Mariner Recruitment and Retention
Lifestyle/Quality of Life Working Group

The lifestyle of mariners is one characterized by significant time away from home and family. Living aboard vessels involves close accommodations, lack of socialization opportunities with small crews either asleep or on watch and quick turn around times in port with little or no opportunity for shore leave. Crew reductions due to technology leave more administrative and maintenance work for less crew.  The Lifestyle/Quality of Life Working Group was formed as a result of the Maritime Careers conference held at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, New York on 23-24 May 2001 to address issues in this area.

[Click here] to enter the Lifestyle/Quality of Life Discussion Board.

Action Plan - Quality of Life Group-Inland:

Goal – Retain long-term relationships with team members and their families

Steps--

• Realistic orientation with family involvement

  --  Train recruiters
  --  Honesty
  --  Tell what is expected

• Mentoring program

  --  Take new hires under wing
  --  Captain, pilots, mates – formal meetings

• Promote from within

  --  Education
  --  Management school training
  --  Marshall university internet training

Action Plan - Quality of Life Group - Industy - Wide:

Goal – Improve the lifestyle and quality of life within the maritime industry to retain long term relationships with team members and their families.

Outcome – Improve retention rate by 20 percent.

Steps--

• More realistic orientations.
• Take best practices from various companies.
• Hire third party to collect data.
• Improve habitability of work and living spaces.
• Determine what are factors – survey crews – living conditions, noise, vibration, lack of privacy, food, etc.
• Improve communications.
• Research what’s available – cell phones, internet, e-mail, satellite TV, etc.
• Improve reliability of scheduled relief time.
• Determine best practices, improve ratio of crew available to number of billets.

The Co-Chairmen for the Lifestyle/Quality of Life Working Group are as follow:

Co-Chairman - Steve Brundrett, Canal Barge
Co-Chairman - Ken Parris, Offshore Marine Services Association (OMSA)

Members of the Lifestyle/Quality of Life Working Group are as follow:

Paul Besson, American Commercial Lines, LLC, Phone: 812-288-2886, Fax: 812-288-1759
Dave Connolly, Sailors' Union of the Pacific, Phone: 414-777-3400, Fax: 415-777-5088
Joseph P. Fazzari, US Ship Mgmt, Inc., Phone: 704-227-2025, Fax: 704-227-2018
Gerald Hoffman, Seabulk Offshore, LTD., Phone: 337-234-4111, Fax: 337-234-3442
Edward V. Kelly, AMO, Phone: 202-479-1166, Fax: 202-628-1077
CAPT Lee Kincaid, MEBA Engineering School, Phone: 410-822-5228, Fax: 410-822-5227
Steve Macrum, Candy Fleet Corp., Phone: 985-384-0913
Perry Picoriello, MSC
Mike Rodriguez, IOMM&P, Phone: 410-850-8700 X23
Doug Stevenson, Seamens' Church Institute of NY/NJ, Phone: 212-349-9090, Fax: 212-349-8342

Listed below are links to the five other Mariner Recruitment and Retention working group web pages:

• Public Education and Awareness
• Regulatory Burden/STCW 95 & Training
• Criminal Liability
• Maritime Policy
• Recruitment & Career Path

[Click here] to return to the Mariner Recruitment and Retention Web Page.

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