Workplace harassment and merchant marine culture: the occurance of workplace harassment onboard vessels with SEKO-Sjöfolk members and the correlation between policies and merchant marine culture

Abstract

Workplace harassment onboard vessels have a negative impact on both the victim that is subjected and the organization as whole. The costs occurring from the negative working climate within the organizations can in the long run be high and, in many ways, devastating for the individuals. Creating a culture within the organization that includes everyone, both onboard the vessels and within the shore organization, is a way to work proactively. The culture that in folk lore is called the merchant marine culture has a far more important meaning than to just state that you are a sailor. It is a way of life and an organizational definition that everyone within the shipping business needs to understand and work constantly to incorporate. A living merchant marine culture together with policies prevent occurrence of workplace harassment, and also to intervene and assist in handling cases when workplace harassment has occurred. It is an important tool that every organization should constantly work with to develop, maintain, and incorporate. A crew that is not feeling well won’t give it’s best to the organization and the result will suffer.