Descrimination, Bullying & Harassment

Discrimination, bullying & harassment and in turn poor mental health, are significant driving factors of crew turnover. ISWAN has recently confirmed that 22.8% of contacts from yacht crew were for mental health issues, and 21.4% related to abuse, bullying, harassment and discrimination.

What can (and needs to) be done to remedy the situation? In turn ensure crew, just as shoreside personnel, crew have a safe, secure and discriminatory free work environment.

Bullying behaviour can cover a wide range of both overt and covert actions. We often hear of senior crew who publicly criticise other crew’s work, or micromanage their juniors, in-order to ‘catch them out’. Others set unrealistic deadlines, over stretch the individual or regularly change the goal posts; some will start rumours or talk behind people’s backs. Bullies can be more subtle too, perhaps ignoring an individual or taking credit for their work. Often bullies will rely on creating fear, not just for the person they are picking on, but for those who see it happening too.

Most people are unwilling to take formal action, instead voting with their feet. 20% of the crew surveyed in our crew turnover survey, stated that they had experienced bullying in their last position, which is no doubt a contributory factor to the high crew turnover rates we see today for junior crew. The question is, what could the industry do to tackle this problem? The issue could be picked up during exit interviews by asking the question: ‘Have you ever been bullied?’ However, exit interviews are still not common practice in the industry and crew are fearful of speaking up and potentially giving themselves a poor reputation.

Undoubtedly the most effective intervention is to train all senior crew in how to recognise the signs and symptoms of bullying, as well as how to resolve issues quickly. All too often, we hear of senior crew failing to act, frequently because they are unsure of how to deal with the situation, and also living in the hope that the problem will go away. Bullying is obviously unacceptable, but inaction is usually viewed as the equivalent of condoning the actions of the bully.

As senior crew on board, there has to be a zero tolerance towards bullying. It’s important that you unite and from the top down eradicate the first signs of bullying, otherwise it can weave its evil web through the yacht and take root. It is important that senior crew learn the skills of giving crew effective feedback and how to monitor behaviour, to ensure that the old habits don’t creep back in.

Encouraging crew to speak up, perhaps through the safety rep, or the nomination of a crew rep. Basically someone they can talk to in confidence and know they will be taken seriously. It could be that they are particularly sensitive, or sometimes the person who is bullying genuinely does not realise the impact that they are having on someone.

Encourage other crew who observe the behaviour to speak up too, whether directly to the individual, or up the chain of command. Plan what you are going to say, stick to the facts and let them know the impact their behaviour is having on others.

Ask questions and try and find out why they are a bullying. Understanding why someone is behaving this way is often key to supporting change. It could be because they feel insecure or are tired or stressed. Perhaps they have taken a position that they don’t feel ready for or capable of fulfilling. They may have been bullied themselves and this becomes their learnt behaviour and they see it as acceptable.

Nautilus has been campaigning to eradicate the problem of bullying in the maritime sector for more than 10 years. Are you a member? YachtCrewHelp.org provides a 24 /7 helpline, ensure everyone on board knows about the support they offer. Do your crew know how to seek outside support as and when they need it?

Impact crew is here for you, whether as a leader or crew member on board. Give us a call to discuss how we can help; and support you to achieve the culture that you would like for your vessel. Impact Crew specialises in on board team and leadership development across the maritime sector.