FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is a chaplain and what do they do?
What help is a chaplains program to the company?
What is the kind of help or support a chaplain might give to an employee?
Do the chaplains “cram religion” down people’s throat?
What does the program cost the company and the employee?
How is the chaplain accountable to the company?
What is the difference in a chaplains program and Employment Assistance Program?
When chaplains are on site, does it hinder the work from getting done or cause safety hazards?
What if my business is in fifty cities, or if one of my employees is out of town and needs help?
Is having a corporate chaplain a religious harassment suit just waiting to happen?
What are the benefits to the company’s management team?
What is a chaplain and what do they do?
A chaplain is a spiritual counselor who is assigned to a hospital, police department, fire department, jail, military unit or a company. They provide a myriad of services, from performing weddings and funerals, to marriage and family counseling, to helps with addictions, to just listening to someone who needs a friend.
What help is a chaplains program to the company?
This can help the company to retain good employees, head off big problems that are brewing, reduce lost work days and hours due to stress, and provide an innovative benefit for which your employees will thank you. The chaplains program will also be a help to your bottom line. (For more information on the bottom line, click here…)
What is the kind of help or support a chaplain might give to an employee?
The chaplain can provide counseling for his marriage, children, finances and relationships. The chaplain can also help a person who is struggling with an addiction or help someone to deal with stress, anger and depression.
Do the chaplains “cram religion” down people’s throat?
No! The chaplains are trained to be sensitive to someone’s own religion or no religion. If someone is of a different faith, they will be treated with respect and they will know they have a friend. None of our chaplains are a part of any denomination and will not push anyone in that direction.
What does the program cost the company and the employee?
Every benefit provided to the employee is totally free. From weddings and funerals, to counseling and the addictions program, there is no cost. The company pays a flat fee of a $10 per employee per month. When you think of how much help is there for the employee, that will cost the company about 2 cents an hour, the benefits totally outweigh any cost to the company. Also, research shows that for every $1 spent on a chaplains program, it pays $5 to $16 in return.
How is the chaplain accountable to the company?
The company will receive a monthly report that details the number on-site visits, off-site visits, counseling sessions and any other services provided.
What is the difference in a chaplains program and Employment Assistance Program?
I am sure there are good EAP’s, but most of them are, at the least, underutilized or just there after the fact. Most are not preventive. It is always better to prevent a disaster than to clean one up after it has happened. Also, with a traditional EAP, there is usually no prior relationship, so the employee has a hard time opening up and the counselor has a harder time knowing what they really need. With a corporate chaplains program, the relationship and respect is already built, and many situations can be fixed before a tragedy. Marriage counseling can stop a divorce. Stress counseling can stop a heart attack. Addictions program and counseling can stop a suicide. All of these problems are better when fixed before, than trying to clean them up afterwards. Once those things have happened, permanent damage is done, and money to the company is lost. Being proactive on the problem is better than waiting for a problem to surface. Our chaplains program is confidential, personal and face-to-face, not a phone call or hotline. Even though the chaplains are trained to help people with problems, if the problem is something that requires medical, financial or some other professional help, the chaplains are quick to get them to that help. The relationship established by the chaplain helps to find out what the problem is before it is too late.
When chaplains are on site, does it hinder the work from getting done or cause safety hazards?
Not at all. The chaplains visits are planned to be very brief and do not distract the employee from their work. If they need help with anything, an appointment is made that doesn’t distract from their work. If there is a situation where the chaplain is needed for intensive help during the workday, upon the supervisor’s approval, the chaplain can stay to help in any situation. The chaplain abides with any and all safety regulations so as to be a help and not a hindrance.
What if my business is in fifty cities, or if one of my employees is out of town and needs help?
We have a network of chaplains all over the country and can provide care in just about any city or in any town. If your employee is on vacation and has a need, we have a chaplain that can help them. If your employee’s mother is in the hospital in another city, we have a chaplain that can make a visit. If you have 100 different stores in 100 different cities, we can have a chaplain lined up ready to go in every city in a very short time.
Is having a corporate chaplain a religious harassment suit just waiting to happen?
In the day in which we live, people are ready to sue over everything and nothing. There have been religious harassment lawsuits also, but usually it is because they are not allowed to have religion in the workplace. Their freedom of religion doesn’t stop at the company door. To date, with over 5,000 corporate chaplains working every day, serving over millions of employees, there has never been a lawsuit for having a chaplain program. That would be very hard to do anyway, because the United States government provides chaplains for the military and the state provides chaplains for those incarcerated. Why have there been no lawsuits? Because accepting help from the chaplain is strictly up to the employee. If they do not want counseling, devotions, or a Bible study, then they do not have to partake. It is never crammed down someone’s throat and no one is forced to participate. It doesn’t matter what someone’s religious background is, it is never offensive, because we are not pushing any denomination. In fact, none of our chaplains are a part of a denomination. We want to help people with the truths of the Bible and of the Truth, Jesus Christ. If someone is of another faith, or even an atheist, then they will know that they have a friend, and will never feel intimidated or put down because they do not believe what someone else does. If someone is of another faith, or no faith, we believe they will be helped also, because they will be shown respect by a Christian chaplain.
What are the benefits to the company’s management team?
Besides all the benefits to the bottom line already discussed, the chaplain provides the same services to the management. Only the management knows all the extra stress that comes with being in a position of leadership. Some of the best benefits of having a corporate chaplain are the relationship, counsel and advice that go to the management. Every employee has some boss or supervisor to go to, but who does the boss go to? Management still has the same emotional and spiritual needs, but with all the added stress of having to make the company “work.” It is a lot easier to have a job than to have to run the whole show, or even part of it. There are also so many “sticky” situations that can come up with employees that a chaplain can be a big help in talking to the workers. Many business owners say that having a corporate chaplain would be worth it just for the benefits they receive personally.
