Every Thursday, Baptist minister Roland Barlowe begins his workday with a “huddle” in the housekeepers breakroom at the downtown Courtyard Marriott in Tampa, Fla. He goes around the room, greeting each of the housekeepers, talking about worries and concerns.
“We find ourselves capable of worry, but I heard recently a great saying that I want to pass on to you,” the gregarious, grinning Barlowe tells the staff. “Control those things of which you have control and let go of everything else.”
Miriam Johnson, the assistant chief housekeeper, pulls Barlowe aside and requests prayers for a sick grandmother and niece. The two hold hands and bow heads as Barlowe says a brief prayer for both women.
Then it’s off to the top floor of the hotel. Barlowe works his way down, floor by floor, popping in and out of rooms to check on the housekeepers. “Just saying hello and wanted to let you know that I’m here to talk to you if you need me,” he says in a deep Southern accent. “Don’t worry,” he adds with a laugh, “I’m not a (corporate) spy.”
Spiritual comfort at work
Barlowe is one of more than 1,900 corporate chaplains employed by Marketplace Chaplains USA, a Dallas-based company that dispatches chaplains to more than 1,600 companies across the U.S. Fifty-five of those chaplains work full time or part time in Alabama, and 44 more serve as backups in the state. Nationwide the organization’s chaplains minister to more than half a million employees.
They’re hired to provide spiritual comfort and counseling to American workers. The idea is that happier employees are better employees, and if faith-based counseling helps, bosses are willing to give it a shot.
Workplace chaplains are also available during nonwork hours for hospital and jail visits and to conduct weddings and funerals. They also try to troubleshoot small problems before they grow into larger personal challenges that could impact work performance.
Office chaplains are just part of a larger faith-at-work movement percolating through corporate America. A 2005 NBC News poll found that nearly 60 percent of respondents said religious beliefs played some role in making decisions at work; an even higher number said such beliefs influenced their interactions with co-workers.
Most corporate chaplains are Christian, but Marketplace and Corporate Chaplains of America, based in Raleigh, N.C., also provide Jewish rabbis and Muslim imams to counsel employees.
Hicks wonders whether the diversity of chaplains reflects a globalized, international corporate landscape. In 2001, one-third of human resources professionals surveyed by the Tanenbaum Center and the Society for Human Resource Management said the number of religions in their companies increased in the past five years.
“It’s true that these companies try to find religious leaders of non-Christian beliefs to also come to the workplace, but still their primary work is for Christian workers,” Hicks said.
Sometimes employees can be reluctant to participate. “It takes a warming-up period,” said Dwayne Reece, a vice president at Corporate Chaplains of America, which has 100 chaplains in 330 companies. “You’ll have employees which quickly take to the program and some employees are very hesitant.”
Reece said chaplains are screened carefully for education and experience, personal presence and any criminal history. Most programs require seven to 10 years of chaplaincy experience. For Barlowe, the chaplain assigned to the Marriott housekeepers, popping from room to room is more than just a paycheck.
“It allows me to fulfill what I believe Christ has put me here to do in the workplace,” he said. (RNS, TAB)
Share with others: