Chaplains are often associated with providing spiritual care in hospitals or universities, but one organization is bringing them to corporate Canada.
Marketplace Care Canada (MCC) provides workplace chaplains to companies. While a Christian organization, MCC works with secular private-sector corporations and with employees of all faiths.
But the term “chaplain” can have baggage. “Our [Canadian] research showed us that a chaplain was seen as some guy with a collar and a Bible beating people over the head,” says Seeon Smith, MCC’s executive vice-president for Canada. Instead, the organization uses the term “workplace care partner.” Partners build trust with employees, offering a safe space to share their concerns, knowing that it won’t be shared with their employer. “We accept people for who they are and we offer empathy and not judgment,” Smith adds. More than 80 workplace care partners are currently in 28 companies at 56 locations across Canada.
MCC goes by the name Marketplace Chaplains in the United States. The company was founded in 1984 by Gil Stricklin, an Air Force officer who wanted businesses to experience the same level of care that he himself experienced in the Armed Forces.
Employee mental health has always been one of MCC’s core concerns, but especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. “Mood dysregulation is a major issue, but at the same time there is more openness to talk about mental wellness and issues of stress, anxiety and depression,” says Smith.
Like all chaplains, workplace care partners have to be aware of the limits of their capabilities and the need to refer to therapists or medical professionals when the presenting issue can’t be dealt within a few visits. Care partners are also a conduit of connection and information for everything from treatment centers for addictions to information on mental health and finances. Partners are only permitted to speak about spiritual or religious topics if employees first raise questions on those issues. And if needed, they may refer the employee to a more culturally appropriate resource person, like a rabbi or an imam.
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Jason Holdsworth is a director of operations at MCC and a care partner at a company in the west end of Toronto. When he arrives, he walks through the workplace, chatting to the employees and building those key relationships of trust. He makes note of any issues and is available to talk with them during the day or after work in a public place.
While he expected to help people with issues in their marriage or family, he never thought he’d be dealing with homelessness.
“There are quite a number of people working full time who are living in their cars or trucks, due to divorce or addictions,” he says.
Holdsworth pointed out to me that most of Jesus’ significant interactions were in the marketplace and not with the worshipping community. “That’s where Jesus’ ministry really happened and like Jesus, to do this work you need to have a heart of love and compassion.”
While many firms offer employee assistance programs, workplace care partners can build deeper personal relationships with employees. They can even be on site in the event of a crisis or emergency, such as sudden illness, accident or a family crisis like a sudden marital separation or an issue with an aging parent. With the rise of remote work, they also reach out to employees working from home.
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Debra Karman is a former pediatric surgical nurse in Edmonton. After leaving nursing, she received a master of divinity focused on intercultural studies and spent two years living in the Middle East. She was looking for a job that would allow her to work with different cultures and Marketplace Care Canada was the perfect fit. “During Ramadan, I make sure to be both aware and respectful of our Muslim employees and understand that they are in a special time in their lives,” she says. She is one of five care partners at a company of over 400 employees and the sole care partner at a company with 50 employees.
Marketplace Care Canada deliberately works with small to medium-size companies that align with their values. They feel that is the scale that allows them to be most effective in their work. The company is still small, but Smith is upbeat about its potential to reach more Canadians.
“With only one percent of Canadians exposed to our program and seeing the needs of business and their employees growing, we are hopeful that the future will be one of continued growth to help us to serve more people in this complex world,” he says.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misspelled Gil Stricklin’s name and the name of Marketplace Care Canada’s American counterpart. This version has been corrected.
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Rev. Christopher White is a writer and minister in Hamilton.
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