The rise of workplace chaplains

Friday, February 26th, 2016

Pastors have long hung out with workers. During the Industrial Revolution, they would preach from factory floors.

Nineteenth-century Catholic teachings declared it the Church’s duty to support the working poor. And in the Great Depression, industry titans hired chaplains to visit workers on the Hoover Dam.

But in recent years, a number of companies have gone one step further: They’ve hired spiritual leaders to serve on their staffs. Though slightly less trendy than nap rooms and yoga classes, workplace chaplaincies are another attempt to make workers more productive by catering to their “whole” selves.

Sometimes, these chaplains serve as spiritual social workers, advising staffers about everything from divorce to cancer.

They might conduct weddings or funerals; they’ll often refer people to local churches and, at times, professional psychologists.

People find Jesus everywhere, cubicles and factory lines included. But why would a corporation bother providing guidance to workers as they search for him? What’s in it for them?

The potential for profit doesn’t hurt.

According to David Miller, a Princeton professor who studies faith and work, these chaplaincies add value to companies, potentially helping create lower turnover rates, increased levels of focus, and reduction in stress-related illnesses.

“Human beings still have problems in life—we get cancer, we get divorced, we have workplace accidents,” Miller said.

“In different situations we seek and heal through different kinds of help and services. Sometimes it’s a medical service, sometimes it’s just a friend to cry on their shoulder, and other times there’s a spiritual dimension to it.”

For many people, particularly in the United States, religious leaders and institutions often offer that support structure. For those who don’t have that kind of independent community, work is a logical place to look for help—and some employers seem to be recognizing that.

As Miller put it in a 2013 paper, “Due to people not having sufficient social support networks, whether at church, in the family, or community, it has become necessary for the work organization to become the new community.” Continue reading

Sources

The Atlantic, from an article by Emma Green, the managing editor of TheAtlantic.com, where she also writes about religion and culture.
Image: The Gospel Herald