Your MVP May Be Under Your Nose During COVID19

I write this as a former crew member, manager, and a veteran in the cruise industry. As governments, corporations, schools, and small businesses attempt to stamp out a way forward through this COVID19 debacle, it's painfully clear that a path forward is going to become increasingly difficult. For decades cruise ship employees have been told, the most valuable component in their industry is the crew, that without crew members, the ships can't sail. Most crew members who have worked in the industry for a few years have seen their fair share of crisis whether it's a grounding, poor weather, fire, or the dreaded Norovirus. There are quite literally hundreds of thousands of crew members scattered all over the globe who have not only been trained on how to deal with infectious disease outbreaks, but in fact have lived it over and over again on the various ships they've served.

As the cruise industry sinks, like a ship run aground, hundreds of thousands of crew member's find themselves trapped onboard ships or trapped at home with no foreseeable employment future. These crew members are keepers of a critical secret that has been overlooked by the world. Their years of knowledge and experience in dealing with Norovirus makes them the best candidates to create and implement policy when it comes to reducing the spread of COVID19. The cruise industry has seen a multitude of scenarios where Norovirus outbreaks critically disrupt operations. Contrary to popular belief, Norovirus does not originate onboard cruise ships, it's brought aboard by the guests and crew members. The cruise industry has spent more time, money, and energy coming up with ways to screen everyone who joins a ship, but their employees are the ones who have been implementing them. Interestingly enough, there's a pretty good chance that you may have a former crew member working within your company that could help you implement procedures in your business that are actually standard practice in the cruise industry. Here are a few examples of how crew members can help your business.

Meaningful Connection with Little Risk - With COVID19 in full swing, shaking hands and hugging have become "No Bueno." For decades crew members have learned to greet people with the "Elbow Bump." Why the elbow and not the fist you ask? Your own fist can still make contact with your face as you scratch that itch. However, have you ever seen someone scratch an itch on their face with their elbow. Try it. No one is looking and even if we are, we won't judge you. It's a very effective way to greet someone without putting them and you at risk.

No Contact with Big Impact - Crew members are no strangers to limited contact or no contact. Whether it's behind a desk, bar, buffet, or security checkpoint, crew members have learned how to communicate through their smile. You can always tell whether a crew member is smiling whether on the phone or with a mask on. That's because you can't fake the tonality, tightening of the face, or squint that comes from a smile and when it happens, it's magical. A smile can really change the outcome of any interaction.

Sanitize Everything - When you're on a ship with a virus, you quickly realize that your escape options are limited and the viruses spreading options become limitless. So how do crew members reduce the spread of a virus? They sanitize everything! Ask any crew member what they need to sanitize a space and they will tell you, "a rag, a bottle, and their hands." Crew members are masters of cleaning. Even if they're not currently in a cleaning position, they know how to clean, like putting on a life vest. What can't be washed in a machine is wiped down, and it's wiped down every few hours depending on how much it makes contact with hands. For instance, elevator buttons, staircase rails, and hand rails are some of the most touched items on a ship. They're wiped down with disinfectant every hour to reduce the spread of a virus. When was the last time a frequently touched surface in your office was wiped down?

Knowledge Delivery Is Power - With the internet being as vast as it is, it stands to reason that fo every bit of correct information there is out there, there's hundreds more that is incorrect or unverified. This is a problem. The cruise industry has learned that while the internet and email are great tools, they're not the best when it comes to communicating procedure, especially with crew members from 80+ nationalities. The cruise industry and crew members have perfected the art of informational delivery through simple but effective communication with succinct and clear communication, whether it's by image, sign, or announcement. When there's a single life at risk, excellent communication becomes essential.

Investigate The Signs - When guests book a vacation, they have only one mission when they join the ship, escape completely and have fun, but what happens when something threatens that mission? Guests will withhold information. We can't blame them, it's human nature. I mean they didn't spend all this money to be confined to their cabin for part of the whole cruise. Knowing the risks to those around them, there are still some people who think about themselves and not those at risk around them. So when faced with a virus that could threaten their vacation, some guests will attempt to keep their symptoms under wraps, which is why most crew members are trained to identify potential illness and report it to their superiors. Whether it's in a guest cabin, a bathroom, or common area, crew members are trained to be observant and act for the betterment of the general population.

From Problem to Problem Solver - It's not easy working in an environment where there are ever-changing issues on the horizon. Many of my former crew members are some of the dedicated and hardworking people I've ever had the opportunity to work with. It's no wonder that problem solving is in the DNA of every crew member. Just like the saying "the show must go on" there's the saying "the ship must sail." Only during cataclysmic scenarios does a ship not sail. Cruise ships by their design are meant to be run continuously for 40 or more years. There's no place for them to hookup to an outlet and re-charge and they can't simply just turn off. A ship generates it's own power from which every operation relies. It's by that design that crew members are molded to become resourceful problem solvers who don't look at problems as dead ends, but undiscovered opportunities. Nowhere will you ever find such drive for success then on a ship.

Never Let Your Guard Down - While they work hard, many of them party harder, but they are always acutely aware of their surroundings and prepared for almost any outcome. While the guests are on vacation, partying it up hard, every crew member stands ready for the next emergency. It's for this reason that no crew member consumes alcohol beyond the legal limit even when off duty, because emergencies onboard a ship almost always happen at the most inconvenient time and every crew member has to be alert and prepared for the next emergency whether it's a fire, medical emergency, or something not yet determined at the time.

Cool Heads Make Great Headway - Crew members are consistent. Regardless of the crisis, you can count on crew members to follow protocol and behave accordingly. Whether it's a purser manning the front desk after a cancelled port of call, an internet manager who has lost the internet, or watchmen called on fog watch because of extremely dense fog, crew members are trained through countless scenarios to act rationally and make smart decisions. Those behaviors don't end when they leave their last ship, they follow them on their journey through life.

There is no doubt that COVID19 will have lasting implications both domestically and globally. It will cause havoc with businesses and governments alike. In this time, it's important to determine who your assets are and how best to deploy them. While the cruise industry struggles to stay afloat, their greatest assets been battling threats similar to this for decades and are the most equipped to combat it. I wanted to write this article to draw attention to one of the greatest assets our world has ample supply of, assets that could turn the tide for this outbreak and define how to respond with future outbreaks. You may not know it yet, but you may have an employee in your company, a former crew member, who may be an asset to you and your business

And to those current and former cruise ship crew members, YOUR TIME IS NOW!

Written By Sean Sassoon