While the holiday season is a happy and memorable one for many people, it can add stress and loneliness for others, especially in the hectic and often already stressful workplace, a trend being addressed by hundreds of innovative CEOs with the use of Marketplace Chaplains.

According to the survey by the American Psychological Association quoted in the North Bay Business Journal¹, 36 percent of American workers said they typically feel tense or stressed out during their workday. Additional stressors that the holiday season brings can also impact workers negatively, both physically and mentally.

While many employees look forward to the holidays as a chance to take some time off and spend time with family and friends, the work world never stops for those in the service and hospitality industries.

GSC Enterprises Inc., based in Northeast Texas is one of the largest grocery and convenience store supply and wholesale distribution companies in U.S.  It’s Chairman Mickey McKenzie has seen firsthand the value of having chaplains.  “For us, the holidays are stressful because we still have work to do to get everything out.  We’ve found a lot of our employees are by themselves during the holidays and either they have no family near, or their friends have already left to be with their families elsewhere.” said McKenzie. “It’s supposed to be the happiest time of year and everyone is festive, but for some there is nothing to be happy or festive about. That’s where our chaplains do a great job to help them (our employees) during the holidays, and really 365 days a year.”

Many companies can make or break their entire year with a good financial performance during the holiday season, which puts additional stress on employees and employers.

Buz Underill, President and CEO of client company Squid Lips Restaurants in Florida, said, “The week between Christmas
and New Year’s is our busiest time of the year.”  He’s seen the stress the presumed joyful time can bring. “We have a lot of young employees in our company and you see the stress of family issues popping up especially during this time of the year.  Sometimes the holidays will magnify dysfunctional relationships that were always there, and our Marketplace Chaplains are always there to help them.”

“It’s a very stressful time for us and chaplains can and do help,” said Ghyslain Chocolatier Inc., CEO Ghyslain Maurais, who does a vast majority of his world-class chocolate business in the fall months at his Union City, Ohio, headquarters.

Marketplace Chaplains, the country’s largest and original workplace chaplaincy program, serves more than 3,100 client company locations in 44 states, 4 foreign countries and 1 commonwealth. They provide a unique strategic advantage for forward-thinking CEOs looking to manage and help alleviate workplace stressors in what is generally considered a wonderful and happy season, as well as throughout the year.  This unique delivery of employee care over the holidays serves companies, employees and their families across many industries.

Marketplace Chaplains is wrapping up their most successful year of growth in 2013 with more than 100 new companies who have begun to use this unique employee benefit, with a new company employing the services of Marketplace approximately once every 3.5 days.

“Holidays are not always ‘the most wonderful times of the year’ for stressed employees and their family members, that’s why it’s so encouraging that these insightful CEOs continue to employ Marketplace Chaplains to help their employees and their family members deal with life’s on-going stressors no matter what time of year,” said Marketplace Chaplains President and COO Richard S. De Witt.

 

References:

1 http://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/45507/managing-workplace-stress-during-the holidayseason/