The Role of Workplace Chaplains in Industrial Relations: Evidence from Australia
| Published date | 01 December 2006 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8543.2006.00519.x |
| Date | 01 December 2006 |
| Author | Grant Michelson |
British Journal of Industrial Relations
44:4 December 2006 0007– 1080 pp. 677– 696
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd/London School of Economics 2006. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd,
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Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Oxford, UKBJIRBritish Journal of Industrial Relations0007-1080Blackwell Publishing Ltd/London School of Economics 2006December 2006444677696Special
Edition on New Actors in Industrial Relations
Workplace Chaplains in Industrial RelationsBritish Journal of Industrial Relations
Grant Michelson is at the University of Sydney.
The Role of Workplace Chaplains
in Industrial Relations: Evidence
from Australia
Grant Michelson
Abstract
This paper examines a neglected and largely invisible actor within the field of
industrial relations. Taking the case of industrial chaplains in Australian work-
places, it demonstrates that not only do chaplains play an important and inde-
pendent role in their own right, but that their ostensible neutrality is also used
to help achieve the interests of both management and trade unions. The location
of chaplains in industrial relations and their need to develop workplace legitimacy
accounts for this finding. This suggests that future studies that seek to explore
the purpose and activities of new and non-traditional groups in industrial relations
will need to place their analyses within the context of more established actors.
1. Introduction
The traditional actors in industrial relations as popularized by Dunlop (1958)
are all experiencing considerable change. Trade union membership has fallen
precipitously in many countries, employers have become more sophisticated
in their employment practices, and governments and state agencies are
increasingly influenced by a range of international regulatory institutions. In
spite of these changes, many industrial relations scholars continue to focus
on the traditional triumvirate of actors to the exclusion of new actors. There
have been some exceptions to this, including research on the Citizens’ Advice
Bureaux in the UK (Abbott 1998, 2004), community groups and employment
agencies in the USA (Osterman
et al
. 2001), and end-users of services in
Canada (Bellemare 2000). The body of literature concerning new actors in
industrial relations nonetheless remains small. This paper seeks to add to this
work by examining the role of one group — industrial or workplace chaplains.
Rather than arguing that chaplains are a new actor
per se
, the position that
is adopted is that they have been an historically neglected actor in industrial
678
British Journal of Industrial Relations
© Blackwell Publishing Ltd/London School of Economics 2006.
relations but that this situation needs to change. There are a number of
reasons why chaplains as neutral actors who have provided assistance, offered
counselling and addressed a range of problems at the workplace level are
worthy of investigation. These reasons include the contemporary experience
of work and the challenges now faced by the traditional industrial relations
actors.
In different national contexts, there now exists considerable evidence of
higher levels of worker stress and insecurity precipitated by, for example,
employer demands for greater flexibility in the labour market (e.g. Heery and
Salmon 2000; Watson
et al
. 2003). Employee stress and work insecurity are
arguably intensified when examined alongside other recent developments.
Declining trade union membership and collective bargaining coverage for
workers has resulted in a ‘representation gap’ for the expression of employee
voice in such countries as Australia, the UK and the USA (Bray
et al
. 2001;
Tow ers 1997). While the need for employee representation remains clear
(Healy
et al
. 2004), these developments present chaplains with potentially
more opportunities to address the needs of workers in areas that are arguably
the domain of unions. This includes attempts to mitigate the experience of
worker stress and insecurity, as well as trying to attend to the general welfare
and well-being of employees (see Kersley
et al
. 2006: ch. 10; Sparks
et al
.
2001). In this way, the presence of alternative voice mechanisms might reduce
the appeal of trade unions, further eroding their membership levels.
However, trade unions might not regard the introduction of chaplaincy
services as a threat but, along with other community/societal groups, could
seek to build coalitions with workplace chaplains (Nissen 1993). In doing so,
the chaplains might adopt an advocacy role for workers and seek to represent
their interests in cases where these conflict with employers. In addition, chap-
lains perform a range of welfare and other functions that unions are currently
less well placed to address because of resource constraints. By performing
these important roles on behalf of workers, trade unions could more
effectively devote their financial resources to organizing campaigns, thereby
rebuilding their memberships.
Chaplain efforts to enhance worker well-being and life satisfaction are also
likely to be increasingly welcomed by employers as this could contribute to
improved organizational performance (Guest 2002). It is therefore plausible
that employers will engage chaplains to help achieve their strategic and indus-
trial interests. This could be the case particularly in those organizations that
have shifted away from a welfare-oriented personnel role towards a more
strategic role under human resource management. This shift may result in
the welfare function previously undertaken by personnel now becoming the
responsibility of workplace chaplains.
There are other reasons why managers might be attracted to independent
chaplaincy services. In one recent study in the UK, employees reportedly
perceived managers as more responsive to their issues in workplaces where
there were no unions (Bryson 2004). If this pattern is replicated elsewhere,
then attempts by employers to exclude unions and use chaplains more
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