In SwedishA pleasant work environment boosts the whole company
Job satisfaction is important and surveys show that many people value it higher than their salaries. For seamen that both live and work onboard it is especially important to feel good in their work environment.
Illustration: Tove Svensson
Glenn Olsson is employed at Tarbit Shipping, a Skärhamn based company that operates six tanker ships.
He says that the well-being of the crew affects all the company’s operations; ”if they don’t feel good they don’t do a good job”. One way for the shipping company to contribute to a good atmosphere onboard is to have frequent contact with the crew, he says.
– It creates trust. We have an open dialogue and I believe that they are confident enough to contact us if they have problems. But it is also important that we ensure there are good managers onboard that can handle any conflicts that may arise and enable others to enjoy their work.
Telephone and Internet
– Contact between land and the ships at sea is via telephone, and the shipping company then talks only with the officers generally. For this reason, visits onboard are particularly important, says Glenn Olsson.
– We must show that we care about everybody that works for us. When we are on the ship we have a chance to talk to the crew also.
Another initiative from the shipping company to improve well-being is the wireless broadband Internet that they had installed about a year ago.
– Younger crewmembers and trainees often ask straightaway if we have Internet on the ship. As long as they can connect, they are quite satisfied - then they feel more or less like they are at home, says Glenn Olsson.
Tarbit’s ships have internationally mixed crews consisting mostly of Swedes and Filipinos. Glenn Olsson explains that this has led to the creation of cliques, and during free watches there is seldom any fraternising between different nationalities.
– In contrast to many other shipping companies we have chosen to have a shared canteen for Swedes and Filipinos. There are many issues taken up during mealtimes and for that reason we believe it is important that crewmembers sit down and eat together.
Communication at all levels
Björn Johansson works at a small family-owned Göteborg tanker company, BRP. He also mentions good communication as being an important factor in job satisfaction, both between crewmembers and between the shore-based office and the ships.
– There are only seven men on each ship in our company. They must feel good and be able to cooperate, otherwise it just won’t work, he says.
This contact is made easier by the fact that the ships return to Göteborg almost every day. BRP has its office ten minutes by car from the harbour.
– We often go on board and talk with the crew. We have good relations and many of them also call in for a coffee when they are on leave at home.
Involvement improves enjoyment
Another factor that he believes is important for how the crew feels is that they are told what is going on in the company. This reduces the risk of speculation and rumours.
– The company is owned by three brothers who have all worked on ships, and I have also been at sea. I think this fact makes communication easier between us since we know what is important when the men are at sea, says Björn Johansson.
Various trade union organisations also look after the crew’s welfare. And the managing director of the Merchant Marine Officers’ Association, Christer Themnér, believes that access to wireless Internet is becoming increasingly important to seamen.
– I think that many of the crew feel it is very valuable to have good contact with families and friends at home. It makes the time spent at sea a little more tolerable.
He knows that being able to do physical training and having access to films and books is appreciated by many seamen, just as a good living environment is.
– We are keen on having a good living standard. Examples of this are acceptable levels of vibration and noise in the cabins, or having daylight in the canteen, says Christer Themnér.
Training, books and time to talk
The Swedish Seamen’s Service (formerly HKF) has long experience of helping seamen enjoy life onboard. Their books and films are appreciated, as are the sporting events which they arrange. But according to the unit manager, Mats Uhrfelt, there are many who just want to sit down and talk for a while when one of the representatives from the SSS come onboard.
– Especially on ships when there are only two or three Swedes, you notice that there is a great need to talk with us. Social contact seems to be very important.
With shorter mooring times in harbours and the ISPS code that makes onshore activities more difficult, it has become even more important for the Swedish Seamen’s Service to assist with practical details so that the crew is able to leave the ship.
– In those harbours where we operate we have good contacts with the authorities and we have permission to take the crew to and from their ships. When they come onto land, they often want to do completely normal things such as go shopping at a hardware store, says Mats Uhrfelt.
Linda Sundgren
Your comment