Creating

How Can Chaplains Help?

Any successful business owner knows that their most valuable asset is their people. You pay your employees to complete tasks critical to keeping the company running. You train your employees so that they can take anything the job throws at them.

You construct teams to motivate, encourage, and build employees. You do everything in your power to make sure that your people have the best work experience possible.

But sometimes life happens outside of your influence.  An employee's family member dies, or a relationship ends.  What happens when people are shaken to their core? Life is full of challenges - some big, some small. At some point, all of us face a crisis and we need extra support to help us and our loved ones through difficult times. When your employees need someone outside of the workplace, Chaplains are there.

The Personal Touch: Employee Care vs. Employee Assistance


Assistance
the provision of money, resources, or information to help someone.

Employee Assistance Programs generally provide exactly what their name states:  Employees receive a 1-800 telephone number they can call in dire emergency. But is a dire emergency the time when an employee is likely to trust a total stranger?  And for the few employees who do make this phone call, problems are generally only addressed once they reach a crisis stage.

Care
the provision of what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.

Face to face care makes all the difference. Corporate Chaplains' Employee Care Program involves weekly, face to face meetings with employees. Because a chaplain is actively building relationships with employees, there is an increased comfort level when the employee needs to engage the chaplain regarding deeper issues. This results in problems being addressed much sooner, leading to greater employee health and increased productivity.

What Does a Chaplain Do?

Chaplains offer confidential, unbiased 24-hour support in case of personal crisis.

Chaplains offer:

• 24/7 in-person support ;
• Weekly face to face on-site visits;
• Stress reduction strategies;
• Addictions support;
• Suicide intervention/Crisis support;
• Referrals for long term counseling needs.

Upon request, a chaplain will:

• Meet at a neutral site, away from the workplace, to discuss personal challenges;
• Visit a nursing home, hospital, or prison;
• Provide bereavement care, or officiate at a funeral;
• Offer spiritual guidance and direction.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. When is the Chaplain available and how does an employee contact a Chaplain when special needs arise?
   Chaplains make weekly visits with all employees. Employees are able to contact their chaplain at any time and request additional meetings outside of work hours. In the event of an emergency, employees have 24/7 contact information for the chaplains working at their company.
2. Can a business Chaplain effectively care for employees from varied religious backgrounds? 
   Most crises that occur in employees' lives are common to humanity: relationships, family, money, career, addictions and unhealthy dependency issues impact people of all belief systems. Through the chaplains' training and life experience, they are qualified to provide support for employees regardless of their religious background. If an employee has questions specific to their faith, chaplains work to provide referrals to contacts within their faith community.
3. Does the Chaplain provide long-term counseling services?
   Corporate Chaplains' Employee Care Program is a front-line service focused on helping employees towards physical, emotional, relational and spiritual health. Chaplains personally work with employees on issues requiring up to four private sessions. If more support is required, the chaplain will provide an in-depth assessment and referral to appropriate professional counseling services.
   
   In Conclusion
   
   Owners and managers are responsible for operating their businesses, but many find that a large portion of their time and resources are spent trying to resolve their employees' personal issues. Their training lies in the day to day operations of a business and they often feel overwhelmed by the challenging issues in their employees' lives. Chaplains allow you to do what you do best - manage your business - while they effectively, compassionately care for your employees. Chaplains are able to dedicate their time to working specifically on employee health, targeting problems and working towards solutions.
   
   Further Reading

• Workplace Chaplains HR Magazine
• Marketplace Chaplains Providing Effective Worker Assistance Programs