'A Ministry Of Presence'

Tyson Chaplains Meet Employee Needs In Poultry Plants

Last updated Friday, June 20, 2008 7:37 PM CDT in Religion

By Bettina Lehovec
The Morning News

"It's a proactive type employee assistance program," he said. "The chaplains are there meeting people informally. They're not there to press anyone, but they're easily accessible. They're also there to respond in times of crisis."

Employee participation is voluntary, Tyson said. Services are confidential, unless topics covered pose a threat to individual lives or company security. Pastoral interactions might focus on marriage and family distress, substance abuse or economic struggles.

Chaplains also are available to perform weddings and funerals.

"I see myself as a pastor to the pastorless," said Bob Bethke, another chaplain in Springdale plants. "A lot of people here don't go to church. They really need someone who cares and pays attention to them, someone to encourage them when times are hard. ... Just sitting and listening - being there for the people - is enough for them.

"They don't separate work and life. If they're in some real trouble, it affects their work. It really helps if they can download that with somebody."

Chaplains work part time, often splitting their duties between several plants. They're on call 24 hours a day. Typically, chaplains pastor a congregation in the area, but their work at Tyson Foods is nondenominational.

"We're not here to impose our theological views," Lizcano said. "We're here to listen to their sorrows - and share their joys."

Some 123 chaplains serve 251 Tyson plants in the United States, Mexico and Canada, Alan Tyson said. Tyson is the largest company with a workplace chaplaincy program in the nation.

Such programs are growing, fueled by feedback from plant managers and supervisors, Tyson said. They credit the program with improving retention and morale.

"It's a tangible way for our company to care for our team members," Tyson said. "It has become a part of the culture of the company."

Short-Term Crisis Management

The chaplains at the Randall Road plant in Springdale wear hard hats to distinguish themselves from line workers. That way they're easy to identify and find, Lizcano explained. As chaplains move through production areas, employees in need can ask to speak with them. If the supervisor agrees, they might spend 15 to 20 minutes in conversation.

"It's short-term crisis management," Lizcano said. "When the team member goes back to the line, he has ventilated his anger, his stress."

Situations that require long-term intervention are referred to counseling, Bethke said. Chaplains try to take a proactive approach, offering advice on parenting, marriage, health and other issues. Bulletin boards carry information in three languages - English, Spanish and Marshallese.

Two Springdale plants started chaplaincy programs in March - the Randall Road plant and the Berry Street plant. Offering such a program is up to individual plant managers, who must weigh benefits against balancing their budgets.

Most of the Tyson plants in the area have chaplaincy programs, Tyson said.

Lizcano, Bethke and Albon Langbon share duties at the two plants and for the live production aspect of the Springdale complex. They'll add duties at the Ford Avenue research and development center next month.

Shannon Fancher, manager of the Randall Road plant, said employees have embraced the program more quickly than he had anticipated.

"It's given our team members some positive reinforcement. Everybody needs help sometimes in getting some answers. When tough times come along, these guys are able to bridge that gap."

When an employee's house burned down on Memorial Day, human resource manager Jeffrey Watson called on Bethke to help out, for example.

Bethke called the woman on her cellular phone, offering consolation and support. At first, Youa Yang was bemused by his phone call, she said. She quickly came to appreciate his offer of aid. Her coworkers at Tyson also pitched in, as did the management team.

Bethke continues to stay involved, finding her a computer so she can keep up with online college classes, Yang said.

"It's a good thing. I'm glad we have the chaplains."

A Different Kind of Ministry

The Randall Road plant has a high number of Marshallese employees - 43 percent, Watson said.

Langbon was recruited to work with those employees, many of whom speak little English. He's often called on to serve as a translator. The workers seem to appreciate his presence in the plant, he said.

"If I miss more than one day, they ask for me," he said. "I visit three times a week. They want me there every day."

During his first week of service in March, a Marshallese employee became ill and died. Langbon met with his family and performed the funeral service.

Being able to assist at such a pivotal time allows chaplains to touch lives they might not otherwise contact, Tyson said.

"It's so different from their normal, pastoral work in their churches. This puts them into contact with non-church people. Most of our chaplains love what they do. It gives them an entree into people's lives that they just don't rub shoulders with a whole lot."

It can take time for chaplains' efforts to bear fruit, Tyson said. One woman had never shown the slightest interest in the program, but the chaplain at her plant greeted her pleasantly each time they met. When one of her family members died, he attended the funeral, not sure how he'd be received.

She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck, Tyson said.

"He had earned the right (to be there) by being consistent and being there for her, literally for years."

Watson, the human resources manager at the Randall Road plant, said the program gives employees a safe harbor in the midst of life challenges. Chaplains are available to the management team as well as production workers.

"The program's already made a strong footprint," he said. "At first, we heard some 'What are those people doing here?' Within a few months, we have people waiting in line to see them."

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