Hello. My name is Erik Martin; I’m a freelance writer (check my credentials at www.martinspiration.blogspot.com) and I'm working on a new story for AARP The Magazine (online edition) on the following topic: BEATING THE OFFICE BULLY: What you can do if you or someone you know is being bullied/intimidated by a boss or coworker on the job. This piece would examine the incidence and extent of workplace bullying in the U.S., how it affects performance, productivity, morale and the bottom line, and how you can resolve a problem legally without risking your job if at all possible. I’m looking to interview: a U.S. employee/worker aged 50 and up who been bullied by a boss or coworker recently; a psychologist/mental health expert; a labor/human resources expert knowledgeable on the topic of bullying; and other knowledgeable industry experts/analysts who can provide tips and guidance on this topic. I can either conduct a phone or email interview (with the latter, you can type up responses to my questions below and email them to me). My deadline to complete all interviews is Wednesday, April 20 by noon central time.
QUESTIONS:1. (FOR A WORKER AGE 50+):a. (You don’t have to name your company or provide specifics) When/where/why/to what extent were you recently bullied?b. By whom (a boss or coworker?) What was this person’s title/responsibilities in relation to you)?c. Was the situation resolved? If so, how/when?d. What did you learn from this experience? What advice do you offer to others who might be being bullied on the job?e. What is your full name, age, city/state? 2. (FOR INDUSTRY EXPERTS): How do you define workplace bullying in 2016? Can you provide a real-world or hypothetical example(s) of what constitutes workplace bullying (e.g., Amazon’s recent controversy, any others)?3. How serious and prevalent a problem is workplace bullying? Do you have any statistics/data that underscore the problem (please cite your sources, best with links)?4. Has the problem of workplace bullying improved over recent years or actually gotten worse? How/why?5. What are the repercussions of workplace bullying? How does it affect performance/productivity/morale/the company’s bottom line?6. How can the person being bullied resolve the problem legally without risking their job? What should they be doing, when, how and why? (Please provide a list of steps, in order, as to what they should do).7. What legal rights do the bullied have? What recourse can/should they take?8. Are there any good resources you can direct people to for help (e.g., links to organizations online, free hotlines, etc.)? 9. Any other thoughts, comments, or tips you wanted to offer on this topic? 10. What is your full name, title/company, and city/state location?
Keywords
psychologist/mental health expert, labor/human resources expert, industry experts/analysts
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