Inclusive working life "It meant a lot that Fjord Line chose to back me."

Nimco came to Denmark as a refugee. Today she holds a management position in Fjord Line. Together with Lars (51) and Mona (60), she shows how the opportunities are conducive to learning and development within the group. HR Director Hanne Buje Jensen is proud of that.

“We are eager to make room for everyone, regardless of background and life situation. We work a lot with diversity.

She describes a conscious attitude over many years to emphasize and cultivate diversity in the company.

From refugee status to leadership position

14 years ago, Nimco found herself in an almost impossible dilemma. After coming to Denmark as a refugee with her siblings, Nimco eventually became the sole breadwinner, while at the same time getting an education and creating her own life.

“I came to Denmark as a five-year-old after fleeing the war in Somalia”, says Nimco.

The father died in the war in 1991 and the mother remained in Somalia. Together with her siblings, Nimco grew up in Denmark.

Nimco started with Fjord Line while she was a nursing student. The plan was to return to her studies after the summer, but the great responsibility on her young shoulders led her to choose to continue this work with a stable income.

“The tough journey I have been through has made me grow as a person, but has also made me who I am today. I have always had to work hard, and that has shaped my work ethic”, says Nimco.

She speaks of a gradual professional development with good managers and role models, which eventually turned out to be a career, of which she is very proudv.

“I started as a conference waiter, then became a head waiter in the buffet restaurant and, after a year and a half, I became a supervisor. Today I have become part of the extended management group in Fjord Line as Food & Beverage manager, and I have taken several courses that have helped me become a better manager”, smiles Nimco.

On MS Stavangerfjord, Nimco is responsible for ensuring the that administration and operations run seamlessly and smoothly in the on-board bars, restaurants and conference rooms. And every day she makes the rounds to check that the atmosphere is at its best among guests and staff.

“I still provide for the family, both here and in Africa. My one brother has remained in Denmark. He has faced some challenges, but we continue to support each other as best we can in the family”, says Nimco.

“It means a lot that Fjord Line chose to back me, and gave me so many opportunities to learn and grow”, says Nimco Warsame.

Made the leap of a lifetime: – The ship has become my new home

Like Nimco, Lars Sigen (51) has been on an unexpected life journey, from being a trained carpenter in a full-time carpentry job in Norway, to making the biggest turnaround of his life and ending up at sea as a crew member.

“It felt like jumping from the frying pan into the fire, but it turned out to be the best career choice I’ve ever made.

This is how Lars describes the leap he took years ago, from carpentry into a new job with Fjord Line. As a grandfather that was a carpenter, it was no great surprise that Lars followed in his footsteps. But the fact that his father was a fisherman and a sailor was a legacy Lars had not thought he would carry on. It was a remote thought for Lars to have to cast off.

“I have been a carpenter all my life, and have mostly not done anything else. When the financial crisis hit Denmark in 2012, I went to Norway and started working as a carpenter in Oslo. Before Christmas last year, the company I worked for had to downsize by 16 people, and I went back to Denmark”, says Lars.

After doing a few small jobs here and there, Lars went to a job fair where he was presented with the completely novel idea of sailing with Fjord Line. Since Lars now lives in Hirtshals, near the ship terminals, the representative from Fjord Line thought that it might be a good fit for him.

“But I thought: ‘I’ve never sailed in my whole life; I can’t do that.’ I was invited to an assessment day, which I enjoyed so much that I became seriously interested in trying a new life at sea”, says Lars.

The transition from hammering nails to doing everything from standing by a till, to being a night watchman and receptionist on board, was daunting but very rewarding.

“It was very surreal, but it has been a fantastic journey, and I have come to love the new job I am doing”, says Lars, and emphasizes some of what he believes is best about working at sea with Fjord Line.

“I love the job I do now. The culture on board is incredibly inclusive, and my colleagues felt like a big family after just a few days. It is a special atmosphere in which you are always greeted with a hug and a smile”, says Lars.

“Mother Fjord Line” earned an apprenticeship certificate

Norwegian Mona (60) has been a familiar and beloved face at the reception on MS Stavangerfjord for ten years, where she welcomes new passengers with open arms and an infectious laugh. Both passengers and colleagues appreciate her good humour and caring attitude.

“I always try to be positive and treat everyone equally, whether they are guests or colleagues. At the same time, I’ve probably become a kind of “mother” who makes sure that everyone has a good time on board. I think that’s very nice”, she says.

She started on the reception desk at Stavangerfjord in 2014, but she had already worked in hotels in both Norway and Denmark for many years before she came to Fjord Line. In order to formalize her skills, she received an offer from Fjord Line to take reception training at TECHCollege.

“Since I had many years of experience, I only needed one school period before I got my qualification as a receptionist. It’s good that I now have a formal education in what I’ve been working at for so long.

Mona moved to Denmark over 30 years ago because of love. But her ties to Norway and a life at sea have always been strong – with a father from Ørnes and many summer holidays spent at her father’s home in northern Norway.

“We used to go down to the quay to see Hurtigruten – that was a highlight. “Even though no one in my family worked on a ship, I have always been drawn to the sea”, says Mona, and says that it was only when she saw the NRK programme, Hurtigruten – minute by minute, that she finally made the decision to apply for a job on a ship.

“I told my husband that if I couldn’t get a job on a ship before I turned 50, I would give up on the dream. “Two days before my 50th birthday, I signed up for my first trip”, laughs Mona.

Inclusive and developing work environment

Diversity has been important for HR Director Hanne since she started.

“The maritime industry is known to be male-dominated, and we attach great importance to women having equal opportunities to get an education and work as managers or coxswains, or other positions on board”, she says.

While the general proportion of women in the maritime industry is around 10 percent, Fjord Line, with its many more commercial positions, has achieved a 50 percent proportion of women.

This rich diversity contributes to a good working environment. The community on board is the result of fantastic employees and the targeted work of HR.

“Creating an inclusive workplace has definitely had a positive effect on our culture. We measure our employee satisfaction through ENPS (Employee Net Promoter Score), and it has gone from 12 to 30 in just two years”, says Hanne.

“Which shows that our work to create an inclusive workplace is paying off.