How to achieve inclusion safety onboard

Inclusion and psychological safety

For an organization to make its employees feel safe and content, there needs to be an environment where everyone is accepted, regardless of their background. That is the reason why inclusion safety is the first step to achieve psychological safety.

Psychological safety is the assumption that you will not be punished or humiliated if you express your self and your thoughts.

Inclusion safety entails embracing diversity and respecting each individual’s unique characteristics without bias. Differences amongst individuals may include ethnicity, race, gender, religion, age, sexuality, social background and many other factors.

In the recent years, the concept of inclusion in general seems to be spreading throughout the industry with major stakeholders adding inclusion initiatives in their strategies (AMSA, Maersk, COSCO, etc).

However, inclusion safety should not only be discussed or mentioned in the company’s strategy but actually be practiced.

Why practice inclusion safety onboard?

Especially considering that seafarers not only work together, but they also live together for an extended period of time, promoting inclusion safety onboard is even more crucial.

Furthermore, seafarers come from all corners the world which means that they are of various nationalities, races, and cultural backgrounds. Eliminating bias in such a diverse setting is very important.

In addition, given that isolation is a common pain point for seafarers, practicing inclusion safety onboard can alleviate their discomfort improving their satisfaction and, in turn, recruitment levels.

How to achieve inclusion safety  

#1 Onshore management

The fact that the company focused on a work environment that promotes inclusion safety should be established from the start. The company should make clear that this is her policy and take measures which demonstrate that it will stick to it.

Onshore management should communicate with the crew on a regular basis and be notified of any misconduct occurring onboard. They should give their new employees confidence that everything they say will be kept confidential and will not jeopardize their jobs.

We don’t have control over who sails with us from the compatibility point of view. You just have to hope for the best and make do.

… were the words of a seafarer in the Seafarers Happiness Index 2023Q1 report

The corporation also wants to know what is going on onboard for research purposes. They can form working groups to identify prevalent issues and the causes of discriminatory instances in order to prevent them from occurring in the future.

Moreover, it could also be helpful for a company to consistently encourage diversity through informative campaigns to combat ignorance about other cultures.

#2 Senior leadership onboard

As Capt. Yves Vandenborn, Director of Loss Prevention at NorthStandard Club, had said to SAFETY4SEA, senior leadership on board must also be able to accept diversity and accommodate the cultural and generational variances of an international crew – whether it be in terms of working styles, language, cultural norms, expectations, or anything else.

Only by empathizing with one another can the maritime industry be able to take the next step in achieving wellbeing for all.

… said Capt. Yves Vandenborn

According to Jannik Grothues, Managing Director, MHSS, having a compassionate leadership style allows for clear and authentic communication, which is essential for the crew’s mental well-being.

Leaders should avoid favoring individuals of the crew because this encourages isolation and lack of trust in others. Instead, leaders should approach all crew members subjectively and foster trust so that the crew can confide in them.

If they identify anything that could jeopardize an individual’s feeling of inclusion safety onboard, they should take action to ensure that the occurrence is dealt with, and suitable actions are taken to avoid it from happening again.

#3 Team spirit

The obligation does not end with senior management. Every member of a healthy team is equally vital. Similarly, senior leadership should not be solely responsible for creating an safe environment.

Crewmembers should endeavour to make it clear as soon as possible that no one can prevent them or a crewmate from being or even feeling included in the group.

They should be held accountable for reporting and confronting anything that compromises their own or any other crewmate’s mental health.

#4 Engaging with each other

Engaging in fun activities onboard can create a fun environment and promote communication between the crewmates. Having fun and socializing can improve bonds and help people be at ease with each other.

Interaction can break stereotypes a person may have about another group of people e.g. racial or religious groups. In addition, it can enforce bonds and make seafarers feel like not all their friends are a thousand kilometres away.

On the path to inclusion safety

Looking forward, all businesses should put mechanisms in place to encourage inclusion safety. Crew satisfaction can skyrocket if more steps are taken to make everyone onboard feel like some sort of community rather than just coworkers.

The feeling of inclusion is critical not only for the crew’s psychological safety but also physical safety. Crewmates may be more willing to seek assistance when they need it, if they aren’t afraid that they will be judged or fired, instead of compromising their safety.

Finally, achieving inclusion safety can help to dispel one of the most widespread misconceptions about life at sea: that seafarers are isolated. As a result, more people may be interested in working onboard, which can help with the rapidly dropping recruitment levels.