Six months after a stewardess raised a complaint, she is still onboard — but she has been moved to the worst rota, dropped from guest-facing service, and nobody in the mess sits with her. Nothing formal happened to her. That is retaliation, and it is why the next person will say nothing at all.
The Onboard Complaint Procedure
MLC requires a procedure that is fair, effective and expeditious, posted onboard, with a copy given to every seafarer, and usable without victimisation.
- Complaints should normally be raised at the lowest level, but a seafarer has the right to bypass their HOD and go to the Captain, and to go ashore — to the shipowner, the DPA, the flag state, or a port state inspector.
- Seafarers may be accompanied or represented.
- Contact details for the flag administration and the DPA must be available onboard.
Retaliation is the failure that destroys speak-up cultures. It is rarely formal. It is rotas, exclusion, cold shoulders, the removal of good jobs. As HOD you must watch for it and treat it as a disciplinary matter in its own right.
Drugs and Alcohol
| Element | Typical yacht position |
|---|---|
| Policy | Written, signed at induction, zero or very low tolerance |
| Testing | Pre-employment, random, for cause after an incident, per policy and flag |
| Consequences | Usually dismissal; always the Captain decision under the procedure |
| Manager duty | Apply it consistently, including to your friends and to senior crew |
Do not run your own testing regime, and do not investigate suspected drug use informally — take it straight to the Captain. Note the humane point too: dependency is a health problem as well as a conduct problem, and someone drinking to sleep needs professional help, not just a warning.
Physical Health and Isolation
- Sleep is the foundation. Protect the unbroken block.
- Exercise, sunlight and diet — a crew mess of leftovers, sugar and energy drinks is a health plan by default. Advocate for real crew food; MLC requires it.
- Sun and hearing protection, chemical exposure and manual handling injuries are real interior risks.
- Homesickness and isolation are not weakness. Protect wifi and calling time; birthdays and funerals happen without you.
- Crew mess culture is the department barometer. Silence, cliques, or humour that always has a target is a warning sign.
Building a Speak-Up Culture
- Respond well to the small things. People test you with a minor complaint before they trust you with a serious one.
- Close the loop. Tell people what happened after they raise something.
- Never punish the messenger — and be seen not to.
- Ask, routinely. A monthly one-to-one surfaces what a suggestion box never will.
- Model it. Say when you got it wrong.
- Know your routes cold — Captain, DPA, flag, ISWAN — and make sure your team knows them too.
Onboard Notes
- If nobody ever complains, you do not have a happy department. You have a silent one.
- Watch for retaliation in the rota. That is where it hides.
- Signpost, do not diagnose. Professional help exists; use it.
- General professional guidance only. Not legal or clinical advice.