Awareness | Listening | Compassion
The foundation of human care.
“I am here to listen.” | “I have no agenda.” | “My time is your time.”
Conversations that connect.
Care and connection are the lifelines we offer to those under stress, anxiety, loneliness, depression, and thoughts of suicide.
Persistent presence is a lifesaving gift to those suffering from pain, confusion, and disconnection.
Two years into a pandemic, multiple national and local crises, inflation, and uncertainty – we feel tension, fatigue, weight, and trauma. So do most of the people who work around you and in your company. “Work-related concerns have left more than 40 percent of employees feeling hopeless, burned out, or exhausted as they grapple with their altered lives.”
“Chronic loneliness and stress affect employees by decreasing:
- Engagement
- Productivity
- Creativity
- Brain function
- Decision making
- Reasoning
- Retention
Even CEOs report feeling lonely. It is lonely at the top. Harvard Business Review’s research showed that half of CEOs report feelings of loneliness and isolation with 61 percent of that group believing it hinders their performance.”
The surgeon general tells us that “loneliness and weak social connections have the same effect on health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day.”
“According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the leading cause of absenteeism in the United States is depression. Absenteeism costs US companies billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, wages, poor quality of goods/services and excess management time.”
Your employees need your active, effective leadership to support their mental health and to respond to their unique needs. Many of your companies have become aware of the cost of mental health issues and have begun to provide Employee Assistance Programs, access to professional therapy, and creative employee benefits.
Another proven solution we would encourage you to implement is a Workplace Chaplaincy program.
“Chaplains fit well in the multi-faceted arsenal of combating employees’ mental health issues. They are approachable, available, accessible, familiar, and front-line workers. They help lonely employees feel connected and cared for. They have personal discussions with employees, listening effectively and showing that they care and are available to help them walk through issues.”
“Chaplains develop personal relationships with the employees they serve by regular, non-interruptive worksite or virtual visits. Long before an employee may have a need, a relationship is established, and many times an employee will reach out for advice, help, or care before a problem turns into a crisis event.”
We encourage you, as a leader, to take a proactive approach to the mental health of your workforce. Not only is it a fundamental aspect of excellent leadership, but it can also be a lifesaving initiative for the most valuable resource in your company – your people.
We work directly with Marketplace Chaplains and Corporate Chaplains of America to bring direct care to employees. We can make the right connections for you as well.
Our podcasts for June and July feature a conversation with two mental health experts that bring their unique insight to your leadership in this area. I know you will find them helpful.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to our latest podcast, you can check it out here:
For the Heart of Your Business!
Resources for this topic:
- The quoted material in this blog is cited from: Mental Health and Workplace Chaplaincy – White Paper
Q&A for this topic:
- How aware are you of the mental health challenges where you lead?
- How do you care for the mental health situation of those in your life and business?
- Are you aware of the effectiveness of a workplace chaplaincy?
- Do you need to reach out to a chaplaincy program for your employees?
