So once again we have an obstacle, how do we get these managers to understand


the importance of looking after the human side of yachting? More HR training here too?


to obtain them either. Stagnant salaries have made the industry far less appealing for longterm employment. Covid saw many crew seeking alternative employment and discovering new passions, new interests and a fresh outlook with improved mental health. A chief stew told me, “what I’ve lost in salary isn’t that much in the big picture compared to what I’ve gained in terms of my relationships, and now I can have a normal life. Unless I was offered a more comprehensive package with considerably more paid time off, I won’t return to yachting.” A sentiment echoed by many who left the industry only “temporarily” during the pandemic, never to return.


ROTATION, ROTATION, ROTATION This season we’ve seen increased numbers of crew holding out for proper rotation (equal pay 2 months on off usually), and contracts offering more than 30 days leave a year. It does seem bizarre that the commercial shipping sector has used rotation as standard practice for many years but the superyacht industry seems conveniently blind to its benefits, of which there are so many (and well documented). Crew are people, not machines, and we need time off or our mental health will suffer. Deck stew “M” told me she’d like to see therapy offered to crew, “half hour a week per crew member with an online therapist on boss time. Someone to check in and see if they have any issues, or just to make sure things are ok. Could avoid conflict down the road with another person.” We all know someone who’d scoff at the idea and chuck the word “snowflake” about but let’s face it, they’re probably the ones who need it the most so be kind when you bounce this idea around the crew mess.


Another attitude which needs to change is that many seniors prefer to swap crew out if they are underperforming rather than deal with the awkwardness or conflict of tackling the problem. In a landbased workplace if somebody started strong, and then the quality of their work dropped, a good manager would address that and in first instance, try to resolve the issue. They would be mentored and in the end, the employee performance and would improve,


Not just immediately bin them off and get a new one. There’s definitely a gap in the market here for Human Resources training for HODs, doing the physical job is the easy bit, it’s dealing with people that’s the tough part as I said earlier. The number of seniors who have seemed genuinely shocked that there was no bank of reserve crew still desperately searching for work in July and August this year was high! In a normal year, back in the “old days” when there were too many crew and not enough jobs, yes, you really could swap out a crew member mid-season and be fairly sure you weren’t hiring a psychopath. But this year? Absolutely not. And as one agent said, “in the current climate if anybody is still looking for work in August, I would be very thorough in checking their background as they’re probably not the best!”


Now what about management companies? Where do they fit into all this? Well, the management company concept was born to be, effectively, a go-between to make both parties lives easier. The captain should be able to lean on management for support, advice and assistance. The manager should be providing this to the captain and crew, whilst managing the client’s expectations in what’s realistically achievable. Sadly this model doesn’t always work properly, where some managers are offering all this and more to both parties, helping guide the owners through efficient and happy yacht ownership (like our director friend above), sadly there are others who make life harder for the crew. Captain “M” has experienced a lack of understanding from management, “it seems the corporate mindset, one most owners are familiar with, is being applied, and not always to good advantage. One does not always save money by saving money on a boat, and this is contrary to a corporate mentality.”


At the end of the day, we all know a vessel with happy crew makes everyone’s lives easier, including the managers as well as the owners’! So once again we have an obstacle, how do we get these managers to understand the importance of looking after the human side of yachting? More HR training here too?


Considering covid again, the pandemic has changed everything. Like it or lump it, there is no denying that we will not go back to how things were before Covid. The labour force has altered, evolving and moving forward with the changing landscape. Landbased industries adapted to accommodate their employees, so why won’t yachting? Especially considering most yacht owners have other business concerns ashore where changes have been implemented successfully.


Obviously crew can’t work from home, but I bet in management companies team members continue to do so, not just to save money but because the world realised productivity increased in employees because they were happier. So why do so many owners think that crew should work 24/7 for an entire season (and be grateful for this experience)? They wouldn’t force that working model on their landbased staff, so we need to show them yacht crew deserve equal treatment and respect.


BURNOUT


The media is constantly flooded with workplace mental health advice, issues, and solutions, so it’s not like burnout is an unknown factor in the workforce. What we have seen from industries ashore is that, if the employer does not value the employee and treat them well, they leave and find work elsewhere in a company that will value them. This is exactly what’s happening with yachting. And yet we are still hearing horror stories of management and captains blaming the crew for not having a decent work ethic or being too entitled. Have we not earned the right to be entitled to decent living and working conditions, salaries and time off?


How do we educate the owners on this subject? Is it down to the captains? Or is it down to the management companies? Will articles like this help in relevant publications? When we see advertisements for superyacht owners’ forums and clubs, why are they never talking about crew?


So there we have it. Plenty of ideas, plenty of feedback from the crew at the coal face, but still plenty of areas to consider, question, and improve upon. So now, our role as industry leaders, seniors, and professionals is to work collectively to push the yachting industry into a new era. Let’s stop bashing each other and focusing on the negatives, there are so many positives and successes in our industry, let’s focus on these and move forward together to make the future brighter for all of us.


ONBOARD | AUTUMN 2022 | 37


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