If an employee’s marriage were falling apart, would anyone at your company know?
Think about someone who has worked for you for years. Normally dependable, he has started arriving late and making mistakes. His supervisor has spoken with him twice. He apologizes, says he will get it together, and offers no explanation.
What the supervisor may not know is that he barely slept last night. Things at home are getting worse, and he does not know whom to talk to. He would rather take the reprimand than explain his marriage at work.
An owner can care about that man and still have no idea what he is carrying. It could as easily be a parent dying, a child in trouble, or a debt nobody here knows about. A workplace chaplain gives him someone to turn to.
Someone He Already Knows
The beauty of a chaplain’s work is that it begins before anyone asks for help. Regular visits give employees time to get acquainted without having to bring a problem to the first conversation.
For the man struggling at home, that might mean a few conversations during a break. The chaplain asks about his children and remembers their names. A few weeks later, the employee stays behind and asks whether they can talk somewhere private.
He chooses how much to share. The chaplain listens, helps him consider what to do next, and recognizes when he needs a counselor, a priest, or another resource. The follow-up matters as much as the first conversation.
What We Can Do as Owners
Most of us want our employees to come to us when something is wrong. We mean it when we say we will help.
Still, the man sitting across from us knows we decide his pay and his responsibilities. He may worry that admitting trouble at home will change how we see him. We need to leave room for that hesitation.
A chaplain offers another place to begin. That does not relieve us of the responsibility to know and care for our people. If exhaustion is affecting this employee’s work, his supervisor still needs to address it with him. There may be a temporary schedule change or another practical step the company can offer without needing the details of his marriage.
We should never expect a chaplain to report back on private conversations, but if you have a dedicated Care Team at your company, the chaplain can, in confidence, share an opportunity to better serve an employee when needed.
Employees need to understand that participation is voluntary and that declining will not affect their standing at work. Care should be available to people who share your faith and those who do not, but if they are open to it, the chaplain can navigate those conversations with ease.
Bearing One Another’s Burdens
St. Paul tells the Galatians to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). In the same passage, he calls for gentleness toward someone who has fallen and warns us to examine ourselves.
That gives us something to consider before the next conversation about an employee’s mistakes. We will still need to correct the work. We also need the humility to recognize how little we know about the person’s circumstances.
The employee struggling with his marriage is our neighbor. Our responsibility to love him does not disappear because the conversation is uncomfortable or the trouble began outside work. Making time, offering appropriate help, and checking back are ways we can respond to that responsibility.
Bring It to Your Leadership Meeting
Think through the last time an employee faced something serious. Did the supervisor know where to turn? Was help available, and did anyone follow up? Discuss the response without sharing private details.
Check the resources you already offer. Employees may need help finding or using them. Then ask whether a chaplain would meet a need that remains, what it would cost, and whether you can sustain the commitment.
If you go looking for one, ask about training, availability, and referrals. Understand how confidentiality works, including its limits, and how those limits will be explained to employees. Your supervisors should know how to offer the service without pressing anyone to use it.
CARING BY DESIGN helps owners build care into company life. Before your next leadership meeting ends, make sure every manager knows what to do when someone closes the office door and says, “Things at home are bad. Can we talk?”