Shipping leaders prepare for hybrid model of working post-pandemic

CHICAGO : Maritime recruitment agency Faststream has released results of a global survey of senior shipping executives looking at how the pandemic has impacted daily working lives ashore. The results show clearly many long term trends emerging from the enforced lockdowns of the past months – the days of nine to five, Monday to Friday in the office appear to be coming to a close.

91% of those surveyed in for the Senior Maritime Executive report view the future of work as a hybrid model between office and remote working.

This debate about office hours post-pandemic is being discussed across all industries.

A survey released Tuesday by global real estate firm JLL found that a strong majority of office workers in 10 countries around the world would like a post-pandemic future that allows them to easily mix in-person and remote work, with many preferring a schedule of roughly three days a week in the office, and the rest of the week somewhere else.

Likewise, Microsoft’s 2021 recently published Work Trend Index outlines findings from a study of more than 30,000 people in 31 countries which show over 70% of workers want flexible remote work options to continue.

About 60% of HR leaders surveyed by research firm Gartner last month said they are planning for a hybrid work future, and only 1% said they expect all of their workers to return to work full time in the office.

“Leading organisations are recognizing the importance of still maintaining some form of in-person interaction, without the need to mandate a full return onsite,” commented Alexia Cambon, director of research in Gartner’s HR practice. “Effective hybrid work means correcting the balance between one extreme of the spectrum—being fully co-located—and the other extreme— being fully distributed. Effective hybrid working means becoming intentional about how, where and when to collaborate across multiple modes of working.”

Returning to the the Faststream survey, another key finding was that 78% of senior maritime executives agree that the pandemic has changed the way employees expect to be led.

“The empowerment created by remote working is making employees more confident to speak up, tell their managers and leaders what they need and how they want to work in the future,” said Mark Charman, CEO and founder of Faststream Recruitment.

The Faststream report suggests leaders can no longer simply try to adapt and survive but have had to make the switch to a new thrive mindset, making changes to their skillsets and enabling effective management of their employees.

“Communication, empathy and remote leadership have been the top trends of this time and we see employees continuing to demand that these styles continue in the workplace,” Charman suggested

Source : Splash247.com