Stunning table-settings, jet-ski rides, montages of beautiful Caribbean sunsets and more. This is the highlights reel that sell the jobs of Superyacht crew. And although it does make up a large part of the overall experience, we are quick to forget the long list of monotonous jobs that are to be completed during yard periods, night shifts or on lengthy passages underway.
Job monotony refers to tasks or jobs that are characterised by repetitiveness or a lack of variety. This could include an array of tasks often found on joblists for deckhands, stewards or engineers including detailing, silver polishing, washdowns, inventorying and more. Research has traditionally shown that this leads to… boredom.
Boredom may not seem like a biggest problem yacht crew are facing, but if left unattended can have detrimental effects on individuals and teams. In the short-term boredom at work can be associated with absenteeism, turnover, low self-esteem, depression, job-dissatisfaction, diminished performance efficiency and counterproductive work behaviour and general life dissatisfaction. Therefore, it should be in every Superyachting leader’s interest to alleviate the prevalence of boredom. But how can this be done, knowing that these monotonous tasks are critical to the operations of a vessel? Here’s how.
A British University [1] studied the work of catering personal, including dishwashers and catering assistants. Their jobs included highly repetitive and monotonous activities such as loading dishwashers, clearing bins and packing away cutlery. The researchers expected there to be high levels of boredom, as previous studies have shown. However, this study found that employees did not feel bored, and it was due to the use of 5 Strategic Human Resource Management Strategies:
1. Interaction with others
The social interaction with co-workers and guests gave them intangible emotional rewards suggesting that social interaction can help alleviate the negative effects if repetitive tasks. Therefore, ensure that you have two or more people on a monotonous job. Not only will the task be completed faster, but it will assist greatly with engagement.
2. The workers were interested in doing their jobs
The participants in the study expressed that they were genuinely interested on doing their jobs which has means that they were less likely to experience boredom because they were likely to concentrate on their tasks and find the stimulating. When creating joblists you should aim to match crew with their interests, as best you can.
3. The support from management
The workers highlighted that they felt highly appreciated by their managers. They praised their managers for helping them (e.g. washing up, cleaning up tables and pushing trolleys). Through receiving this support, workers realised that management valued their work and in return were more engaged in their work
4. Job rotation
In the study, rotating jobs provided workers with the opportunity to switch tasks and skills which increases the motivation of jobholders. One of the interviewees stated, “In one way, we call it multi-skilling. This means that your staff member has more than one role, which makes them better at their job”. This can in turn also lead to higher job satisfaction and higher work quality outcomes.
5. Longer and uneven time lag between repetitive tasks
Although the staff were performing repetitive tasks, they were done at intervals that gave them enough of a break between monotonous tasks. Therefore, the study suggests that joblistsshould be scheduled in a manner that allows the crew member to do something different and more stimulating before returning to a monotonous task.
By utilising the 5 Human Resource Management strategies Heads of Departments can ensure crew are staying stimulated and engaged in their daily tasks. This will not only lead to happier teams but also higher performing cultures.
To learn more about how People at Sea can help you with your Job Design let’s talk.
[1] Tsai, Chin‐Ju. “Boredom at work and job monotony: An exploratory case study within the catering sector.” Human Resource Development Quarterly 27.2 (2016): 207-236.
