The Happiness index: monitoring the well-being of our seafaring crew
In the dynamic maritime world, the well-being of our seafaring crew members has absolute priority. At MF Shipping Group, we know how important it is to ensure a healthy and happy working environment on board our ships. In order to achieve this, we have introduced the Happiness index: an instrument with which we periodically monitor the well-being and satisfaction of our seafaring crew members. We believe strongly that satisfied employees contribute to the safety and effectiveness of our operations.
Seafaring crew as our foundation
Seafaring crew members are the most important people within our company. They form the foundation for all our operations and their well-being can considerably influence safety and performance on board. By investing in their well-being, we are promoting a positive working environment, improving their involvement, motivation and teamwork, and eventually increasing the quality and safety levels of our efforts.
Besides retaining our current seafaring crew members, we make all possible efforts to recruit new talent. As the maritime sector is continuously under development, we need talented individuals to reinforce our teams. We therefore permanently invest in our image as an employer, while ensuring attractive terms of employment and opportunities for growth. Recruitment of new seafaring crew members is essential in order to reinforce our fleet and grow the maritime industry in general.
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Why the Happiness index?
- Benchmarking: the Happiness index enables us to benchmark our performance versus that of the branch, and helps us determine whether we are ahead of the competition or lagging behind.
- Adaptation: continuous monitoring helps us identify branch trends and adapt our policy appropriately and timely.
- Evaluation of policy effectiveness: the Happiness index is an instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of our internal policy. For example when implementing vitality programmes, we can measure the actual increase in happiness as a result of our efforts.
The initial results: we are beating the competition
In the initial assessment of the Happiness index, we questioned our seafaring crew and received nearly three hundred reactions. Although this was only intended as a baseline, it has already provided us with valuable insight. We have discovered that we are beating the benchmark. This is proof of our generally good levels of performance.
There are however differences between various groups of employees. Our younger employees enjoy a lower degree of happiness than their older colleagues. Furthermore, Dutch employees are generally more critical than their colleagues of other nationalities.
We are also seeing differences in the happiness between various segments in which our ships operate. Seafaring crew members are apparently happier in busier environments. This emphasises the need for tailored approaches to the various target group and their specific requirements in order to improve their life on board.
Aspects such as contact with family, interaction between crew members and inclusivity were also greatly appreciated. This suggests that the general atmosphere on board and within the teams is positive.
We aim to conduct this questionnaire periodically in order to be able to monitor the mood on board. The results will inspire us to explore certain subjects in more detail.
All employees have a say
MF Shipping Group attaches great importance to its employees’ opinions. We therefore conduct a permanent employee satisfaction survey at the office, giving employees the opportunity to provide feedback on the organisation. The results and any required actions are then discussed. And so we aim to promote transparency and increase the involvement of our employees.
