When running a business, one of the most important things you will have to think about is, well, employee experience. After all, if it is poor, then there is certainly no denying the fact that you will find yourself losing employees rather frequently, all of which can also lead to your entire business getting an unfavorable reputation. And, since you don’t want that to happen, you will probably want to do your best to take care of your staff, improve their experience, and thus retain them. Go here to learn about some retention strategies.
Anyway, you may think that employee care is all about the salary and the benefits. Yet, the truth is that it has moved far beyond those basics, and that you are, as an organization, nowadays expected to support not only the performance, but also the emotional well-being of your staff, as well as their resilience, and a sense of belonging. After all, problems such as burnout, stress, grief, mental health challenges and similar things don’t really stay out of the office. Instead, they show up every day, affecting productivity as well as morale, absenteeism, and even turnover.
So, there is absolutely no doubt that you are, as a business owner, now wondering if there is anything you can do in order to, well, improve employee care at your organization. And, well, there is one increasingly effective approach that a lot of businesses are using nowadays, and that provides for that holistic employee care approach that you are after. To cut right to the chase, I am talking about the use of workplace chaplains.
The fact that you are here tells me that you have most likely heard about this option already. But, you may not be sure whether it is really right for you. It was once mainly associated with the military, hospitals, as well as faith institutions, but chaplaincy has actually evolved into a professional support service that is used by organizations across industries. It is no wonder, therefore, that you are wondering whether to get this option for you, and we are now going to talk a bit more about why that may be a good idea.
Here is more in general about how to improve employee experience: https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/employee-experience
Why Get the Chaplaincy Solution for Your Organization
Now, clearly, before you jump on board and start using chaplaincy for your organization, you will want to know why it is that it may be such a good choice for you. And, well, it is completely normal for you to wonder this and to want to understand it better before making a final decision. After all, you want to know what’s in it for you, whether it pays off to use this service, and whether you can expect a good ROI, or not, while also being curious about whether this can really contribute to the wellbeing of your employees. Let us, thus, discuss this in a bit more details.
Increased Trust
Okay, I suppose you already know that workplace chaplains are actually trained professionals that provide confidential, and, of course, one-on-one support to employees. Their role is to support employees with all kinds of issues, such as anxiety, stress, family challenges, grief, illness, work-life balance issues, life transitions, as well as any kind of moral or ethical concerns. They visit the worksites regularly and build relationships with employees over time.
Since they are, as you have probably understood already, not a part of management or the HR department, employees are sure to see them as neutral and safe listeners. Meaning that they will trust them, which then leads to higher engagement and more honest and open conversations about what they are really experiencing. All of this can generally improve employee satisfaction, which, as you may have guessed, can significantly affect productivity, among other things.
Reduced Absenteeism and Turnover
One of the things that organizations are struggling with today is absenteeism. And then, there is also high turnover. When you, however, provide this kind of confidential employee care within your organization, employees will feel cared for as people, which is sure to increase their loyalty. As a consequence, your organization will experience lower turnover, as well as fewer scheduled absences, and improved morale in general, all of which is certainly highly important for you.
Inclusive Support and Care
Now, if you have any ideas on what chaplaincy is in general, you may assume that these professionals are there to serve specific faiths or to, perhaps, promote some religious beliefs. That, however, is definitely not the case. To put things simply, professional chaplains are trained to serve people of all faiths, as well as those with no kind of religious affiliation whatsoever. The focus is, thus, on emotional and human support, and not on religious instruction.
Early Intervention
Finally, these professionals can also identify any kinds of issues early on and thus help the employees find the appropriate resources that they may need. Including, of course, counselling, community services, as well as medical care. This has an impact on the wellbeing of your employees, as well as, naturally, on your overall organization and its productivity and morale.
How to Choose the Right Program
Okay, now that you’ve understood just what some of the benefits of chaplaincy programs for your workplace are, what you want to do next is understand how you can choose the right program for you. And, well, there are several important factors that you will have to consider in order to make the perfect choice. For starters, you will want your chaplains to be professionally trained, and experienced in this line of work, as well as accountable to a recognized organization.
Then, you will want to go for those programs that are inclusive, meaning that they serve employees of all kind of backgrounds and without discrimination. Furthermore, make sure that the program values confidentiality and the protection of information. Of course, once you have made your choice, you should review the experience from time to time and make adjustments if necessary.