Workplace chaplain programs are not new, but demand has risen for such services, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
God, it seems, may have one-upped the traditional workplace employee assistance program, a benefit which helps workers identify and resolve personal issues and concerns that could affect their performance.
“I think the reality is we like relationships, that’s the nature of human beings,” said Shane Satterfield, an ordained minister and Georgia division director of Texas-based Marketplace Chaplains USA. “If I can see you face-to-face, I know you’re real. I know I can trust you.”
“There’s no pressure,” to participate, said the Rev. Dale Taylor, a Church of the Nazarene minister, who works with Putnam helping TriMont staffers. They’re not there to proselytize or pass judgment. The service is available to church-goers and non-churchgoers alike.
The service is free to workers, although companies pay a fee, per employee. Marketplace, which was founded in 1984, provides chaplain services to corporate clients in 46 states and several foreign nations.