Spirituality, Inc.? More Companies Hire Corporate Chaplains

Globe and Mail:

Already estimated to number 4,000 in the United States, corporate chaplains are a new breed of counsellors slowly finding their way into Canadian workplaces. They are usually people with a strong Christian faith who also possess a background in social work or counselling.

Chaplains have long served in hospitals and the armed forces, but their arrival in the workplace is recent and, as a result, worries some employees that it may signal the entry of religion into the office.

"Especially when you start at a new company, people question what's going on ... they ask, 'Are you here to preach at me?' " Ms. Lavoie says.

"It takes a few weeks for them to see I'm not there to do anything except offer care and support," she says.

Keep reading.

Read more about corporate chaplains here and here.

Find out how to hire one here and here.

What do you think of corporate chaplains? Does religion and spirituality belong in the workplace?

Read the whole story: Globe and Mail

Comments

[dora rice]

WHY CAN'T EMPLOYEES GET OUTSIDE SUPPORT. WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE CORPORATE SPONSORED SUPPORT. BRAINWASHING?

[vandegrasse]

I didn't know preachers and priests worked for the devil. I could have figured.

[RHR]

First of all, this is a well-trodden story with the trend having been reported on by the U.S. mainstream media more than two years ago.

Having said that, I find the trend thoroughly frightening. As mentioned above, there are plenty of corporate-­sanctioned counseling programs available through EAPs.

Every story I've seen features a corporate chaplin that practices from a Christian tradition - - not Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist. Can't these companies see the inherent dangers in this?

Obviously, they just don't care - - which in and of itself is a bit of a paradox.

[ashabot]

Chaplains represent religion, not spirituality. I shudder to think what Corporate Chaplains represent.

[Pacific231]

Counseling services for employees already exist in a 100% guaranteed confidential and religiously-neutral manner in the form of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

A "corporate chaplain" is inappropriate and runs the needless risk of being divisive. From the get-go the company is falsely assuming (1) all employees have no religious community of their own which they can turn to if they are so inclined and (2) employees who are not Christian (such as me, for one) would somehow be served by a presumably well-meaning person "with a strong Christian faith who also possess a background in social work or counselling" and (3) the obvious opportunities for confidentiality breaches (which are safeguarded by an EAP) will never happen.

Maybe this works in Canada but in funnymentalist US this would be a license to prostelityze.

Personally I would have a problem of a presumably well-meaning person "with a strong Christian faith who also possess a background in social work or counselling" hovering about, looking for people to talk to and problems to solve. OTOH, maybe I could parlay that concern into a full telecommuting position! :-)

[TheApeMan]

I agree totally.
What is the purpose of a "chaplain" if the job is merely to council people?
How about someone who has no religious affilliation whatsoever?
Are they going to hire one of these for each religion, or is it just Christian?!
If so, how's that allowed?!