Why do we still grapple with retaining yacht crew? Is there a silver bullet, and if so, who has it? Yacht crew are the cogs that keep the yachting industry turning. They are the driving force behind curating unforgettable experiences on board and delivering seven-star service, but there is an ongoing challenge of high turnover and poor crew retention rates. Crew retention is a complex issue that isn’t new; the industry has been asking ‘why?’ for a while now. What does the job role lack? What is the reason behind leaving? Is it money? Is it the work-life balance? Or perhaps it stems from inefficient leadership and a toxic culture on board? There are multiple reasons behind this issue plaguing the industry, with various perspectives and priorities at play. A shifting industry The industry has experienced several shifts over the years. It isn’t bullet-proof, and certain global events have impacted the workforce, such as Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, as shifts continue, there seems to be no clear or one answer to retaining crew. “Three to six months can now be classified as longevity whereas 10 years ago, everyone did a year plus,” said Liam Dobbin, managing director of Wilsonhalligan. This reduced benchmark indicates a stark contrast, and it has become imperative to investigate why. Toxic cultures What hasn’t changed is the industry’s demanding nature, high expectations, and prolonged work hours, coupled with living and working in such close quarters. These factors can pose a challenge in fostering a work-life balance and positive onboard culture. “Living and working on board together 24/7 will take its strain on even the most experienced crew member,” said Sharon Rose, head of crew recruitment at Bluewater. “Crew that feel balanced and content are less likely to check if the sea is bluer elsewhere.” Summer King, director of Superyacht Crew UK, highlights a healthy working space as a key factor in improving retention. “The primary concern and major obstacle in retaining crew is upholding crew satisfaction and wellbeing, a positive environment is vital and a toxic environment can lead to higher turnover,” King said. While it is evident in some cases that the industry has begun to champion enhanced professionalism, it still struggles with ingrained issues that can lead to a negative culture where bullying and harassment are commonplace. “There is unfortunately still a toxic side to the industry, if crew members find themselves on a poorly managed yacht or with problematic individuals on board making life unpleasant, they do their best to continue but ultimately will leave if there is no support or action to change the issues,” said Emma Baggett, director of The OM. An increase in the awareness of legalities and wellness by crew is another reason crew are leaving, according to Dobbin. “The crew are now ensuring they look after themselves, which means joining and staying on a good boat that looks after them mentally and physically,” Dobbin said. Who is in charge? As the adage goes, ‘people leave people, not jobs.’ It isn’t a revolutionary concept that a well-managed shoreside company with good leadership has a better chance of keeping employees, so why should a yacht be any different? “As far as culture is concerned, it’s down to the departmental heads and ultimately the captain,” said Benjamin Maltby, the general secretary for The Owners Club. Capt. Kelly J. Gordon, an accomplished motor yacht captain that also helps captains and crew navigate the yachting industry concurs with Maltby’s point. “There are a lot of dynamics to consider, but simply crew do not stay when the environment on board is toxic, and that points to leadership,” Gordon said. Phil Richards, is the technical/deck recruitment consultant at The Crew Hunter. The Crew Hunter is a boutique head-hunting agency that works with management, captains, and head of departments to find the right fit for client’s teams. “I think that vessel representation such as captains and HODs should ask themselves what kind of culture they are creating, what their values are, and what they are trying to achieve,” Richards said. Leadership training and professional development have become a well-debated topic over recent years, with a significant rise in non-mandatory training courses. Lucie Fox is the recruitment consultant at Hill Robinson and helps place crew on board exclusive yachts worldwide. “Leadership, training, and career development are all essential to building a great team and positively impacting turnover; they are separate elements but intrinsically linked,” Fox said. “Strong leadership is extremely important to improving crew retention, and a good leader will likely undergo continuous personal development.” The training company ‘The Crew Academy’ has recognized retention as an issue big enough to create a specific course named ‘HR, Recruitment & Retention’ that was launched in November 2022. “The course will help HODs to recruit and retain staff through creating positive working environments, career paths, and HR practices,” said Andrew Roch, founder of The Crew Academy. Generational shift “There is a generational shift happening; sometimes there can be almost three generations on board some boats,” Dobbin said. With the generational shift comes new voices and ideas to the industry, which should be listened to according to Fox. “Crew entering the industry today have different knowledge and expectations than many of our captains had in their time; it is important that leaders welcome new ideas and management styles that are better suited to this generation,” Fox said. Some say the younger generation is being tarnished with entitlement and increasing demands from the industry, but could this be because change is necessary for development? “Crew often get blamed for high turnover, but the industry has enhanced the awareness surrounding wellbeing, and this had a knock-on effect; people used to suffer in silence years ago and would just put up with it until the end of the season, but now that isn’t the case,” Dobbin said. Changing perceptions How the industry is viewed has also changed; recent years have seen it thrust into the spotlight. One notable impact is from the popular Bravo TV series Below Deck. This newfound visibility has brought a mixed bag of opinions and consequences. “There has been a rush of people coming in who, perhaps having watched Below Deck, are motivated to work in the sector but don’t have the commitment or understand fully the world they are entering into and lack the professionalism needed for the job,” Baggett said. While recruiters have worked to become more diligent and transparent when explaining the industry to green crew and the ins and outs of particular jobs until a crew member joins, there is still a significant element of the unknown. One tool that has helped, or hindered, and is up for debate is social media. These platforms have not only enabled crew to be exposed to more job opportunities, allowing them to jump ship easier, but is also shaping the narrative whereby crew discuss the intricacies of job roles and individual yachts. Over the years, the structure of job roles has also changed with more crew demanding rotational positions to aid better work-life balance. While there are benefits to this structure, it hasn’t been the magic solution that everyone had hoped for across all ranks. “We have waited so long for rotation and while it has made a huge difference for crew at a higher level it is problematic for juniors and can be the reason behind high turnover,” Baggett said. “If crew members get rotation early in their career it can be disruptive to their learning environment and ability to gain sea time, plus they tend to struggle to save as they spend all their money when they are off for long periods of time, they think they want rotation but actually it doesn’t always prove to be the perk that they think it will be and crew drop out through this as it is so disjointed.” Baggett has also seen an increasing trend in senior crew resorting to temping instead of long term commitments. She attributes this to crew continually coming across poor culture on board, so they trial out boats until they find what works for them instead. “Temping is a sign that those senior crew that are committed to long term careers in the sector are tired of unprofessional boats and toxic work environments and do not want to leave but also don’t want to commit to vessels until they know they are properly run,” Baggett said. Lack of direction “The biggest challenge is changing the general perception of working on superyachts as something transitory rather than a rewarding, secure, and lifelong career,” Maltby said. Not seeing progression is another reason crew leave, according to Summer King. “A lack of clear pathways and advancement may mean that crew seek better opportunities elsewhere,” King. One group working toward understanding the reasons behind the crewing problem is ‘Raising the Bar’ – a group of voluntary superyacht industry professionals who began their mission in February, 2021. Having conducted multiple surveys, the group identified a number of reasons behind turnover and the resulting high-cost figures. To help crew see the longer-term prospects, career maps have been created and are hosted by Superyacht Industry Careers, highlighting the various qualifications, experience, and timeframe needed to progress. The human factor “The industry needs to stop seeing crew as a disposable commodity and support them as a valuable sustainable asset worthy of their investment,” Baggett said. This prevailing issue of crew members being expendable assets rather than valued has begun to filter into a culture where loyalty quickly wanes. If the crew recognizes they could be replaced in a heartbeat, why wouldn’t they leave for a better-looking opportunity? Hiring and firing in yachting occurs at an operational level, regularly without intervention from an independent body that could help manage some retention issues. Not only could such a body give rise to concerns around crew welfare and wellbeing, but it could also address grievances impartially and provide a neutral platform for conflict resolution. Standardization is a problem, further exacerbating the retention issue. There are yachts with sound systems in place and a positive culture, but some are still poorly managed, unprofessional, and harboring bullying and toxic cultures. Implementing human resource procedures could help standardize procedures such as performance reviews and crew development, bolstered by more effective communication and fair treatment. A collaborative fix “Crew retention cannot be addressed by one course of action and requires a holistic approach,” said Barrett Wright, president of U.S. Hill Robinson. “We continually review individuals, captains, crew, and owner feedback to address any issues that may arise before crew feel they must leave.” The industry must foster a positive on board culture to enhance crew welfare and the work-life balance while instilling better leadership training and clearer career pathways. There is no one size fits all solution to retaining crew, but to address the issues, the industry requires increased collaboration between all stakeholders involved. Responsibility shouldn’t fall on one section of the industry. The industry as a whole needs to value crew more. Recruiters and management companies need to prioritize onboarding the right crew versus short-term solutions, and in the right way, with adequate training and procedures to ensure a positive workplace. Simultaneously, the crew themselves need to respect and uphold professionalism. The failure to address the problems will continue the crew retention cycle and hinder the industry’s progress and long-term stability.