Summer is often a time of vacation or getting away from work for many employees, but there is no vacation for stress and problems in a person’s life, an ongoing trend seen by Marketplace Chaplains, the countries original and largest workplace chaplaincy organization.

Marketplace Chaplains serve in hundreds of companies across the USA and other countries, many which use the summer as a break from months of hard and stressful work. For many of these companies’ employees and their family members, the chaplains are a reliable third person contact they feel at ease relating to as a friend they see regularly at work.

In one Southern California Marketplace client company, a single, hard-working employee was getting ready to take off on a cross-country motorcycle ride vacation. Concerned that no one would know or even care where she was going or if she would be okay on the road, the employee arranged to call the chaplain each night from the road to let her know she was safe.

“The chaplain was her only contact to call and check-in with, which shows you the value of having a trained, caring Marketplace Chaplain with whom employees can personally relate to,” said California Marketplace Area Team Leader, Chaplain Ron Lewis. “They are vital to an employee’s wellbeing and stability.”

The idea of summer stress in a supposedly care-free time of the year is very real, according to author Polly Campbell, who wrote a series of articles for the publication imperfectspirituality.com on the topic.

“Enjoying a stress-free summer also involves shifting your mindset and making the most of the change in routine. There are many ways to do it, but the easiest is a quick reframe,” Campbell wrote.

North Dallas Bank CEO Mike Shipman sees the summer as a time when many customers visit the bank to withdraw money they have been saving for a long-planned vacation. But often times, circumstances can interrupt well-laid plans and bring additional stress to the bank customers and the employees who interact with them.

“Our Marketplace Chaplains are valuable resources to the bank employees and those they serve to help with the bumps and bruises along with unexpected turns of life,” Shipman said. “They are one of the longest held benefits the bank has had and one of its most important we offer here.”

Marketplace Chaplains’ 2,783 dedicated caregivers currently serve 561,553 employees and their family members in 3,282 service locations covering 46 States, 5 International Countries and 1 Commonwealth.

“While summer is a time of relaxation and vacation for many employees, there is no vacation from the daily stresses of life, but there is a dedicated Marketplace Chaplain for each employee or family member, available 24/7, to walk with them on a regular basis, sharing the hurts and hopes of daily living,” said Richard S. De Witt, Executive President and COO of Marketplace Chaplains.