January marks National Stalking Awareness Month, highlighting the need to recognise stalking and its harmful consequences on victims and communities. It is observed to encourage a deeper understanding of stalking and motivate proactive measures to stop it. This issue extends beyond personal boundaries, significantly impacting safety in workplaces as well. This is important because stalking awareness and workplace safety need to go hand-in-hand to ensure every organisation is safe for all employees.
Statistics show alarming trends concerning stalking in the working environment. For example, research shows that 1 in 6 women and 1 in 19 men would have been stalked at least once in their lifetime, and most of these incidents occur at work or involve work colleagues. Real examples reflect how frequently the escalation of such behaviour leads to consequences that come down hard on victims in the form of anxiety, fear, or even physical harm. In many cases, effective recovery from such situations could be extremely challenging.
Not all forms of harassment can be understood through the PoSH Act; therefore, it is important to see the importance of this framework in promoting safe work areas to include specific types of harassment, like stalking. The main focus here is on trying to understand the provisions of the PoSH Act to build a culture of safety.
Understanding Stalking
Stalking is normally very complicated, and it may occur in various ways, such as physical stalking (presence in a place at unwanted times), digital stalking (unwanted and ongoing harassment through social media or emails), and psychological stalking (threat or manipulation to make a person feel endangered).
The psychological repercussions of stalking for victims are important and, in many cases, long-lasting, impacting their mental and emotional well-being. Such victims may also develop high levels of anxiety, depression, and an overarching sense of fear that could affect their efficiency at work. Recognising this issue is important for companies considering to adopt an employee-centric approach as part of their culture.
Recommended Best Practices for Stalking Prevention in the Workplace
Employers have the most crucial role in preventing stalking in their environment. Here are some best practices:
- Recognising Stalking as Harassment: Stalking can be psychologically gendered harassment under the PoSH policy at the workplace, which would allow the organisation to take appropriate actions against it within that context.
- Education and Training: Employees and management should be educated through training programs to help them recognise and respond to stalking behaviours.
- Awareness Campaigns: Special workshops and seminars can be organised as part of a month-long awareness campaign during National Stalking Awareness Month. Informational material can be shared across the organisation in the form of posters and emails.
- Internal Committees: Formulating internal committees to address such cases as stalking under the PoSH Act makes it easier for victims to bring these issues up for resolution.
Prevention Strategies
To foster a safe workplace environment, organisations must establish clear policies defining stalking and harassment:
- Zero-Tolerance Policy: This will help in sending out a strong message of commitment to safety in the organisation.
- Create Safe Environments: Employers are responsible for creating an environment in which employees feel secure.
It is important to provide support to victims of stalking in order for a work culture to be inclusive.
- Leadership’s Role: By fostering an open dialogue about harassment issues, victims feel it is safe to mention incidents without any hesitation or fear.
- HR’s Responsibility: HR should build a culture of respect and inclusion using effective reporting mechanisms and providing resources to victims.
- Confidential Reporting Processes: Clear, simple and private processes should be established by employers to raise complaints about incidents of harassment or stalking.
- Counseling Support: Counseling services could be offered to help such victims deal with the emotional aftermath of the experience.
Conclusion
The National Stalking Awareness Month should be about raising awareness towards making work environments safer.
Organisations should actively fortify their workplace harassment policies in consideration of the provisions defined in the PoSH Act. Such a move will take the organisation a step closer to creating safe, inclusive environments for the well-being of all employees without fear of threats or discrimination. Further, ongoing education and awareness will empower employees to recognise and act against stalking behaviours. However, companies must commit to these issues year-round and not only in January.
A collective effort with employers, leadership, HR departments, and all the employees is needed to address stalking in the workplace. The right policies, such as the PoSH Act, make workplace safety the priority of an organisation, creating an environment where everyone is respected and feels secure.
Resources and Support
Helping those being victimised by stalking or harassment includes numerous organisations:
In case of application of a written complaint in the Internal Complaints Committee for your organisation formed under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act (the SH Act), 2013.
Or
If there is no ICC in your organisation because the number of employees is less than 10, or you want to complain against the employer him/herself, or if you are a domestic helper, then you can complain at the Local Complaints Committee formed in your district under the SH Act.
Or
You may contact the nearest police station to lodge an FIR against the perpetrator.
At Kelp, we help build safe, respectful, and inclusive workplaces for organisations across industries. If you are looking to create more awareness about stalking and its prevention, get in touch with our experts for customised training sessions and resources to help empower your team. Together, let’s uphold the values of safety and create a thriving workplace culture.
Contact our advisors at +91-9500129652, email info@kelphr.com, visit www.kelphr.com
