Years ago, working on a cruise ship was just for kicks with many of us heading to the high seas to enjoy the experience for a few months or maybe a year at most. Now, crew members choose life at sea as a career choice with goals and aspirations of 5–10-15 years onboard. With this shift in “career” focus, its important for cruise lines and concessionaires to strategically recruit those goal-oriented crew members and work to obtain and maintain their loyalty. The industry is more competitive than ever, so providing an advantageous employment package is essential.
Where Do I Start?
How do you obtain loyalty from your crew, ensuring they wish to return year after year? A good salary is a great start but there are additional ways to retain the right crew that will not only benefit them but you as the employer.
Over the last two-plus years, we have all been faced with the challenges of staying healthy, not only physically but mentally. And I imagine many of you have checked your health insurance policy for the first time to understand your benefit and limitations. Well, you are not alone, your crew are doing the same thing. They want to make sure they maintain good health enabling them to work at sea, provide for their family and also be healthy after completing their contract so they can enjoy their time off. A key part of maintaining good health means getting the care and treatment you need when you need it.
Health is Wealth
Providing more than just the basic medical coverage for your crew can be cost-effective and ensure your crew return after their holiday in their healthiest state. Ensuring your crew are healthy is not only important but also vital to your business. If you do not currently provide any additional medical coverage besides the legal requirements, you may wish to consider a vacation medical policy. This is medical coverage for your international crew once they sign off the ship from a completed contract until they return for their next contract. This kind of coverage allows the crew member to visit doctors while signed off and take care of any medical needs or treatment necessary and ensure they are physically ready to return for their next assignment onboard. Policies can also include the employee’s dependents which would be 24/7 in their home country.
If you want to go a step further, consider primary medical insurance for your crew or senior officers. This kind of coverage is primary to your required P&I insurance. While a little greater in costs, these plans provide excellent medical coverage 24/7 with global networks worldwide.
MHG has been providing insurance solutions for the maritime industry for over 30 years. We pride ourselves in offering superior service for your business needs. For questions or assistance, please contact us at mhginsurance.com or call +1 954 828 1819 or +44 (0) 1624 678668 and ask for the cruise division.