Attracting and retaining talent T


Joanna Sawh, Wallem Shipmanagement Limited


he ability to attract talent and to retain seafarers within an organization is


one of the essential KPIs in the shipping industry. In a recent in-house survey our seafarers identified four elements which they looked out for when seeking employment: stability of employment, fair treatment, fair salaries, and training and promotion prospects. These elements may not be ground-breaking, but they are often overlooked by employers in favour of a ‘quick–fix’ solution.


Shipping Performance Indexes (SPI), Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and Performance Indicators (PI) express an organisation’s ability to employ, retain and develop personnel with the required


competences in order to ensure safe and efficient ship operations.


When structuring salaries and contract lengths, it is crucial to have an understanding of shipping economics, to be up to date with the global markets and regional requirements; and to understand the individual needs of each and every seafarer in the pool, and those who potentially may become part of the organization.


Recruitment and selection processes are closely linked with retention rates. Take a chaotic approach to the placement of the crew and you will struggle to retain talent. But, if you spend the additional time to plan, you will eventually reap the


rewards. The theme, therefore, is to refrain from quick fixes and opt for a long term approach when it comes to planning and, consecutively, retention.


The process should start with open, two- way communication with seafarers, giving clear information about company goals, future placements, promotion prospects and company intentions – all addressed in a clear and transparent way. It sends the right message across the organization and beyond - to secure a long-term commitment from seafarers, the employer must show commitment to them.


Some of the factors allowing attraction and retention of seafarers are highlighted in the centrespread feature on pages 4/5.


The Shipping KPI Standard ...as it relates to HR management performance


T


he Shipping KPI Standard is a global standard for defining, measuring


and reporting information on operational performance in order to improve performance in companies engaged in ship operations, and to provide an efficient communication platform for ship operation performance to internal and external stakeholders.


The Shipping Performance Index (SPI) combines a set of relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) best expressing an organisation’s/vessel’s ability to perform within the theme of the SPI.


7 SPIs are defined:


• Environmental Performance, • Safety Performance, • Security Performance, • HR Performance, • Technical Performance, • Navigational Performance


• Operational Performance.


With respect to HR Management Performance, the SPI, KPIs and Performance Indicators (PIs) express the organisation’s ability to employ, retain and develop personnel with the required competences in order to ensure safe and efficient ship operations.


KPI PI


A: Number of absconded crew B: Number of charges of criminal offences


Crew disciplinary frequency - The ability of management to maintain discipline


These Key Performance Indicators and associated Performance Indicators are shown in the diagram.


C: Number of cases where drugs or alcohol is abused D: Number of dismissed crew E: Number of logged warnings F: Total exposure hours


Crew planning - The Company’s ability to relieve crew on time as well as avoiding violations of rest hour’s regulations


HR deficiencies - The Company’s HR related performance measured by number of deficiencies recorded during external inspections and audits


Cadets per vessel - The Company’s efforts to take on new cadets


Officer retention rate - The Company’s ability to retain officers within the organization


Officers exerience rate - The percentile experience of the officers currently onboard the vessel


Training days per officer - The Company’s commitment to maintain and enhance officers’ competence


A: Number of crew not relieved on time B: Number of violation of rest hours


A: Number of HR related deficiencies B: Number of recorded external inspections


A: Number of cadets under training with the ship manager B: Number of vessels under technical management


A: Number of terminations from whatever cause B: Number of unavoidable officer terminations C: Number of beneficial officer terminations D: Average number of officers employed


A: Number of officer exerience points B: Number of officers onboard


A: Number of officer trainee man days


B: Number of officer days onboard all vessels under technical management


For further information go to: www.shipping-kpi.org/ January 2013 | Alert! | 3


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