Larger living quarters, improved food and facilities onboard and better communications facilities to maintain contact with friends and family are the most sought after benefits by employees working on board cruise ships.
The Crew Morale and Retention Study by Navitas Telecom in association with WorkonCruiseShips.com, also revealed a high turnover of staff and a lack of employee loyalty within the industry.
Two-thirds of respondents would consider changing companies to receive better benefits, while the most desirable options were larger living quarters, improved food and facilities onboard, and better communications facilities. A third of crew are unsatisfied with the standard of food and drink, a quarter are unsatisfied with their ability to keep in touch with their friends and family while onboard and a fifth are unsatisfied with their living quarters.
The survey also found that 40% of cruise crew members consider the provision of advanced communication services to be an important factor when choosing which company to work for and 90% have experienced problems keeping in touch with friends and family while on board.
Bo Pinel, business development director of Navitas, a provider of mobile GSM networks on board ships, ferries and other vessels, said: “The results show that better communication facilities is something crew members want and would make a significant difference to their morale. A mobile phone service which uses an on board network is a great motivator, removing restrictions on when, where and how crew members can communicate with friends and family.”