Seafarer Crew Recruitment & Retainment FAQ

Given the situation, what can maritime organizations do to mitigate the problem? The obvious answer is that they should be taking real, concrete action to ensure their hiring processes are optimized concerning best practices and technological innovation. We will list four critical steps that leaders in the shipping & maritime sector can take for appropriate seafarer crew recruitment and retainment for your convenience. 

Crew Recruitment Best Practices Explained in 4 Steps

Boost your Organization's Online Reach and Optimize your Digital Image

No respectable organization still carries out its recruitment and job application processes manually at the heart of a digital revolution. A good online presence is supercritical for credibility in the digital age, and a prospective applicant should access your company information seamlessly. Ask yourself if your website is optimized by SEO standards and if your social media strategy is directed at suitable targets. For instance, OSM Maritime utilized the Facebook recruitment tool for their onshore staff, producing creative social media content to receive job inquiries, likes, and comments for boosted engagement. What's better, there are now tools that help you navigate the entirety of the recruitment processes online and retain employee data on the cloud accessible in real-time. 

Ensure Recruitment Transparency regarding Job Responsibilities and Risks

Public awareness regarding what a standard seafarer officers' set of responsibilities entail is still lacking. Maritime careers and job listings should be transparent about what crew life involves to transform the current perception. The shipping industry is a risky environment, and many of its workers may have to perform their daily tasks under pressure. Even if you can ensure that the working conditions are on par with international safety standards, additional transparency regarding potential incidents, expectations, and potential overtime duties is advised. 

Promote Racial, Ethnic, National, Cultural Diversity, and Awareness Onboard

The maritime industry is a global sector that will likely be onboarding individuals from different backgrounds and cultures. Ships tend to become international hubs of diversity, and ensuring inclusion and awareness is critical. Indeed, about a quarter of officers have left their posts as a seafarer due to poor experiences regarding a multicultural crew. Over 80% of merchant fleets are composed of multicultural and multilingual crew members. Chances are, your fleet is going to have similar statistics. To successfully manage the diversity onboard, promoting awareness and conducting training on optimal communication styles can esnıre efficient working and crew harmony. Especially for today's younger generations, workplace happiness trumps other factors such as wages in job satisfaction. To recruit younger officers and retain them in the long run, you will need to make this step one of your top priorities. 

Be Prepared for Global Recruitment

Seafarers know no borders; although some countries have a leading role in supplying the industry with crew members, many novel countries have joined the market, such as the Philippines, China, and India. Shipping is a globalized sector, and managing such a global crew's varying labor needs may be daunting. Consider the language, legal framework implications, visa necessities, reasonable accommodations. Will you need to deliver the onboarding and forthcoming meetings in a different language? Will, your HR personnel, need to address other policies when undertaking crew management and internal communication? Look out for various tools that can help you navigate the global background of your crew members. 

A fundamental way to undertake all these essential steps and optimize your seafarer recruitment and retention is to utilize online tools to assist you in operating the analytics. Big data solutions for the maritime industry can help you discover valuable insights and determine underlying causes of officer shortages and limited retention. It can also deliver solutions for working with crew members from various backgrounds. If you are looking for a basic and straightforward to integrate digital solution for your maritime operations