| March 06, 2008 | |
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DISPLAY PACK EMPLOYEES TURN TO THEIR CORPORATE CHAPLAIN WHEN FACED WITH PERSONAL CRISIS This year, 17 percent of U.S. employees will encounter personal crisis, and employees will bring personal problems to work, contributing to a 30 percent loss in productivity, cites Corporate Chaplains of America. One way local manufacturer Display Pack addresses the adverse effects personal crisis can have on productivity is by retaining the services of Corporate Chaplain Bob DeWeese. Employed by North Carolina-based Corporate Chaplains of America, DeWeese spends 40 hours a week making rounds, building relationships and offering pastoral care to the company's nearly 500 employees. DeWeese was assigned to Display Pack in January 2006. Since then, he has made more than 38,000 contacts with employees, held 229 care sessions, lifted employees up in prayer 593 days, and led five employees in making a faith decision for Christ, according to a monthly report DeWeese submits to Vic Hansen, president of Display Pack. “Ultimately, we want to reach people’s hearts, and give them a life-changing experience,” says Hansen of the company his father founded 40 years ago. “That’s hard to do when life’s problems interfere with job performance. A barrier between management and employees exists when it comes to sharing personal problems. A corporate chaplain provides a neutral, third-party point of contact for employees to confidentially share and work through life’s difficulties.” DeWeese is Grand Rapids’only full-time chaplain employed by Corporate Chaplains of America (CCA). Under strict confidentiality between him and the employee, he talks with employees who are on the job and schedules personal appointments at a worker's request. He's helped employees with immigration issues, budgeting, premarital guidance, drug and alcohol abuse and parenting issues. He makes hospital visits and has even officiated a wedding between two employees. He is also available to officiate at family funerals. He’s available 24 hours a day by pager, and chaplaincy is offered free to Display Pack employees and their families. To qualify as a corporate chaplain, DeWeese has a seminary degree and is an ordained minister. He also has 154 hours of certification training through CCA, 10 years of church ministry experience and seven years of non-church work experience.
“They want us to have the experience of reporting to a boss, punching a time clock and working in a corporate setting, so we can better relate to the worker who’s on the line eight hours a day, “One company recently credited CCA with reducing absenteeism from 22 percent to 15 percent,” said Dwayne Reece, vice president of field development for CCA. “A trucking company we work with credits chaplaincy with a reduction in turnover from 118 percent to 78 percent in one year, in an industry where the average turnover rate is 100 percent.” While the goal isn't to convert employees to Christianity, DeWeese is available for spiritual caregiving and prayer, welcoming the opportunity to share with employees about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And DeWeese understands that employees are “on the clock” and that work takes priority, so he's there to offer care when the employee is ready. According to CCA’s website, "A large percentage of people today do not have any relationship with a church or other organized religious group. Often rushed for time, their beliefs and personal needs take a back seat to the meetings, deadlines, and agendas of the workplace. Yet, the problems at home don't go away...they are simply brought, as emotional baggage, to work each day.”
About Display Pack Through the Company's Single Source Solutions™, it can manage the entire packaging process from start to finish within its facilities, including packaging design, 3D renderings and prototypes, thermoforming, printing, die-cutting, contract packaging and stocking programs. The Company’s In-Mold Applications division, founded in 1978, manufactures decorative interior trim for the automotive industry. Display Pack is a certified supplier to automotive companies such as GM, Ford, Chrysler LLC, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Renault, MG, Honda, Nissan and Toyota. More information can be found at www.displaypack.com.
About Corporate Chaplains of America |
