Navigating the complexity of cruise staffing

How cruise lines can check all their hiring boxes with a staffing services provider

When it comes to vacations, cruises fall into their own category. Cruise lines offer travelers a chance to explore multiple destinations on one trip, while enjoying luxurious accommodations and amenities. Planning activities and excursions is a task for the cruise staff, and guests can enjoy a unique experience each day—without needing to unpack and repack at different destinations.

Like many hospitality businesses, the 2020 pandemic took a drastic toll on cruise lines, but they’ve since made a comeback. This type of vacation is growing in popularity, with 19 million Americans projected to set sail this year.¹ With most of the trip being pre-paid, and a multitude of activities, entertainment, and amenities to explore, guests can focus on quality time and relaxation. What’s not to like?

Of course, there’s a flip side to this, too. The increasing demand for cruise vacations increases the need for cruise staffing to support these floating resorts.

Cruise staffing needs are diverse and complex

Cruise lines require a diverse range of staff and specialized skills to maintain operations and cater to the needs of guests. They have to fill roles in hospitality for room service and laundry, hire wait staff and cooks for the restaurants on board, and if there are pools on deck, they also need lifeguards.

But here’s where cruise staffing diverts from other hospitality hiring—they also need qualified people for technical positions like engineers, cybersecurity personnel, IT project managers, and quality assurance (QA) analysts. These roles are critical to operate on the high seas.

The unique employment compliance considerations required of a company with a global staffing footprint brings another layer of complexity. Cruise lines go all over the world, and they hire from all over the world, too. This presents an enormous hurdle for cruise staffing, and many parent companies are simply not equipped with the necessary internal teams or technology to navigate such complexity on their own.

IT is essential to cruise staffing

It might not be obvious at first glance, but cruise ships are packed to the gills with technology. In guest services, IT runs the gamut with multiple systems that manage booking/reservations, onboard entertainment, communication services, access to the cruise line mobile application, use of key cards (for room entry, payment for food, etc.), and access to the Wi-Fi network. Because cruise lines utilize such a wide range of technologies, all the data stored in their systems needs to be correctly attributed and integrated across the other systems. IT staff need to be skilled in managing these diverse platforms and ensuring systems compatibility.

With the increasing reliance on digital systems, cruise lines face significant cybersecurity threats. IT staff must be equipped to protect sensitive data and maintain secure networks. They also need to be adept at working in a mobile and remote work environment, and able to deal with connectivity issues that can occur while at sea.

The importance of IT cruise staffing goes beyond guest services to include technical roles for navigation, safety, and operations. Advanced IT solutions are crucial for navigation system functionality and safety protocols, helping to protect passengers and crews. These roles are also critical for the execution of dry docks (renovations and updates to an existing ship) and building new ships—which cruise lines could not operate without.

Effective IT staffing with a service provider

With all the nuance and specific requirements cruise staffing entails, the challenges for cruise lines to identify, screen, and interview talent are considerable. Not to mention, they have more complicated onboarding and pre-hire protocols to consider. Even if a cruise line had a robust talent acquisition team, and they had the necessary tools to support their search, they would still struggle to fill all the necessary open positions. This strengthens the case for hiring a staffing services provider.

When working with a trusted partner, cruise staffing becomes a more straightforward endeavor. A qualified staffing services provider can streamline the entire talent acquisition and onboarding process, leading to improved efficiency that reverberates across an organization.

When implementing IT staffing for cruise lines, here are four best practices to prioritize:

• Targeted recruitment: Focus efforts on finding candidates with specific skills in maritime IT, networking, and cybersecurity. This can help build a strong IT team. Partnerships with maritime academies and technical institutes can be beneficial.
• Continuous training: Provide ongoing training for IT staff. This is essential to keep them updated on the latest technologies and security protocols. This helps to maintain high service standards and stay ahead of cyber threats.
• Collaborative approaches: Encourage collaboration between IT staff and other departments. This enhances technology integration across the cruise line and can lead to innovative solutions and improved operational processes.
• Advanced support systems: Implement robust support systems, including remote monitoring and diagnostics tools. This can help IT staff manage systems more effectively, even when faced with the unique challenges of working at sea.

Providing staffing services for cruise lines requires careful consideration of the challenges associated with maritime operations. By focusing on robust recruitment, comprehensive training, and effective retention strategies, staffing services can help cruise lines operate smoothly and provide guests with unforgettable experiences.

For many years, CAI has been a preferred staffing services provider for cruise line companies. To learn more about how we can help staff your IT team, fill out the form below.