This article is written as a point of view from our Marketing Coordinator, Jesse Hummel.
Your first question might be: what is a workplace chaplain?
A chaplain is like a priest, pastor, or minister. However, they are not linked to any specific religious organization. They can provide support to whomever, regardless of religious affiliation.
When life presents its unexpected challenges, having someone to talk to can go a long way. Cambridge provides chaplains that come in throughout the week to speak with employees. These chaplains operate on a purely anonymous basis, meaning whatever is said during conversation will not make its way around the company to others. They are there to listen to struggles and successes or engage in regular conversation. Chaplains do not operate as religious entities. They are not there to promote any specific religion but rather be a positive resource.
Experience with Chaplains
From personal experience, I can attest to the benefits of having a workplace chaplain. One morning I came into work with a negative attitude - my weekend was unpleasant, and I carried those feelings into the workplace. I could tell that these feelings had a negative impact on my mental health and my production at work. A few hours into my workday, one of our chaplains asked how I was doing. I shared with him the struggle I was enduring, and in return, he shared some words of encouragement. This interaction was quick but had undeniable benefits. I was able to feel relief from getting the negative experiences off my chest and ultimately was able to be more productive and concentrate on my work.
Benefits of Chaplains in the Workplace
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Safety: Carrying burdens can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety that act as a fog over someone; however, while in a manufacturing environment, you are frequently near a forklift or heavy machinery. If you are not present in the moment or aware of what is occurring around you, there is significant potential for an accident to occur. Chaplains can proactively relieve “the fog” leading to a safer environment.
Studies show that approximately 90,000 hours of one’s life are spent in the workplace. For those in management, it is estimated that 30,000 of those hours are spent responding to a crisis. Having a chaplain in the workplace can help lighten the burden on those in management. They will have more time to focus on revenue, improving processes, and production.
Come visit and ask us anything.
Having chaplains in the workplace is only but one of the ways in which we try to promote a culture of mental and physical health. Caring about the well-being of every employee is how we try to enrich our employees’ lives daily. As we’ve learned from other companies, we believe in a pay-it-forward and open our doors to visitors to experience our culture in our morning meetings – one of our favorite daily rhythms.