The first step is to keep a journal. It should contain details noting the who, what, when and where of each bullying incident as well as supporting documents, says Catherine Mattice Zundel, of the Forbes Coaches Council and an expert on workplace bullying. Records also are important if it gets raised to the level of a court hearing.
Gather testimonies from co-workers and other managers about your work performance to disprove, or challenge, attempts by the bully--who may be your manager--to discredit you.
Victims also should have research ready to show the financial cost for companies due to workplace bullying. This could include information on turnover because of bullying or overtime pay the company shells out because of a bully's work demands. A victim also may want to talk with the bully before going to HR.
"If you think about it from HR's perspective, they'd rather have you come in and share all that you've done to try solving the problem than to explain you've done nothing to problem solve," Zundel says. "The former makes you out to be more of a team player and ready for solutions, while the latter could make you out to appear whiny."