Employers Offer Spiritual Guidance (On Top of the Paycheck)
A couple of things seems inherently wrong about a company called Marketplace Chaplains USA. First of all, the name is an oxymoron. Chaplains shouldn't be in the capitalist marketplace, should they? Secondly, since when does an ordinary employer have anything to do with religion?
Nonetheless, chaplains in the workplace are a phenomenon, a spiritual add-on to employee assistance programs. According to one survey of more than 600 employees at Regal Marine, a boat building company, the chaplain's care program was cited as the #1 benefit.
Should more employers offer this benefit?
A Gallup Poll showed that 66 percent said that if they needed a mental health professional, they would prefer going to one with spiritual values and beliefs. And according to the Pew Religious Landscape Survey, 84% of American are affiliated with a religion and only about 2% consider themselves atheist.
According to Marketplace Chaplains, its more than 2,400 chaplains don't preach or proselytize, but rather listen. Chaplains are trained to work in a "denominationally neutral" way, according to Workplace Chaplains, which offers a similar spiritual service to companies. They listen when an employee has had a death in the family, is caring for an aging parent, or during other stressful life events, or even to be a non-judgmental sounding board for employee griping.
According to Marketplace Chaplain's website, "Client companies are assigned a team of male, female, ethnically diverse chaplains who visit the work site regularly, and are available for crisis care, any needed help and confidential discussions 24 hours a day, 365 days a year nationwide."
The company contends that employers who value it do so based on the bottom line premise that if employees are feeling better, they work harder.
To be sure, chaplain visits to the workplace will probably make you squirm if you're atheist, though they wear layman's clothes and are not forced on anyone.
How would you feel if your company hired chaplains for office visits or emergency spiritual counseling?
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