Diversity and inclusion in shipping
THE seafaring life brings together people from countries all over the world.
Multinational crews run most of the world’s merchant fleet; they work out of ports in countries not their own. Cultural differences are inevitable in such situations and can give rise to misunderstandings, disrespect, intolerance, prejudice and fear. While these may cause hurt feelings and squabbles that may be ironed out in other workplaces, in shipping they can have more serious consequences, such as accidents and even loss of lives.
Each individual in an organization brings with them a diverse set of perspectives, work, and life experiences. Diversity is a situation where people with vast dissimilarities in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, education, national origin and personality types find themselves in the same workplace.
When they can respect and appreciate one another despite their differences, work becomes more fulfilling and rewarding. A safe, positive and nurturing environment makes this possible. This can be achieved with a combination of Diversity and Inclusion (D&I).
Employers and team leaders must go beyond embracing diversity — accepting individual differences — and practice inclusion as well.
Inclusion refers to an organization’s effort and practice in which different groups or individuals having different backgrounds work together effectively.
What makes individuals feel included? Are they asked for their opinions? Are their suggestions seriously considered? Are their comments given due attention?
Inclusive cultures make people feel respected and valued for who they are and what they have to offer to the group. It means being open to a variety of ideas, knowledge, perspectives and approaches. It means going out of one’s way to get everybody’s voice heard. They reach a level of confidence that makes them unafraid to speak up, participate in meetings, and communicate what’s on their minds without reservations or fear of repercussions.
This makes people feel they are essential to the success of the organization; it gives them pride; it motivates them to function at full capacity. Ultimately, it creates higher-performing organizations.
Diversity and Inclusion benefit not only the individual but the organization as well. A group of people with similar backgrounds who are asked to solve a problem will likely come up with similar ideas and agree with one another. But a group of people of different backgrounds will likely look at problems differently and have different perspectives and offer varied solutions.
Put simply, diversity is the mixture of several elements and inclusion is the way they blend to be effective.
Given all these advantages of D&I, we are happy to learn that the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has released what it describes as a “groundbreaking diversity and inclusion toolkit for the maritime industry” to help key players in shipping navigate diversity and foster a safe and respectful workplace, which ultimately is envisioned to boost efficiency and improve performance.
Guy Platten, ICS secretary general, said, “Effective implementation of D&I policies can help shipping companies to recruit from a larger pool of people, retain skilled staff for longer and motivate them more effectively, as well as help to improve relationships with customers and the wider world. A diverse workforce can be a company’s strongest asset.”
Gender being one of the factors that define diversity, the industry must keep pushing for the inclusion of women in maritime.
Sanjam Sitara of Sitara Shipping, founder of Women in International Shipping Trade Association and IMO consultant, said: “We need to focus on the business case for diversity and we’re at the stage where everyone is talking about diversity but unless we do studies and prove there’s a business case for it, I don’t think we will see change. Pushing for more women leaders from all backgrounds is vital and will automatically accelerate the change.”
Karin Orsel, chairman of the ICS Diversity Panel, a contributor to the Toolkit, and founder of MF Shipping said: “We’re trying to do everything we can to ensure the people that work in our industry feel that they belong. It’s not enough to have the CEO think it’s important, you need the whole company to recognize its importance. I think it will take three to five years to see change and be a combination of companies recognizing they need to act but the timing of this book, the Toolkit, and all that ICS is trying to achieve is a perfect combination to get there.”
I can only agree that the timing is right. The prevalence of hate speech or even just intemperance of tone can hinder an individual with good intentions and a fresh approach to clam up, and that can mean a good idea that ends up unheard and untried. The words of Australian politician and diplomat Barry O’Farrell should give us pause: “No government, no organization, no citizen can afford to be less than vigilant in combating bigotry, intolerance and hatred. And frankly, our way of life depends on that vigilance.”