In recent years the yachting sector has seen, like every other industry, a shift in demand towards remote and hybrid work from employees undertaking land-based roles. With the rise of technology and the increasing interconnectedness of the world, managing remote teams across different countries has become not just a possibility, but a necessity.
With the unique dynamics of remote work in the yachting sector, how can we focus on effective strategies for hiring and managing remote teams globally?
Remote work trends in the yachting sector
Traditionally, the yachting industry has been associated with on-site work, whether it’s managing vessels, overseeing construction projects, or providing client services. Even administrative and support functions have traditionally been based within sight of vessels.
However, advancements in technology and changing attitudes towards work-life balance have led to a rise in remote and flexible work demands within the sector. This trend was accelerated by the global pandemic, which forced all businesses to adapt to remote work practices rapidly, and has largely remained since, although we are now seeing some big tech companies pushing staff back into the office (e.g. Google).
Advantages and challenges of remote work
Remote and hybrid working practices offer numerous advantages for land-based employees in the yachting sector. It enables businesses to access a global talent pool, allowing them to recruit the best candidates regardless of their location.
Think about it like this – how far would you expect individuals to commute to your workplace? Up to an hour? Maybe 90 minutes? By drawing a “commuting boundary” with your location at the centre, you can visualise the scope of your potential talent pool.
Now consider a boundary where a candidate is only required to come into your office for a couple of days per week (maybe with a stopover), or only ‘as required’, or even ‘infrequently’. How much larger is the search area now?
Take Quay Crew for example. We effectively work with land-based clients across Europe and the East Coast of America from a Southern UK base point!
Additionally, remote work can lead to increased productivity, as employees have more flexibility in managing their schedules – whilst practically saving commuting hours per day.
Yet, managing remote teams across different countries also presents unique challenges, including communication barriers, cultural differences, time zones and legal complexities.
Strategies for effective remote hiring and onboarding
When hiring remote employees in the yachting sector, it’s essential to have a robust recruitment and onboarding process in place. This includes clearly defining job roles and responsibilities, conducting thorough interviews, and assessing an individual’s ability to work independently. For clarity, this doesn’t just mean them. It means do they have an office space at home? Are they working from a kitchen table opposite their other half who is also WFH? How productive can they be in that small space? Do they have great internet and phone signal? You would be surprised how many people don’t have both of the above.
Additionally, providing comprehensive onboarding support is crucial to ensure that remote employees feel integrated into the team from day one. All of this will then need to be followed up with regular, consistent appraisal. What are the KPIs of the job? What metrics denote productivity? What does great performance look like?
Tools and technologies for remote team management
There is a huge array of tools and technologies available to facilitate remote team management. From CRMs to video conferencing software, these tools can help streamline communication, collaboration, and workflow management. Some popular tools used in the yachting sector include project management software like Trello or Asana, communication tools like Slack and video conferencing platforms like Zoom / Microsoft Teams.
Slightly more Big Brother in style, there is tech like ActivTrak or Teramind which will measure productivity. Whilst there are some questionable ethics around this, there is tech that will monitor key strokes, time spent on websites, time spent in which app etc. Very quickly that will flag people who are maybe having a relaxed approach to maximising productivity.
There is also an app called Salestrail which measures the number of calls, time on the phone etc if you really want to go down the rabbit hole.
In essence, the main thing to ensure consistent performance is accountability. Make it clear what expectations are, endeavour to put numbers next to this so it isn’t subjective and review these numbers and performance regularly.
Best practices for fostering collaboration and communication
Effective communication is the cornerstone of successful remote team management. To foster collaboration and communication within remote teams in the yachting sector, it’s essential to establish clear channels of communication, set expectations for availability and responsiveness, and encourage regular check-ins and updates.
Promoting a culture of transparency, trust, and mutual respect can also help overcome the challenges of remote work across different countries.
Expand reach through remote offering
As the yachting industry continues to embrace remote work, businesses must adapt their hiring and management practices to effectively navigate the complexities of managing remote teams across different countries. By leveraging the right strategies, tools, and technologies, yachting businesses can unlock the full potential of remote work while overcoming the challenges inherent in global team management.
There is a shortage of skilled professionals with the specific experience required by yachting businesses. To this end, by expanding your reach and embracing remote or hybrid working, you stand a greater chance of finding the ideal candidate.
You are also more likely to look like a forward-thinking organisation that puts the needs of your staff first, and ultimately becomes a place where people want to work.
