Workplace Chaplaincies Create New Legal Issues

A Knight Ridder article in today's Macon Telegraph focuses on the growing practice of companies providing chaplains to employees in the workplace. The article raises interesting questions of employee rights and chaplains' duties of confidentiality. Presbyterian minister and University of Richmond Professor Douglas Hicks warns of some of the difficult conflicts faced by corporate chaplains. Can companies encourage their chaplains to counsel workers who are laid off to deal with their anger in ways other than suing the company? When may ( or must) chaplains who learn of employee wrongdoing during counseling report to the company that an employee has stolen corporate funds? And what about informing the company of employee drug or alcohol abuse, costly medical conditions or union activity?