Marketplace Chaplains Helping Others in the Workplace
Marketplace Chaplains, now celebrating its 30-year anniversary of work in today’s hectic workplace, has reached a new milestone for growth in its endeavors all over the U.S. and overseas. In 2013, Marketplace Chaplains added 100-plus, new companies to its roster, helping outlets, large and small, in dozens of different industries, including the fast-growing construction field with their employees and family members.
CHAPLAIN CARE TEAM
Each client (company) is specifically assigned a Chaplain Care Team comprised of uniquely qualified and dedicated male, female, and ethnically diverse chaplains who make regular worksite visits and are available 24/7 for employees. The care team is supported by over 2,500 other trained and experienced Marketplace Chaplains in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the U.K., for additional care for employees’ families, traveling personnel, customers, or suppliers.
Marketplace Chaplains’ proven approach of a customized care team provides deeper relationships and increased usage by relating to more people on different levels. A chaplain care team provides an array of personalities where language and cultural differences are mitigated. It also ensures continuous coverage and the ability to simultaneously respond to any situation or crisis including multiple locations. Worksites with multiple shifts, local or distant hospitals, and family homes in another state are seamlessly coordinated by your chaplain care team to provide enveloping care. The chaplain care team is immersed in a company’s policies, safety guidelines, and culture. They are constantly mentored and are regularly engaged in continuing education classes.
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CHAPLAINS
“We consistently receive feedback from our team regarding how grateful they are for the chaplains, and continue to look for opportunities to further involve Marketplace Chaplains within our work environment,” says J.T. Turner, Jr., president of J.T. Turner Construction, based in Savannah, Georgia, which has seen an increase in its workload in 2014.
Along with Turner, other construction companies using Marketplace Chaplains include Hohr Construction, based in Florida; David Weekley Homes based in Houston, Texas; Winter Construction in Atlanta; and Dallas-based Osburn Contractors, which began using Marketplace Chaplains last year.
THE NEED FOR CARE
Marketplace, based in Dallas, Texas, has more than 590 clients at 3,177 service locations, in 1,000 cities, five foreign countries, and one commonwealth, caring for over half a million employees and their family members in today’s workplace.
“The chaplain program is a low-cost employee benefit that has gotten us more loyalty than our other ’standard’ benefits and resulted in lower turnover, improved morale, and a general sense of ’caring’ on the company’s part about our employees’ well-being,” says David Weekley, chairman of the board of the 1,200-employee company and a client since 2000.
Construction companies are often spread over a large geographic area and often their employees must work outside under adverse weather or dangerous conditions, an issue many construction companies are addressing with Marketplace Chaplains.
ADDED BENEFIT
When Turner Construction was selected to work on an Extreme Makeover Home Edition reality television program build in the Southeast, they asked if their chaplains could be part of the process to help care for workers.
“The Marketplace Chaplains continue to make a positive impact in the lives of our employees and their families, and we are blessed to have them as part of J.T. Turner Construction,” Turner says.
Weekley Construction, with offices in dozens of cities, was named one of Fortune Magazine’s Best Places to Work for the last 3 years—an honor its chairman credits in part to the employee care offered by chaplains.
McKinney, Texas-based, Encore Wire Corporation, WIRE on the NASDAQ, has seen 23 years of increased sales with a record number of employees and increased revenue and as a result, president and CEO Daniel Jones has also seen the problems that arise from such success.
“We have discovered it’s easy to find the money, but it’s difficult to find and hire the right people to work in our companies, and that’s where Marketplace Chaplains has been a big help,” says Jones.
Marketplace Chaplains has nine chaplains assigned to Encore who visit on a regular rotating basis, offering care, help, compassion, and a listening ear to employees and their family members.
“We have chaplains helping us identify potential new hires and have made them part of the new employee training process. They (chaplains) know what we are looking for, what to expect, and they help us narrow down our search from viable applicants. We feel the chaplains help bridge the gap between old and new employees, management and workers, and that gives us a better handle on our rapid growth at Encore,” continues Jones.
UNIQUE SERVICE PROVIDER
“While numbers themselves are unimportant, the number of people helped by our professional and dedicated chaplains is truly significant,” says Marketplace Chaplains USA chairman and CEO, Gil A. Stricklin, who served as the first chaplain in 1984.
The growth of this unique service provider, which began in 1984 with three companies and a single chaplain, has greatly accelerated over the last 5 years. The organization has nearly tripled in size and added approximately 800 chaplains since 1994.
A recent McKinsey & Company national study found that employees working for companies who tend to their employees’ needs are less fearful, less likely to compromise their values, and more able to throw themselves into their work.
■ ■ ■
For More Information Marketplace Chaplains, based in Dallas, Texas, is the countries’ original and largest workplace chaplaincy provider with locations the U.S. and multiple overseas outposts. For more information on the 30-year history of Marketplace Chaplains or to inquire about its services, call 800.775.7657, or visit www.mchapusa.com.
Modern Contractor Solutions, July 2014
Did you enjoy this article?
Subscribe to the FREE Digital Edition of Modern Contractor Solutions Magazine!
