As professionals, we’d like to think that we left bullying on the middle school playground. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. While most overt, aggressive forms of bullying are generally not tolerated in modern workplaces, subtle, covert forms of bullying, like withholding information and gaslighting, are rarely addressed. And dismissing some forms of bullying as “holding people to high standards” or just a “competitive personality” actively creates further harm. Most workplace bullies are driven by self-interest and not organizational goals. They’ll often take credit for others’ work and resent when they aren’t the star of the show. For managers to properly address workplace bullying, it’s important to understand that a reactive approach will not succeed. Prevention is key. We also shouldn’t place the burden of proof and anti-bullying work on the target. Asking them to fix the problem or figure it out with the bully is inappropriate.