Despite the generally Kumbaya nature of my blog entries, things don’t always go so well when you are a floating community of 1200+. For those of you waiting for the detailed ‘Tell All,’ however, it ain’t gonna happen. I love my crew mates too much for that. We all make our mistakes and have the stories we would prefer not to be shared, and I absolutely won’t share those. No one lives a life that is as unblemished as you would like to believe. Trust me.
But there are moments on ship that Rodney King’s infamous comment, “Why can’t we all just get along?” rings in my ears. For those of you who don’t understand the reference . . . look it up. It is perfectly understandable that when you take over 1200 people from over 70 nations, have them work for seven days a week for 6 to 8 months at a time, that there will be moments when either tensions or simple human nature will make things not go as well as you hope. And when you are part of the Human Resources team, you get to see and experience the hidden underside of ship life more than you care to.
Let’s start with the clash of cultures. When I teach our Cultural Diversity class I make a point to stress that we ultimately have become one culture, the Celebrity Culture. I do encourage all of our crew members to take advantage of the amazing gift we have received of being able to work with people from so many nations. Where else beyond the United Nations will this happen? Yet, there are some cultural archetypes that mix like oil and water. There are some cultures that are more ‘assertive’ in their emotional and communicative styles. Other cultures are far more reserved. I won’t point out any particular cultures (you know who you are) and, in fact, individuals can belie their cultural archetype. However, patterns do emerge. When a person from a very expressive and passionate culture chooses to express their displeasure with someone from a more restrained culture, the response is predictable. Invariably, we have an aggrieved crew member in our offices seeking support and/or counsel. Our goal is to normally bring both parties in to try to defuse the situation. Sometimes we are successful. Sometimes . . . not so much.
“I didn’t hit her; I just pushed her in the face.” That is probably my favorite statement from my first contract at sea. After a conversation with HR a female crew member of the more passionate persuasion chose to make her point in the corridor with a crew member of a more reserved demeanor who was making her crazy in her passivity. I know both crew members and liked each of them. But they were truly like oil and water. Miss Aggressive failed to remember that we, like Las Vegas casinos, have cameras everywhere! When the aggrieved CM reported back to us it was easy to check the film, which resulted in a Master’s (Captain’s) hearing for the ‘face pusher.’ That line was the highlight of the Master’s hearing and for many to come. Sadly, it meant a CM was leaving us early. Diversity training doesn’t always sink in.
Sadly, the abuse of alcohol is a common problem on cruise ships. This is not a ‘tell all’ statement, for if you haven’t figured this out, this makes sense. We have a group of people away from home living in a place where food and drink are discounted. One manager told me that the Hospitality Industry consists of ‘functional alcoholics.’ While I don’t believe that is empirically true, there is a propensity to consume ‘adult beverages’ that must be appropriately dealt with. Our ship does have a clear and enforceable alcohol policy. In fact, even ‘off duty’ you are not allowed to have a blood alcohol level of above 0.08, which is the drunk driving limit in most US states. This is when you are off duty, and definitely we aren’t driving cars. But not surprisingly, as in shore side society, this can be often exceeded. The reality for crew members is that if you do not display aberrant behavior, make it back to your cabin, and can sleep it off before work, you will be okay. However, not all CMs are wise enough to follow that prescript. As a result, we have been going through a period when we have had one over the limit case every two weeks.
HR is required to be present for every breathalyzer test on ship. When a CM is reported as being possibly intoxicated they are escorted by Security to the Security Chief’s office for a test to be administered and HR is called to be present. Normally it is the HR Manager, but if he/she is not available, the Training & Development Manager is the next in queue. I have sat in on three of these tests, now, and they are not fun. The crew member realizes at that point that they have messed up royally and are likely to be terminated. I must give kudos to our Security Chiefs for they have shown themselves consistently to be compassionate, gentle, and fair to each person brought before them. Even when the test ‘blows positive,’ and each for which I have been in attendance has, the Security Chief is almost tender in their care for the crew member, offering them water and an escort back to their cabin so they can sleep it off.
In two consecutive cases Tim and I believed it was bad ju-ju to be friends with an HR team member. One morning at breakfast I received a call from Security to witness a test. It was a person who was friends with Tim. Two weeks later Tim walked into my office with a copy of the breathalyzer test pointing at the name. It was a CM who I had recently become friends with. In each case there is a heartfelt sadness as we know that the crew member is on their way to a Master’s Hearing and a ticket home from the next port. We know the Captain would like to be compassionate, but this is a safety issue on the ship if a CM shows up for duty intoxicated or fails to report for the same reason. We understand how easy it is to ‘slip up.’ It is at that intersection at which HR lives.
Why can’t we all ‘just get along’ and fly right? The simple answer is that we are human, and there are 1200+ of us humans living together on a ship.
And the adventure continues . . .
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