Assessing job satisfaction for seafarers

Purpose The aim of this study is threefold: first, to identify the ship or workplace and social or company aspects of the work environment that are most important to seafarers; second, to examine how these factors contribute to seafarer job satisfaction (SJS) and third, to offer evidence-based guidelines for human resource management (HRM) interventions aimed at enhancing SJS. Design/methodology/approach Data on overall and facet SJS were collected from seafarers employed on merchant vessels. Moreover, multi-criteria satisfaction analysis, a method that combines multi-criteria decision and importance-performance analyses, was employed to uncover the facets of SJS that seafarers value most and call for immediate interventions by shipping companies. Findings The findings suggest that seafarers place greater value on the social or company aspects of their work environment – i.e. relationships with colleagues, training and development (T&D), recognition, well-being and fairness – than on ship or workplace aspects. The study results further indicate that relationships with colleagues and T&D are the stronger contributors to SJS within Greek shipping companies. Practical implications The findings provide actionable insights for shipping companies seeking to improve SJS. By constantly investing in the workplace aspects that matter to seafarers and addressing areas of underperformance, ship management companies can ensure more effective and timely HRM interventions. Originality/value This study is among the few that adopts a structured research framework in examining SJS. Moreover, it contributes to the SJS literature by simultaneously considering the aspects of the workplace that seafarers value and the shipping companies' performance regarding these aspects, thereby setting a foundation for future research and policy development in the maritime industry.