With the yachting industry beginning to stretch its tightened cruising muscle and more crew seemingly gone back to work, we decided it was time to ask about quitting. We were curious to see if, among the unemployed in the past two years, many yacht crew had quit jobs.We were surprised at the results.In the past two years, have you quit a job?The results were nearly evenly split, with 45.7 percent of the 129 respondents saying they had quit a job in the past two years and 54.3 percent saying they had not."Who hasn't gotten fed up with their job and wanted to quit?" a respondent asked. "Quitting a job will relieve some problems, like dealing with a crazy boss or difficult crew. However, if you quit your job, your life will change in many ways, some for the better and some for the worse."

"I have learned that each job is more unlike the next job in this industry than alike," another respondent said. "You never really know what the job is until you have been there a while. You could wake up after one month either horrified or delighted."Then we asked, "In the past two years, have you been let go or fired?"Slightly more than a quarter -- 26.4 percent -- of respondents had been let go or fired in the past two years, but nearly three-quarters -- 73.6 percent -- had not.That means almost twice as many yacht crew quit jobs in the past two years than were laid off or fired. That surprised us after hearing so many stories about boats being mothballed and crews being downsized. We thought for sure more people would have been let go or fired, but our results show differently."In the past two years, I have both been fired and resigned from very challenging and unrewarding programs," a respondent said. "I was part of a 13-person crew of talented, long-term and professional employees who were summarily released over the course of nine months. This program is still churning thru crew at an alarming rate. "I recently resigned as the sole crew member on board a private yacht that was heavily used but not allowed to hire any additional crew," this crew member continued. "Going against all aspects of safety, this and the lack of consideration as the sole crew were primary reasons for leaving."

For the crew who quit a job recently, why? Far and away, the No. 1 reason was a bad manager or boss, selected by half of those who quit. Other common reasons were "better offer" (selected by 32 percent of respondents), "needed a change" (23.7 percent), "difficult crew mates" (20 percent) and "schedule no longer right for me" (17 percent)."Often, owners are unaware of bad shore-based managers with their sometimes unethical and dubious practices, which is to the detriment of the boat/crew which, in the end, just forces you to look elsewhere," a respondent wrote. "Bringing the subject up with the owner only makes you look bad, so you don't and you find it easier for everyone to just quietly leave for a new program."

For the crew who were let go or fired, why?Far and away, the No. 1 reason was because the owner cut costs and crew (41 percent). The next common reason was "other" at 25.6 percent, followed by "boat sold" at 23 percent and "didn't fit with the crew or program at 10.3 percent."Feelings are often mutual," one respondent wrote. "Because they fear that they are going to be fired, many people quit first to save face and reputation. Lots of surveys show that people will accept far less pay for jobs where they are treated well and respected. I have a serious policy of not quitting, mostly because I don't care what other people think of me, which, of course, means that I've been fired a couple of times.

"My friend, a captain, called me complaining about how bad he was being treated by the owner of the yacht he runs and that he is going to quit to come home," this respondent continued. "I told him how I don't quit and usually if people are rude to me I just ask them for a raise. Asking for a raise is actually fighting words. It's saying that you are worth a lot more than your employer can pay and you know it. The [owner] realized that he might have been taking [my friend] for granted and paid him a lot more. My friend still works for him."

We were particularly interested to know if the decisions captains and crew have made in the past two years were much different than ones they might have made previously in their careers, so we asked.
In your career, have you ever quit a job?The vast majority had (86.8 percent).

"The one thing I have always said to myself is, 'If I am not happy with my work situation, I need to move on'," a respondent said. "When you have decided that it is time to quit/leave, do it professionally. Keep your standards and do it as though you would expect it from someone else. Always do it on good terms; you never know when you will meet or interview with someone who knows your previous boss/captain. After all, it is a very small industry."Of those who had quit, why?The top three reasons were the same in the larger picture as in the short term. Again, the strongest reason was a bad manager or boss (54.5 percent). The next most common reasons were "better offer" (42.9 percent) and "needed a change" (32 percent). "Difficult crew mates" fell to the bottom of the list (13.4 percent). 

We also wanted to know if the act of quitting had changed much in the current economy. It hasn't. If you have quit a job in the past two years, how did you do it?

The vast majority "gave notice and served it out" (83.9 percent) or "gave notice and was excused immediately" (12.9 percent). Just 3.2 percent admitted they "just left".

"Always give proper notice," one respondent wrote. "Your professional manner will follow you and stay a part of your reputation."

"Be professional," another respondent advised. "Just remember that every job you take you will leave at some point; it's just the why, when and how that is yet to be determined. Your first impression is very important but your last impression can sometimes be even more important."

In their careers, the method of quitting was similar.Again, the vast majority "gave notice and served it out" (86.8 percent) or "gave notice and was excused immediately" (10.5 percent). Just 2.6 percent admitted they "just left."
"It is not always possible or desired by a captain or owner for a quitting crew member to stay on board once they give notice," a respondent said. "That person who is quitting should be prepared to leave immediately. If you are not forced to leave immediately, every effort should be made to stay the agreed length of time, or until a replacement crew person is hired, whichever is agreed upon."

Have you ever not quit a job that you really wanted to?Two thirds replied yes."I stayed in a job I hated for two years because it takes a year to settle into a boat and as a female officer it takes a year to gain any kind of respect from your captain (not all)," one respondent said. "I just could not be bothered with having to prove myself all over again."

"A few good reasons to quit a job: You find yourself being marginalized, you've outgrown the job, you receive a better offer, work interferes with family responsibilities (a biggie in the marine trade)," another respondent said. "Reasons most people stay in a job they don't like: money, insurance, poor job market, benefits."For those who had stayed in a job they didn’t want, why?Nearly half (47.7 percent) has made a commitment to stay a certain length of time. A third said they needed to stay employed

"I'm not one to quit easily, especially if I have made a commitment," another respondent said. "I believe reliability is an asset you should possess but if you are going to stay someplace you're not happy with, then you need to make peace with the situation and not make it a bad place for everyone. Jobs are definitely hard to come by and unless you're being treated so poorly or are in danger, leaving a job -- especially if you don't have another lined up -- is not a good idea."

When comparing the current economy to the longer term in regards to being let go or fired, another result surprised us. More than twice as many captains and crew have experienced being fired or let go from their jobs at some point in their career (60.5 percent) than in the past two years (26.4 percent). Just under 40 percent of respondents had never been fired or let go from a job in their career."I've had this job for 26 years," one respondent wrote. "I don't think I could replace it at my age."

The reasons varied, with the most common being "other" at almost 30 percent. The owner cutting costs and crew was the second most common reason (24.4 percent), followed by "boat sold" (23.1 percent) and "I did not fit with the crew or program" (20.5 percent).

One of the most prevalent themes we have encountered in the past two years is that it has been difficult to find a job, so we asked our respondents to characterize how long is has taken them, historically, to find work when they wanted to, and how long it has taken them recently to find work.The answers fell in the same chronological order, with most respondents finding work within a month both historically (45.3 percent) and recently (44 percent).

What changed is that once that month has passed, landing a job has taken longer. Fewer have found work recently in the 1-2 month range, and more have found it in the 2-4 month range and the 4-8 month range. "It's brutal," a respondent said. "People have stopped calling and I'm afraid I might have to go out and find a freelance job. Two years ago I was turning down jobs and now I'm being turned down."

Historically, few captains or crew needed up to a year to find a job (0.8 percent) but recently, 4.6 percent have needed that long. Those needing more than a year also rised.

More than three-quarters of our respondents (77.2 percent) had jobs when they took our survey in January. But we failed to ask if our respondents had been unemployed at any time over the past two years.