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Each month, we share a discussion piece written by a guest author from the maritime sector who can offer a unique or interesting perspective on an aspect of seafarers’ welfare. You can join the conversation on our social media channels – LinkedIn and Facebook.

This month, (e-)coach for the maritime sector Marga de Mol delves into the challenges of intergenerational differences among seafarers on board and how coaching can help to bridge the gap.

Managing millennials, different generations and nationalities on board can be challenging. The literal distance between shore and ship is also felt between generations and nationalities on board. Some seafarers work with paper charts while the new generation uses Google Maps (ECDIS) as standard. How do you reduce that distance?

You used to look at the world through the lens of binoculars, nowadays you look through the lens of your phone!

So how special is it that the new generation that has already discovered all the beautiful places of the world through TikTok and Instagram, still decides to work in the maritime sector? And so, as senior management on board, how do you retain this young generation for the maritime sector?

Understanding generational differences

Research¹ shows that young seafarers generally see themselves as agreeable, conscientious and open. This means they are more likely to be compassionate, trusting, cooperative and submissive than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. As conscientious individuals, they value discipline and act accordingly and dutifully to set standards. They desire achievement. They also see themselves as open-minded and tend to be knowledgeable, creative, insightful, curious and have a variety of experiences. A closer look at the specific descriptions of the five core character traits reveals that they somewhat to very much agree that they possess the following traits: resourceful, a deep thinker, has a forgiving nature, does things efficiently, makes plans and executes them, and is full of energy.

However, the young generation of seafarers somewhat agree that they tend to experience unpleasant emotions such as anger, anxiety, depression or vulnerability easily and tend to succumb to psychological stress. They can be moody, easily distracted and upset, cold and distant, easily affected by tense situations and reserved. This means that when they find themselves in an undesirable situation, they tend to lose control of their emotions and can easily become upset, provoked or angry.

However, people who have mentored them or worked with them agree that the new generation of seafarers enjoy working with others, do their work thoroughly, have new ideas and an active imagination, are generally confident, and persevere until the task is finished. They are considerate and friendly, value artistic and aesthetic experiences, do things efficiently, are helpful and selfless towards others, are reliable workers and have a forgiving nature.

Harnessing the potential of a diverse workplace

Like everyone else, younger generations also have some traits that can pose a challenge to building harmonious working relationships with the people they work with on board. Older generations find that the younger generation of seafarers is easily distracted, tends to worry a lot, can be moody/quick to get upset and has difficulty dealing with stressful and tense situations.

While seafarers of the past accepted long contracts without hesitation, the new generation of seafarers opts for short-term contracts that give them more time to spend with their families and celebrate important events with them. Therefore, they are more attracted to shipping companies that can offer them this work-life balance. Shipping companies should therefore consider initiatives to help the new generation – our current and future seafarers – become effective and efficient maritime officers of the maritime sector.

With the right management style and motivation, these traits can be an asset to the company. The younger generation’s resourcefulness and thinking skills as a result of their exposure to more advanced ways of thinking can generate more dynamic ideas to improve management and operational systems on board, under the guidance of their senior officers. And to encourage these ideas to come out, shipping companies must adopt and encourage a management style that is open to new ideas; a management style that allows everyone to share and contribute, in a complementary way, what they think is best to create a positive and interactive working environment where everyone feels their existence is an important part of the whole team.

A strict hierarchical command structure can hinder effective teamwork, while free, interactive communication can enhance it.

There must be ways and means to maximise the positive attributes of the younger generation of seafarers and use them in the workplace. They need a stimulating environment that encourages optimal use of these capabilities rather than one that blocks them.

Employees’ personal lives and choices are fuelled by the atmosphere in their workplaces. This means that leaders can improve the performance of the work unit by encouraging the work atmosphere.

Often, shipping companies are very idealistic in introducing programmes designed to develop and strengthen the intellectual, moral, emotional and technical foundations of their crew. However, such ideals often fail to achieve their intended purpose because they are not properly communicated and fully internalised by the team of executive officers who are expected to implement that kind of leadership on board. So, instead of experiencing a positive and inspiring life on board to keep the crew going despite the challenging demands of their job, they go home with stories of their more negative experiences on board with their officers or fellow crew members.

Younger captains and officers are sometimes intimidated and looked down upon by their older crew members who feel they are too ‘inexperienced’ and that their ideas do not add value compared to their ‘unquestionably longer experience’ in the industry. The conflict of the situation is that here comes the new generation of seafarers who want to assert their ideas, but have no positive environment in which these ideas can come forward and be heard.

Effective leadership is key

Our seafarers need leaders or supervisors who can inspire and motivate them to learn and grow professionally.

Five main influencing tactics – coaching, role modelling, pressure, consultation and exchange tactics – are the effective tactics used by leaders on board to influence safety compliance and participation behaviour of subordinates in ship operations. Leadership influences on safety stem from exemplary behaviour, expert and personal sources of power, and are pursued through gentle and rational influence tactics rather than coercive or constructive exhortations. The results indicate that the more relationship-oriented leaders are, the more effective their safety leadership would be in influencing behaviour.

Human resources are just as crucial as the modern equipment and technology that keep ships running; therefore, it is also imperative to give equal importance to initiatives designed to develop the full potential of our current and future generations of seafarers by tapping into the inherent traits they are good at and looking for ways and means to maximise and use these traits in the workplace. If others in the workplace can provide them with a stimulating environment that encourages optimal use of these capabilities rather than one that blocks them, imagine the positive impact this could have for the maritime sector.

On the other hand, since this is the generation of seafarers serving as current and future maritime officers, internal measures can also be taken to strengthen their weaknesses, especially in the affective/emotional area. Coping strategies need to be developed and strengthened, especially in handling stressful situations, defusing tensions and dealing with issues that may distract them from performing their jobs efficiently and effectively.

Looking ahead

To seafarers in management positions on board, I would say: Engage with each other and dare to be vulnerable. Reflect on yourself. What can you learn from the new generation? What do you need the new generation for? What makes you find it challenging to give them your trust? What does that actually say about you? And involve them in the onboarding process by giving them responsibility and input on the challenges you face. And think back to the old days when you were young. What would you have needed from your captain back then in order to bring your full potential to the organisation? Who gave you the confidence? If we harness the potential of the next generation of seafarers, we will create a promising future for the maritime sector.

Be the mentor you wish you had!

References:

¹ Estimo, E. T. et al. (2020). ‘Millennial Seafarers as Today and Tomorrow’s Generation of Marine Officers: Implications and Future Directions.’ Journal of Shipping and Ocean Engineering (10), p.18-28, https://www.davidpublisher.com/Public/uploads/Contribute/600111251035e.pdf (accessed 20.11.24)