- Agenda: https://crewwelfareweek.com/agenda/
- Presenter: Alexander Doutsoulis, Quality Manager, Elvictor Group, Inc.
- Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWia–pCTVU&t=8098s (2:15:00)
Crew Wellness
Presentation caption:
SLIDE 1 Hi everybody, my name is Alex Doutsoulis, Quality Manager of ELVICTOR GROUP and I am going to walk you through few of our processes and tools, managing Crew Welfare. We do know after all that this is the hottest crew related topic in the recent years.
SLIDE 2 In ELVICTOR GROUP we act in due diligence and we seek continuously ways to support in the best way possible, both our Principals and of course our valuable Crew.
With our ever-evolving Policies, Processes and Digital Tools, we aim to secure our sound recruitment practices throughout our Global Office Network. We allow our Seafarers to offer their insight in a documented, recorded, fast and most importantly, anonymous manner regarding matters that are really important to them and their wellbeing.
Using our in-house ERP, one of our strongest tools, we establish direct and documented digital communication between our Seafarers, our Principals, our local recruitment Offices and our Head Office.
We can gather data, which is translated to information and KPIs and if read and assessed correctly, can lead to structured decision making for better Crew Welfare, onboard and ashore.
DIGITAL COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE
SLIDE 3 We always aim towards an enhanced Social Connection with our seafarers and for this reason, we have established a dual system of communication.
The traditional face to face more personal contact with our experienced employees, but also an electronic and automated communication through our Digital Intranet, with which our employees can communicate with our seafarers via SMS and emails.
In ELVICTOR GROUP, the entire recruitment and placement process is administrated though our Digital Infrastructure. Our seafarers are encoded in our system and obtain an account in our Seafarer Intranet, where all their data and documentation is stored, including of course, their communication details.
SLIDE 4 Through our digital intranet, our seafarers are able to receive constant, prompt and accurate information on their recruitment status, information on requests they have made or any actions they have to carry out.
Our operators may sent messages CLICK to our seafarers’ mobiles and emails as needed, but most importantly, CLICK messages are sent automatically when our employees set a new recruitment status in the ERP.
SLIDE 6 Automated messages are sent when our operators assign a seafarer to be employed to a vessel, SLIDE 7 update flight dates and details, SLIDE 8 or give information on Cash Advance requests.
It is important for us that no user intervention is needed for such messages to be sent, in an effort to avoid any human errors and miscommunication.
We believe that this constant flow of recorded information offers a great sense of security and social connection to our Seafarers.
SLIDE 9 Moving on, we provide via SMS and Emails, a permanent unique personal WEB LINK to all our seafarers, where they can retrieve useful information for their prospected employment and also download important documents.
For more flexibility, this link is accessible at all times from mobiles or personal computers, without the need to log in to their account.
FLIGHT ADVISE LINK
SLIDE 10 Through this link we keep our joining seafarers advised on their current status and we offer the ability CLICK to download and get their flight tickets anytime they want,
CLICK We remind them of their contract wage and duration, CLICK we provide information for their flight schedule and local ship agent details, CLICK we give them the chance to read safety, legal and other useful information for the country and port of embarkation, CLICK and we provide to them various materials to download, as we may see appropriate or as per the request of our principals.
As an example, here we see CLICK our handbook regarding the CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK with useful information on the pandemic, CLICK the ELVICTOR PROTOCOLS FOR JOINING A SHIP based on IMO Protocols and which our joining seafarers are required to follow, CLICK and the SAFETY4SEA Crew Wellness Magazine for awareness.
CLICK Finally, we provide to them basic information on the characteristics of the vessel they are joining, as well as, CLICK the crew composition onboard including the nationalities.
ELECTRONIC DE-BRIEFING REPORT
SLIDE 11 Another very important tool that we feel it contributes greatly to the Welfare of our Crew, and it helps as understand and measure their needs and wants, is our Electronic Debriefing Form.
It is also accessible by our seafarers via a web link, and the seaman intranet.
In ELVICTOR GROUP, we have long understood the need, and is also a part of our due diligence process, to gather information from our seafarers related to their employment, and of course share it with our Principals.
With our electronic debriefing form, our Seafarers may submit timely and most importantly discreetly, without the necessity to interact with any of our staff, a detailed electronic De-briefing.
CLICK It must be noted here that this debriefing is only for the eyes of our HEADQUARTERS Top Management and the information is disseminated to our Principals only anonymously. CLICK We do make sure that we advise our seafarers about that constantly that so they feel more comfortable and open up.
CLICK We are also here able to provide our disembarking crew the option to download useful material such as again the CLICK the SAFETY4SEA Crew Wellness Magazine and the ELVICTOR PROTOCOLS FOR REPATRIATION.
Coming to the actual de-briefing, as a first step we request CLICK from them to provide general information about their last employment, in a free comment box.
CLICK Following that, we start with a dynamic set of questions.
CLICK The very first and most important question will always be if the seafarer is willing to re-join the same Company.
If the answer is POSITIVE CLICK we are asking if promotion is in his immediate requirements or also if the Principal promised promotion in the future.
CLICK If the answer is NEGATIVE then we request more information CLICK in order to understand what went wrong and try to provide in the future a more suitable employment.
CLICK Then we move on to the standard ordinal scale questions.
Here we are able to gather crucial and detailed data about the conditions onboard, which we then can easily translate to useful information and KPIs, and present them to our Principals, for assessment and improvement of the welfare of the crew.
CLICK Quality of food and hygiene strengthen morale and fitness for duty, so the first questions are revolving around that. Quantity, quality and suitability of the food onboard are of top importance for seafarers.
CLICK We care to know about the condition of the accommodation room, dining areas, recreational facilities, heating and ventilation, the conditions of the cabins, showers and the toilets and also very importantly, the quality of the drinking water.
CLICK We then move to their occupational satisfaction, where we ask about timely payment of wages, satisfaction with regards to duration of employment and how they see their chances of being promoted.
CLICK We ask them about their interaction with their superior officers onboard, the interaction with the office representatives and the overall communication with shore personnel; questions of course that are also subtly related to bullying and harassment.
CLICK We ask them about the adequacy of spares and stores to perform their duties efficiently, and about their workload and their resting hours.
CLICK We ask them about the existence and adequacy of Internet facilities. A very important subject the last years and even more now with the long stays onboard due to the pandemic.
And finally CLICK we do care to know if they require further training both in terms of familiarization onboard and extra training ashore.
HR PRACTICES
SLIDE12 In ELVICTOR GROUP we take very seriously the matters of corruption. We have a clear and strict policy regarding this matter and we do implement an effective whistle blowing system so that our Seafarers can Privately and Confidentially report any possible corruption or bribery case within our organization.
We provide specific contact details and an email address where any seafarer, that may have been a victim, can safely report directly to the Top Management and the Head of Quality Department of the GROUP, thus bypassing all employees and report straight to the top.
CLICK The Contact Details are visible always in our various screens of our Seaman Intranet CLICK and also in the automated emails we send, so our seafarers can call and report, or send an email, with or without name, and give details for the case.
PARTNERSHIPS
SLIDE13 To conclude, we always believed that the real asset in the maritime world is the seafarer.
CLICK We are pleased to be supporting maritime charity organization, Sailors’ Society, and to be partnering with them on their “Wellness at Sea Awareness Campaign”, to roll out mental health awareness and support to our crews.
Finally, we are honored to host under our new forthcoming website, news, articles, and material CLICK from Satety4Sea, and most importantly their “Life Onboard” category, and of course their Crew Welfare Survey.
CONCLUSION
SLIDE14
Thank you for hosting our presentation Let’s all work, towards enhancing Crew Wellbeing, especially during these hard times.
Our seafarers are, after all, the real heroes here.
