A Celebration of Chaplaincy Evensong 16 Sep 2023

Sat 16th September 3:30pm: A Celebration of Chaplaincy Evensong (at Peterborough Cathedral)

About: Join us at a special celebratory service at Peterborough Cathedral as part of Evensong with a visiting Choir. All Chaplains from across Cambridgeshire are warmly welcomed along with supporters of CWC’s work.

Refreshments and a chance to network will be offered afterwards; therefore, so we can manage catering requirements please register your attendance by emailing Jane Thompson via info@cambsworkplacechaplaincy.org.uk

You can download the formal invitation here.

Wellbeing. Wellbeing, Wellbeing

Could be forgiven for admitting that our wellbeing seems to be a subject in which we should all be actively engaging. Could also be said that the marketing is targeted at the reasonably well off.
But in our country (as in others) there are a majority with no voice and very few resources and are unlikely to be able to access wellbeing services and products.

It is so good that these subjects are now being seriously considered in the workplace. In well run organisations mental health and wellbeing sit in their rightful place, ensuring everyone has access.  Moreover this access is independently audited. However, this is not the case everywhere, very likely for reasons of resources, including time and expertise. A business with three staff is unlikely to have the time or resources to significantly engage with workplace wellbeing.

How do my thoughts link to workplace chaplaincy?
Some of the more obvious impacts of the pandemic in our daily lives are still being experienced and will continue to affect us for some time yet. The obvious effects  on the workplace are well known. What we are now seeing are the emergence of the less obvious, for example, the impact on younger employees, especially those in training, the difficulties associated with hybrid working, team building, energy, problem solving, socialising, to name a few.

Workplace Chaplains are in a good position to engage in workplace wellbeing, being able to, as someone said, ‘loiter and listen with intent’. This is not only beneficial to individual members of staff but is also useful  to management  as it can flag up issues, anonymously, that can be of significant benefit to the business or organisation.

During the pandemic our chaplains, apart from those working in health, fire and police services and other critical situations, just could not function as effectively as before, despite their desire to do so. Their regular presence is such an important part of how they engage. As a result we made a decision to become more digital, one of the initiatives being our successful Workplace Wellbeing Hub.

During this period we improved our mental health and wellbeing knowledge to add to the services we are able to offer, where needed, in collaboration with health and wellbeing specialists. We feel this will be a very useful resource for smaller enterprises and organisations as we find additional ways to be effective.
Another benefit of our digital activity is to present the benefits of workplace chaplaincy to a wider audience. This digital presence, being relatively new to us, is evolving and we still have lots to learn.

I’ll take this opportunity to thank every chaplain for everything they do. You are so beneficial but so often unacknowledged.
Please add the Commemoration Service at Peterborough Cathedral on 16th September to your diaries, everyone is welcome, we’d love to see you, just let Jane know so that we provide enough refreshments (email jane@cambsworkplacechaplaincy.org.uk).

Alastair Ure Reid
Chair, CWC

Does your workplace pretend to care about mental health? Here’s how to tackle ‘wellbeing washing’

Is your employer all talk and no follow through? From mental health days to virtual counselling, there are so many ways companies ‘appear’ to prioritise the wellbeing of their employees.

But digging into the specifics a little more, it’s sometimes a different story entirely.

A snap poll earlier this year found more than half of employers are guilty of ‘wellbeing washing’ (AKA, appearing to care about mental health but failing to provide any real or tangible benefits) – in a similar way to greenwashing.

And this can take various forms.

It might be a mental health seminar hosted… during a lunch break. Or offering workplace wellness programs… but not giving employees any time to use them due to ever-growing workloads.

The ‘mental health’ pawn is played by toxic workplaces to make it seem like action is happening, when nothing really is.

Bex Spiller, a workplace wellbeing consultant and the founder of The Anti-Burnout Club, explains:

‘Effectively, it’s a way for organisations to look good from the outside, without dealing with many of the issues going on that are causing poor workplace wellbeing in the first place. 

‘Announcing to the world that you provide stand-up desks and lunchtime yoga classes, but not lessening the overall stress and pressure on employees in the first place, is wellbeing washing.’

Ringing any bells?

Bex says another example is a company celebrating things like World Mental Health Day but not actually looking after their employees’ mental health.

She says: ‘This could be by not providing adequate time off for mental health conditions, unrealistic workloads creating more stress, or fostering a culture of presenteeism where employees are worried about taking time off to recover.’

Also, employees simply not knowing where wellbeing initiatives can be found, or how to access them.

It’s a way for organisations to look good from the outside, without dealing with internal issues. With the current cost of living crisis, there’s a lot to be stressed about right now. But throw in a demanding employer imposing high pressure and a heavy workload, it’s only natural for employees to be feeling burnt out.

‘Wellbeing washing is dangerous because it doesn’t actually improve employee wellbeing – in fact, it can do quite the opposite,’ adds Bex.

‘Employees feeling stressed, overwhelmed and under pressure may end up burning out and suffering from long-term physical and mental health conditions.’

Also when these fickle promises and vague pledges come to light, workers are likely to feel gaslit – and will see-through their employers.

Bex says: ‘When a company is wellbeing washing, it can cause employees to disengage and lose trust. 

‘We see this time and time again where employees feel undervalued and not listened to because an organisation is just paying lip service to better workplace wellbeing. When this happens, it can lead to lower productivity, and higher staff sickness and turnover rates, which can then impact a company’s bottom line. 

‘According to Deloitte, investing in employee mental health sees an average return of £5 for every £1 spent.’

So what can you actually do if you think this is the case where you work?

Bex says: ‘If you suspect your employer is wellbeing washing then I’d really recommend being open and honest about what it is that you need from them for better support.’

How to address ‘wellbeing washing’ at work:
Bex suggests using something like a Wellness Action Plan to set out:

  1. What affects your mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, including any particular triggers such as a high workload.
  2. How this may have an impact on your work.
  3. What you need from your employer for better wellbeing and any reasonable adjustments that could be made.
  4. What steps you can take yourself to stay mentally healthy at work.

Bex says it’s good to use this tool to get the conversation going with HR or management about how you and others need better support at work. 

She adds: ‘Know that it won’t always be an overnight fix, but if you find that you’re being ignored then it may be time to look for somewhere with a more supportive company culture.’

Also, know when enough is enough.

Bex continues: ‘Changing jobs is often a last resort, but no job is worth your health. 

‘If management are just wellbeing washing and you find it’s having an impact on your health, then it may be time to move on. There are plenty of workplaces who are more supportive and who walk the walk instead of just talking the talk.’

Article researched and edited by
Jane Thompson, Development Assistant, CWC.
(Original article from Metro.co.uk)

A season to give, in time and resource

In the Christian calendar we have entered Lent when, traditionally, we are encouraged over the next 40 days to ‘give up’ something significant.

For many this will be, perhaps, giving up alcohol, cream cakes, chocolate or some such indulgence!

For others, this can be a time for contemplation and reflection – an escape from the everyday pressures and putting things into context.

The context for the period of Lent this year is one of upheaval, whether on a domestic or international front. The media is full of deeply worrying news on the war in Ukraine and on the successive earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. In terms of ‘giving up’ many, thank goodness, will be donating to charities that are providing much needed help and assistance. Long may that continue.

On the domestic scene, the cost of living crisis has created many opportunities for us to be involved in supporting individuals and local communities. Many churches, mosques and gurdwaras have had the opportunity of becoming “Community Hubs” during the Winter (and now into Spring) which has put congregations into contact with a whole range of guests/clients from an eclectic variety of backgrounds. To many of the volunteers who provide food, a listening ear and friendship in the Community Hubs, this experience has been a revelation. The stimulus for such hubs was initially to provide ‘warm spaces’ for folk who were struggling with the escalating fuel bills, and still that applies: however, volunteers discovered a whole range of unmet needs, where ‘signposting’ to help was what was needed. Now, with the infrastructure of the Community Hubs established, local and health authorities are attempting to extend the scope of the hubs to hosting ‘health awareness’ and routes to vaccination programmes for the ‘guest/client population’ that each hub has accrued.

This reminds me of the context in which chaplaincy typically operates. The workplace provides the context; the chaplain is the ‘volunteer’ – available, “loitering with intent” (!) as so often encapsulated; the workforce is the population with unmet needs, requiring friendship and a listening ear.

May this season of Lent be a blessing to those who give in time and resource; those who exercise their chaplaincy skills and also to those who receive the giving, listening and support.

Canon Professor Clive Morton OBE
Vice Chair CWC

Should Mental Health First Aid become Law?

A new law requiring businesses to offer mental health first aid training has been presented to parliament.

As stated in the press in January; Tory MP Dean Russell told the Commons the move will lead to more people spotting the early signs of mental health issues in the workplace.

Many businesses already offer mental health training to first aiders, but it is not a legal requirement.

Mr Russell told MPs that requiring mental health first aid training in the workplace would save lives.

“People do not always wear bandages to show where they have anxiety and depression,” he told MPs.

“This Bill will simply mean that workers have a person to signpost them to the help and support they need, when they need it.”

The idea has been discussed for several years. In 2018, a petition for the “Where’s Your Head At!” campaign for a mandatory mental health first aider in every place of work attracted more than 200,000 signatures.

The extra training would come at a cost to businesses, but campaigners highlight the growing number of workdays lost to poor mental health.

The Health and Safety Executive estimates that mental illness accounted for around half of all cases of sick leave last year .

‘Prevent losing others’

Mr Russell believes the change could limit the long-term impact on businesses and the NHS, and ultimately save lives.

“We cannot bring back those we have lost,” he said.

“But through early intervention and ensuring the right signposting at the right time, through this Bill we could possibly prevent losing others in the future.”

Mr Russell proposed the new law as a Ten Minute Rule Bill last week – there is rarely enough time for Ten Minute Rule Bills to become law – but they represent an avenue for MPs to raise awareness of issues.

Mr Russel attempt to bring forward similar legislation in 2021, but the Bill failed to go any further. Addressing the Health Minister directly, Mr. Russell said, “This is not a request that will go away and I will be back if needed. It is a simple change that will make a massive difference.”

What do you think? As people who care about the whole self we think this is an important step in recognising mental health is indeed about our overall health and is interlinked with physical health and overall wellbeing of a person.

A Place of Warmth and Rest

As a chaplain, how do you “see” what you are doing?  This question came to me after I’d read a reflection about the ministry of spiritual direction by John Rackley passed to me by a CWC colleague.  He wrote about this as

‘The task of the spiritual director is to be positioned, like a campfire in the wilderness, welcoming sojourners from all corners of life to stop, relax and yarn for a while.’

It’s an interesting image. It suggests hospitality, the provision of a place of welcome and safety. It suggests comfort in some sense, a place of warmth and rest. It suggests light in a setting where it is lacking, a place that provides guidance. It suggests a refuge, a place where I can be myself and sit back, relax and think over life.

It is arguable that many if not all of these could be applied to chaplaincy. Clearly what chaplaincy seeks to do is be a service. It focusses on those in the community it serves rather than any agendas of its own. So, it must discover what the needs are and that means hospitality and interest in those being served.

At the same time it is a spiritual service. That is not to say it ignores physical aspects of life because that is to misunderstand “spiritual” which takes seriously the integrated nature of our beings as physical, social, psychological and spiritual beings. It understands people to be more than their visible “substance” but values them as people with eternal significance given in their being created by a loving God.

So, how do we go about providing this in the working environment? Is there a physical place for hospitality, or is that simply in the person and availability of the chaplain? How can that be presented to the workforce? 

The images we have been looking at all seem to imply some sedentary space. I wonder if a chaplain is much more of a “moving space” taking the gift of listening, compassion, availability and reflection to whoever needs/wants it? I certainly find this is true of the day chaplaincy work I undertake at Ely Cathedral. “Loitering with intent” and simply talking to people about what they are looking at, or passing a word with staff on my perambulations generates space for light and warmth, hopefully!

It would be helpful to know how you work this out in your own setting. Let us know!  What’s your image of chaplaincy and how does it come to life for you? What you share will help others!  

Paul Hills
Vice-Chair, CWC

Confusion in the workforce and in the economy

Today , I’m considering the various economic stats and business news that I have seen and tried to comprehend within the strictures of not being an economist but having some business experience. 

We all know about inflation, we only have to look at our food bills. The same inflationary pressures are affecting every business, wage increases, goods and service costs rising, some at considerably higher rates than our domestic cost increases.

We hear that businesses are finding it difficult to fill vacancies, the observation – (a request from the CBI this week), was that the country needs to consider opening up more vacancies to overseas candidates. There are 0.5 million more on long term sickness than in 2019 which is now a total of 2.5 million who are not working due to long term sickness (source ONS) and our GDP fell last month.

I’m trying to work out how, despite economic pressures, there is a need for more employees, (admittedly these vacancies will be in particular sectors). This usually, is an indicator of a vibrant economy. All this to me, a relative layperson I find confusing.
To me, the world appears to be in confusion. Covid is still around, anecdotally I know more people who have had or have it than at the height of the pandemic. The after effects are very varied, some shrugging it off, some taking longer to fully recover and other where the effects appear to be permanent.

Taking workplaces as a specific example, employers and employees are trying to work out equable ways of working. Take for example employers who have insisted on a full time return to the office, some manage this despite employee resistance, (who knows the effect on employees), some employees refusing but reluctantly having to accept, with other employers and employees settling for a compromise. This is just one of the tensions. (I’m sure those who’s job requires them to be in a place of work, such as manufacturing, must wonder at all this). The positive is that there is now discussion on the benefits and the disadvantages of changed working practice.

As commented in previous Lead Articles in this newsletter, creating environments which enhance employee wellbeing is much higher up the employer agenda. This change in priority has happened very quickly, albeit that some workplaces who paid scant attention before have a greater understanding of how important it is for its people and for their business. There are of course many examples where it has been embedded in an employer’s culture for many years, sometimes decades. 

There is also the feeling of loss with which most have experienced in some shape or form, loss of family and friends, loss of security, health, young people’s loss of socialising, traditional education and many other manifestations.

The last couple of years have been a whirlwind of experiences, not all of them by any means adverse and some being noticeably life enhancing.  We all need to find our own bedrocks and build from there. We know in many cases this is not possible and has, and will cause difficulties with physical and mental health. It’s such a refreshing change knowing that there is, in most situations, no stigma about being open about personal mental health difficulties. However a lot more still needs to be done about creating a safe and secure culture where issues can be discussed without stigma and regretful consequences.

Although it feels as if we are being bounced around in new territory it’s important to remember that humanity is resilient and where allowed (within the context of a reasonably balanced and fair society), equable solutions can be found. Chaplains are a vital cog in this machinery, that is why are so committed  in supporting and promoting  chaplaincy in all its forms. 

Alastair Ure Reid
Chair

The pursuit of a meaningful life

The World Economics Forum recently shared the results of a study that examined happiness across 12 countries, and found that the pursuit of a meaningful life was universally important.

According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, employee wellbeing is the new imperative for employers. Several prominent companies have appointed “chief happiness officers“, and the professional network LinkedIn lists more than 4,000 of them: international companies are increasingly embracing well-being and happiness initiatives as a way to retain employees in a tight labour market. Most corporate perks take the form of yoga classes, unlimited free snacks, or company retreats to ski resorts, while marketing departments try to support healthy habits related to their brands.

All of which is very nice, but does it really foster happiness? And – importantly for international companies – are wellness programs designed in Silicon Valley suited to employees in Italy, South Africa or Japan?

Many well-being initiatives take a view of happiness that is based on individual and pleasure-based benefits and ignores the cultural context. We examined happiness across 12 countries and found a universal need for managers to address more collective and meaningful aspects of happiness.

Traditional predictors of happiness and their limits

Social sciences research conceptualizes happiness as having two dimensions rooted in ancient Greek philosophy: hedonia and eudaimonia. A more recent study has defined these as follows: “the hedonic pathway to happiness is reached by maximizing one’s pleasurable moments, whereas the eudaimonic pathway to happiness relies on using and developing the best of oneself in the pursuit of the greater good, particularly the welfare of humankind.” This could also be described as pursuing a meaningful life.

Cross-cultural research on happiness may have exhibited a bias toward hedonism, derived from the dominant, Western, individualist-oriented tradition. Life satisfaction, the most commonly-used outcome variable in the well-being literature, is often related to pleasure-seeking. The pursuit of a meaningful life, on the other hand, is a more collective endeavour. There could be diversity in ideas about happiness both between and within countries.

A more holistic definition of happiness should include spirituality in addition to pleasure and meaning, although this overlaps with a search for meaning. Indeed, the collective dimension of eudaimonia may offer a better understanding of cultural variations, particularly between individualist and collectivist countries. Previous empirical studies have demonstrated that personal achievement and pleasure lead to greater happiness for North Americans. In contrast, social harmony and a feeling of interdependence with others contribute more to happiness in East Asia.

The challenge of measuring happiness across continents and cultures

To investigate how hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of happiness varied across cultures, we worked with a panel provider to question 2,615 people from 12 countries about their life satisfaction, asking them to rate several items related to pleasure, meaning and spirituality. We chose countries that both offered cultural diversity (individualist and collectivist contexts) and represented under-studied countries.

Even if the weight of each dimension varies from country to country, this is only relative. Overall, people from all countries are equally oriented towards pleasure, meaning and spirituality in their desire for life satisfaction. This robust cross-cultural study shows that meaning is a stronger predictor of life satisfaction than pleasure for all studied countries.

Meaningful routes to wellbeing for managers

Do these findings suggest that a global culture with converging (if not homogenized) values is emerging? The idea has been around since the 2000s when the world wide web was growing rapidly.

Our results, which relied on an internet survey, may reflect patterns specific to an Internet-connected population. More generally, however, the findings are valuable for managers wishing to design smarter corporate incentives to promote staff well-being. They could benefit from widening their focus on pleasure-based benefits such as financial rewards, to include giving employees a sense of meaning, by volunteering their time, for example. Food for thought!

Jane Thompson, CWC

Rev Dr Jenny Gage RIP

It is with great sadness that we learn that Rev Dr Jenny Gage, a former trustee of CWC, has died. CWC trustees would like to send their deep condolences to Jenny’s family.

By coincidence, I have a personal connection in that Jenny and I attended the same Baptist Church in Great Missenden, Bucks some 40 plus years ago, where the minister, Rev John Rackley, introduced me to the then “Worker Priest” movement.

Jenny, who has been serving as self-supporting Minister for Social Justice at Ely Cathedral, had a long career in teaching and was called to self-supporting ministry in her mid-50s in Ely Diocese in parallel to her work in education. Needing to make sense of being a priest while still working in a secular capacity she embarked on a professional doctorate at Anglia Ruskin University and later wrote  “Priests in Secular Work: Participating in the “MIssio Dei”, published by Sacristy Press.

Jenny became a trustee of CWC because of her keen interest in the role of ministry in the secular workplace, being parallel to, but different from, chaplaincy in the workplace, and we greatly valued her input.

In her book she argued that in the twenty-first century, priests in secular work (PSW) are not a new phenomenon, and they have a specific vocation, not to be subsumed under any church-based model of ordained ministry. She made the case for understanding priestly ministry in secular work as a distinct vocation, which is necessary to the life of the institutional Church at a time when secular society is rapidly changing.

Both the sacramental nature of this vocation and the work that PSW ministers do are key, she argued, to the vocational identity of priests in secular work. Beginning with her experience of reflecting on her vocation as a maths educator and as a priest, Jenny explored priestly ministry in secular work through a number of theological lenses including the narrative formation of identity, theology of work and theology of place.

Those of us supporting chaplaincy in the workplace valued her input and whilst recognising the distinction between the role of a PSW and a workplace chaplain, we saw the parallels of experience particularly concerning the chaplain in relation to church structures in terms of recognition, support and integration.

Jenny challenged our thinking and has, we want to honour, advanced the understanding within the church and secular workplaces of the productive and vocational role of priests in secular work.

We would welcome views of chaplains on the vital issues that Jenny explored.

The funeral of Rev Dr Jenny Gage will be held in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral
at 2pm on 7th October 2022.

Clive Morton, Vice Chair, CWC

What is it all about?

CPD, CMD, APSE, PS……what is it all about?

What are all these letters about?  A weird start to a pub quiz, maybe, or just some random doodling?  You will probably recognise at least one or two of them.
Continuing Professional Development. Continuing Ministerial Development.  Association for Pastoral Supervision and Education.  Peer Supervision.

Anyone at all associated with most professions and certainly ministry will know about the encouragement to keep learning and, perhaps not so often, the need for practical support in reflection on work, which is what supervision is all about.  In more recent years we have become more aware that, with all the complexity of life, it is essential to have space to reflect on our practice of our chosen profession.  This is not supervision as a means of checking on an employee doing the job properly, but rather is “a relationship between two or more disciples who  meet to consider the ministry of one or more of them in an intentional and disciplined way” (Leach and Paterson “Pastoral Supervision – SCM – 2010 – p,1)

Workplace chaplaincy can be a bit of a lonely place, especially away from the statutory forms of it in health, prisons, police etc..  It can easily become an isolated place too when there is nowhere to take concerns or find some sort of accountability.  What do we do about the puzzling reaction to our enquiry about someone’s health?  Or, possibly more especially, what do we do about our own unexpected reaction of sorrow or anger to a particular pastoral situation? 

A relationship of pastoral supervision aims to provide somewhere to process such things in a safe, supportive but rigorous way.  It’s worth asking “Do I have somewhere to go for such help?”  Even if our ministry is very “level” and seems to be moving along in a positive way, pastoral supervision can still be a valuable way of simply keeping an eye on how we do things and how we are.

CWC recognises the value of supervision and is wondering how much of a need there is for it in the world of workplace chaplaincy.  Areas such as spiritual accompaniment/direction recognise the need for at least peer supervision in its ministry.  Perhaps something like that would work in workplace ministry?

We would value hearing your experience of supervision and your thoughts on the need for it.  Certainly APSE is one source for it where ministry is quite full rather than occasional (www.pastoralsupervision.org.uk).  But, perhaps, a peer supervision approach might suit the party-time nature of some workplace chaplaincy.  Do let us know if this is something you would like to explore.  It could make a huge and helpful difference to the practice of your calling.

Paul Hills, Vice Chair, CWC