Over the past few years that has been a seismic shift in what employees look for in employers. Whether this be new or existing employees, instead of the focus being solely on the salary and bonuses, policies on leave benefits, environmental policies, flexible working, and diversity have become more important for candidates when choosing a new employer or whether to stay. This coupled with the skills shortage in the maritime industry has led companies to re-evaluate their policies and packages.
Although salary and bonuses must be competitive, paying the highest will no longer secure or retain that ‘needle in the haystack’ employee.
The Maritime HR Association membership is made up of over 100 maritime companies across the industry so when change happens, HR professionals in these organisations can connect and get an accurate picture of what is happening in the market to ensure their policies are still competitive.
In January we released a report to participating members on leave benefits. This covered, annual leave, maternity and paternity leave, time off to care for dependants, compassionate leave, and time off in lieu.
The Association had initially run this questionnaire and published a report in 2014 which allows us to track trends in these policies.
One stark change was in maternity, paternity, and parental leave and pay. An increased number of members are offering above the statutory minimum when compared to 2014 and the statutory minimum for maternity leave has also improved, particularly in Denmark and Hong Kong.
Having up-to-date information on what is happening in the market is a crucial tool for any HR professional to benchmark against.
The Maritime HR Association will shortly be producing another report focused on pensions, death in service, medical benefits etc.
To be part of the Maritime HR Association and to access benchmarking information across the industry please contact: [email protected] for further information on how to join.
Article written by Lucy McQuillan, HRC Manager, Spinnaker.
Members of Spinnaker’s Maritime HR Association are entitled to receive detailed analysis, such as this, as part of their membership package.
Find out more about joining the association on the website.
