Happy, Healthy, Safe Employees Deliver High-Performance Service
Taking care of our employees isn’t just good practice, it’s good business. Put simply, Moran looks after its employees and their families because we recognize that healthy employees are more effective and deliver safer operations and more satisfied customers. We believe that generous benefit packages, health and wellness programs, and paying attention to peoples’ common values and needs is why our employees stay with us for so long.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Moran ›
“Moran is an outstanding company to work for. They have great leadership and are very organized. They are focused on and committed to their employees, to their customers and to safety.”—Neftali Padilla
Captain, Cape Henry
Health Coaches for Our Employees
One of the most impactful employee programs offered by Moran is our free, confidential and voluntary health coaching. Since 2016, certified, professional health coaches have been providing judgement-free assistance to employees seeking to improve their lifestyles, whether their goals are to eat healthier, exercise more, quit smoking, reduce stress, and/or sleep better.
These health coaches communicate with port personnel to schedule port visits in order to accommodate a mariner’s rotating shift schedule. In some locations, our employees have opted for a telephonic coaching program rather than on-site training, so we have adapted to whatever type of communication works best for each port.
Health Coaching for Morale, Teambuilding and Wellness
While it can be hard to quantify the value or impact of these types of programs, our Port Managers report that health coaching is having a substantive impact on employee health with pounds and inches dropping away, medication levels declining, and employees describing sleep improvements and stress reduction. Even better, employees are upping their activity levels with crews taking walks and playing basketball together and many participants engaging in breast cancer and other charitable fundraising runs. These experiences not only improve health but also increase employee morale and teambuilding.
Self-Driven Employee Health Initiatives
Many employees have gone beyond the health coaching program and taken their health matters into their own hands – with full encouragement from Moran. In some vessels the crew has converted spare rooms into exercise facilities where they lift weights, run on treadmills and ride exercise bikes. Other vessels find employees rowing on an ergometer on the deck when it is sunny and in the interior hallways when it is cold. And many of the ships’ crews have collaborated to change and improve their diets, shaving off pounds and lowering blood pressure as a result of self-motivation and camaraderie.
Our mariners’ improved health habits lead not only to healthier people but also to safer operations as healthy employees have more energy, focus and strength, and therefore fewer accidents.
“Our wellness coach has helped me set and accomplish goals. She was able to guide me in creating diet plans, discussing work outs with limited spacing, and recording calorie in/outtake. One of the most important factors was making sure I was getting the proper rest in order to accomplish my goals. Sometimes it is hard to do considering our scheduling, but with time management, living a healthy lifestyle can be achieved while living aboard the tugboat. I always remind myself that the only bad workout is a workout that didn’t happen. Limited time and space is only an excuse for failure!”—Matthew Magwood, Mate, Moran Savannah
Matthew Magwood has been with Moran since 2012. Here, Matthew is using TRX suspension bands which are an excellent fitness solution for those working out in locations with limited space.
In August of 2018 I weighed 255 pounds, I was barely fitting in my clothes, I had trouble tying my shoes. Regardless to say my self-esteem was at an all-time low. The related health problems due to my weight and diet were apparent with blood pressure, cholesterol and knee problems. In September of 2018 I was determined to turn things around and on a Tuesday in mid-September 2018 I met with Mr. Picard (a Health Coach engaged by Moran Towing) and thus my journey began. Fast forward to November 2019 - I have lost about 30 pounds, my diet has drastically changed for the better and I am exercising on a regular basis. Cholesterol and blood pressure are back to normal levels and I am fitting into clothes that I have not worn for years. I really cannot say enough about this program as it has been a life changer for me.”—Captain John Hodges
Moran Jacksonville