Well-being of cabin crew members working abroad

Abstract

Employee well-being is an important topic that is not always supported by the employer even though it should. In some cases, the employer ought to monitor the well-being of their employees in order to determine their fitness to perform and offer help to the employees if needed. Apart from normal work-related issues, employees who have moved abroad for work face different challenges than people who live and work in their home countries. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the causes that contribute to the well-being of cabin crew members who work abroad.

The idea for the topic came to me as I myself have worked abroad as a cabin crew member and during my years abroad, I noticed how my colleagues reacted to the new surroundings and hectic work in very different ways. Cabin crew work involves responsibilities, physical work as well as mental challenges with occasional demanding customers or acute medical incidents onboard. I was interested in finding out if the support the cabin crew members receive to maintain their well-being is adequate and if it should be bettered somehow. The research questions were: 1) What contributes to a cabin crew member’s well-being? 2) How does the organization support cabin crew well-being? 3) How should cabin crew well-being be supported?

The research was conducted as qualitative research, with the research material collected from semi-structured interviews. Eight active cabin crew members, who work abroad, were interviewed between 1st and 19th April 2023. The analysis of the research material was done using theme setting analyzing method.

The theoretical framework consisted of well-being in general, workplace well-being and specifics related to cabin crew work such as teamwork and sleep. The results showed that cabin crew members are for the most part responsible for their well-being themselves. Many of the interviewed cabin crew members followed a healthy diet and kept healthy both at work and in their free time. Additionally, managing sleep and plenty resting contributed to their well-being. Crew members who did not exercise kept busy otherwise and made sure they do things that they enjoy. All interviewed crew members were happy to live abroad and felt that living outside their home country contributed positively to their life. The organization supported the well-being management of cabin crew in many ways, for instance by organizing discounts to several leisure activities and relaxation and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Based on the results the employee well-being should continue to be a discussed matter and the employees should be heard to in order to find out what kind of support they require and prefer.