It's Stalking Awareness month: Do you know what do to if your employee or co-worker has a stalker?
Stalking—unwanted surveillance and contact that causes reasonable fear—affects just under 4 million Americans 16 and older each year. Of these victims, over 2 million will miss more than 5 days at work annually because of the unwanted harassment from their offender. *Presenteeism, or loss of productivity at work is also a major issue affecting stalking victims and their employers. In 2016, the financial costs of stalking, which include productivity loss and health services, amounted to $604 million dollars for companies in the United States.
There are four key facts that can help you protect your company from the consequences of stalking.
First, the majority of stalking victims are women, and often they know their stalker personally.
Second, separations and divorces increase the risk of a person experiencing stalking.
Third, stalkers use multiple methods to harass and track their victims; cyberstalking (unwanted digital communication) is an increasingly common method. (See Apple story below)
Fourth, stalking does not always go away on its own; most of the victims report having at least four unwanted contacts a month, for years on end.
Stalking is illegal in all 50 states; you can help protect your employees from this awful crime.
Apple AirTags Have a Dark Side
Apple’s AirTags are being used for stalking so often that the “Personal Safety User Guide” has been updated with advice for those who see an unexpected AirTag or hear it beep.
SPARC 2022
https://www.stalkingawareness.org/stalking-awareness-month-2022/
*Presenteeism or working while sick is the act or culture of employees continuing to work as a performative measure, despite having reduced productivity levels or negative consequences. Reduced productivity during presenteeism is often due to illness, injury, exhaustion, or mental and physical acts perpetrated against a victim, such as stalking and workplace related violence.
TAG has over 30 years of expertise helping corporations prevent and intervene in stalking cases through program development, training, and case consultation. For more information, please contact us.