HR Guidance For Recruiters: A Guide To Support Diversity In The Maritime Sector

This recruitment guideline has been developed by Maritime UK, in support of the Diversity in Maritime programme, and intends to highlight the ways in which basic assumptions and unconscious biases affect the ways in which jobs are advertised, as well as the easy steps that can be taken to create a more conscious recruitment process. The document uses gender bias as the key example, as this is an area in which extensive research and information has become available over the past few years. While focused on gender however, neutrality is beneficial in the recruitment across many diversity groups. The document ultimately aims to initiate a thought-process around recruitment that leads to increased awareness about diverse recruitment in the maritime sector.

According to research, advertising a job with gender-neutral language fills a position 14 days faster than those with a feminine or masculine bias, and also attracts a more diverse pool of applicants (Women in Recruitment, 2018). Further, both men and women are found to be less likely to apply to a job that is described using language biased against their gender. No industry, or indeed country, can reach its full potential if only recruiting from a fraction of the talent on offer. Moral imperatives aside, research clearly indicates that companies with diverse workforces outperform those that are less diverse, both financially, and in terms of innovation. There is therefore a clear business case for companies and organisations within the maritime sector to act. The future is incredibly exciting, and the potential opportunities and rewards are vast. We would encourage companies to actively use and engage with this resource. With your help, we can make sure that our sector embraces talent from everywhere. This booklet is only one small element of the significant work being undertaken across our sector to help create the maritime industry of the future. An industry in which we can all be proud, and where everyone, regardless of race, gender, or any other characteristic may feel welcome and thrive. 

We would like to thank the following for their significant contributions to this document: Professor Averil MacDonald, Maritime UK’s Women in Maritime Network and Recruitment Subgroup, the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers, the Department for Transport, and all members of Maritime UK.