I gotta be honest: it’s not illegal in the workplace to be an asshole, and HR doesn’t really care about your situation unless the two are doing something illegal that puts your company at risk (and even then, HR will try to get rid of you along with them). This is the harsh reality of working with adults: you are not the problem, yet your life gets upended by this crap, even if you do the right thing.

Here’s what you can do. Go to YT on look up employment lawyer Brannigam Robertson’s video series on hostile work environments for more information about what it technically is and is not, what you can do to protect yourself, and to see if you have a case.

Do not go to HR yet unless you see something immediately dangerous—like a work condition where something might physically blow up—to yourself and others.

If HR tries to get you to sign an NDA in exchange for a payout and your resignation, do not sign it until you get a free consult with an employment lawyer, as they sometimes can get your many times that number.

Now onto the unethical parts. Do you live in a one-party consent state when it comes to recording audio and video in secret? If so, get cracking on the hidden recording devices so you can catch them in the act of saying or doing disparaging (or even illegal) things in the workplace, both when you’re present and not. (If you’re in a two-party-consent state, don’t do this, as you could face charges and any evidence you collect would be inadmissible.)