediately go against them. And then make them feel very small.”
A former TikTok Germany employee, who requested anonymity, also says Henning singled out women. “If you were on his bad side, you knew, and that was more often women,” they say. “He bullied several female employees, yelled at them and made them cry in meetings. I know of several instances where we comforted some of our coworkers after their one-to-ones with Tobias because they came out crying.”
The former TikTok employee says that people felt unable to raise concerns except in a handful of circumstances for fear of retaliation. “Everyone was too afraid to speak up,” says the former employee. “We had one employee who complained to Tobias’s boss and then was bullied out of the company.”
Two separate people who worked under Henning gave three different examples of his leadership style and demands on employees relating to offsite meetings the German office held. The German work culture draws a distinct line between personal and professional life—something staff allege Henning did not respect.
Just two weeks before an offsite meeting in Israel was due to take place, Henning told staff working under him that their attendance was in fact required, despite the offsite taking place over Valentine’s Day. “So many people had to cancel personal things that were booked, others desperately had to find babysitters,” says Barbara. “When we expressed to him that we would not be able to make it, he would respond with [something like] ‘You’ll have to make it happen.’”
At another offsite, held over two days, Henning told employees that everyone working for him was responsible for their own health—“and it’s one’s own fault if they have burnout,” the former employee recalls. At the time, a female leader within the German office had been absent for weeks because of burnout, and those present took his comments to be a jab at her, says the former employee.
A third offsite in Hamburg organized two weeks in advance, Barbara claims, was made mandatory even though staff who were parents had said they could not change childcare plans. “’You have to make it work,’” Barbara recalls Henning saying. “’If you’re not able to do this, then you’re not a team player’.”
A TikTok spokesperson told Fast Company on April 30, after its initial inquiry: “TikTok has strong policies against misconduct in the workplace and employees are encouraged to report their concerns—anonymously, if they so choose. Every incident is investigated and, if appropriate, action may be taken at its conclusion.”