Episode 6
The Retail Wave Makers | Natalia Rolle, Heinemann Americas
This week, Nadine Heubel takes a peak behind the scenes of retail teams onboard, as she catches up with Natalia Rolle, the Director of Human Resources at Heinemann Americas.
Natalia oversees the administration and strategic direction for both corporate and ship board retail teams for Heinemann Americas who currently have 68 active crew members on board at any given time, and over 26 nationalities represented onboard!
This episode turns the focus onto the HR process, as Natalia shares her insight into the complexities on onboarding and recruiting staff, and how this differs landside to on the ship. Further, Nadine & Natalia discuss harnessing company culture and supporting crew welfare as a main priority in cruise retail moving forward.
Transcript
Hello to everybody from around the world. Welcome to episode three of season two of The Retail Wave Makers, a Seatrade Cruise Talks Podcast. My name is Nadine Heubel. I'm the Senior
Nadine Heubel:Managing Director, Travel Retail North America at Newmark, formerly known as Harper Dennis Hobbs. But today I'm talking to you as the retail ambassador for Seatrade. Retail has been going from
Nadine Heubel:strength to strength in the cruise industry, and I'm grateful for seatrade have acknowledged his development by creating a retail Ambassador role, which I am very honored to have been appointed to.
Nadine Heubel:Part of my responsibility is to create further awareness for this exciting sector amongst cruise industry peers, and what better way to do it then creating our own podcast miniseries, The Retail Wave
Nadine Heubel:Makers podcast. In this podcast series, I will work on different stakeholders of the cruise retail industry, cruise lines, retailers, vendors and consultants. And I will discuss with my guests the
Nadine Heubel:state of the cruise retail industry. We have a lineup of amazing guests, we will hear from them firsthand about latest innovation initiatives, challenges and their personal outlook of the future of
Nadine Heubel:cruise retail. And we will also get a little bit personal with our rapid fire questions at the end of the podcast. On this episode, I would like to welcome somebody who has inspired me a lot during
Nadine Heubel:the last few years, Natalia Rolle, the Director of Human Resources at Heinemann Americas, where she oversees the administration and strategic direction for both corporate and ship board retail teams
Nadine Heubel:as an S-HRM Certified Professional with nine years experience. She has proven expertise in effectuating organizational goals, strategic management of employee organization relationships. Throughout
Nadine Heubel:her career, she has been regarded as a highly valued business partner, adept at cultivating corporate cultures with progressive technical resources, prolific communications and robust development
Nadine Heubel:programs that support revenue growth. Nat and I work together during the dark days of the COVID pandemic. And I have to say, without her at my side, I would have most probably lost my mind a few
Nadine Heubel:times. Thanks to her resilience and positivity, we were able to use the crisis as an opportunity and transform the company culture in a very profound way. Nat, welcome to the show. I'm so glad that
Nadine Heubel:you're here.
Natalia Rolle:Thanks for having me. I'm honestly very excited to be here. And when you reached out regarding it, I was excited. at all, so thanks for having me.
Nadine Heubel:Absolutely. You know, I know. I always like to have an excuse to to meet up with you and talk to you. And you know, and you know what, it also seems that my always my guests, they go on
Nadine Heubel:vacation before they do the podcast. So you have you had relaxed? You just went on vacation as well, right?
Natalia Rolle:Yes, I did. I was in Mexico, with a few girlfriends over the weekend. And we had a really good time. A lot of fun in the sun and back to business as usual.
Nadine Heubel:But sounds great. So you relaxed and now we can have a relaxed conversation about a quite important topic, HR. So let's get right into it. So could you tell us a little bit about the
Nadine Heubel:cruise operations of Heinemann Americas and how many ships do you have? And then especially talking about HR, how many staff members work for you from how many different nationalities and anything
Nadine Heubel:else you think of you would like to share with us
Natalia Rolle:all right, a little bit about Heinemann Americas, we pretty much have been creating tailor made solutions for cruise retails since 2018. Throughout the years, we've partnered with
Natalia Rolle:cruise operators such as Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Princess Cruises, which has been very exciting. For the greater part of 2023. We will have three vessels in our fleet in partnership with Royal
Natalia Rolle:Caribbean. So that's the Independence of the seas Odyssey of the Seas and their current newest vessel, which is the Wonder of the Seas. The great news for Heinemann Americas is that we'll continue to
Natalia Rolle:grow our fleet with Royal Caribbean because we've been contracted to deliver the Icon of the Seas in the fall of this year. Which is good news for us because it'll be the third consecutive newbuilds
Natalia Rolle:awarded to us in a row, which is very, very exciting. Across our fleet as a whole. We have 68 active crew members working on board approximately another 40 or so. On vacation at any given time, from a
Natalia Rolle:nationality perspective, there are 26 nationalities that are represented onboard included but not limited to Brazil, Guyana, Jamaica, Macedonia, India, Romania, and South Africa. So it's a very
Natalia Rolle:exciting business to say the least.
Nadine Heubel:Yeah, it's like a melting pot. It's like the United Nations!
Natalia Rolle:I would definitely agree with that point.
Nadine Heubel:And I also like what you said, you know, that you're very proud of now being also awarded the two newest ships, so for Royal Caribbean, because I think this is always a wonderful moment
Nadine Heubel:when you step for the first time on one of these new, amazing vessels.
Natalia Rolle:So yeah, yeah, it is pretty exciting, especially just being a part of the build out process and the planning process, in partnership with the cruise lines. That's always exciting to see
Natalia Rolle:it come together in the end,
Nadine Heubel:that's really one of the things I have to say I miss not working together anymore. It's really going on the ship and, and looking at the stores when they just opened and welcoming the
Nadine Heubel:teams. Yeah, that's a great, great feeling.
Natalia Rolle:Yeah, yeah, it is, it is for sure.
Nadine Heubel:But let's also talk a little bit about recruiting, because mean recruiting staff for onboard operations. It's quite different from recruiting staff for your land operation. And I'm sure
Nadine Heubel:that our listeners would like to hear a little bit more about I would like call it the complexity of recruiting, but also the complexity of really onboarding your crews retail stuff?
Natalia Rolle:Yeah, it is very different. And while I can say that it is similar or has similarities to land recruiting, the complexities arise, or come up mainly in the pre onboarding stages. So
Natalia Rolle:what does that even mean? So well, we can start with like, for us, the initial stage of hiring is recruitment. So we partner with recruiting firms, just like land based companies, our recruiting firms
Natalia Rolle:are internationally based. So in South Africa, Romania, and the UK, and they source screen and present talent for opens positions to us. Once that candidate actually passes our interview process and
Natalia Rolle:is offered a position, then pre onboarding begins at this stage is where the complexities come up. And there is quite a bit of paperwork involved, that has to be gathered and submitted. So we are very
Natalia Rolle:keen in being attentive to our new hires just to ensure that the candidate experience is a positive one, because there's there's a lot that goes into it. So while some of the paperwork is the usual,
Natalia Rolle:like reference, background checks, certifications, and trainings, others are unique, unless of course, a land based company is relocating a candidate internationally. And in this case, that's where
Natalia Rolle:the complexity comes into play, because there are medical clearances, passports, visas, and in some cases, even country clearances for a new hire to actually exit and leave their country for work. Oh,
Natalia Rolle:and this is, of course, highly dependent on the nationality of the candidate and also where the home port of the vessel is going to be. So this stage for us can take anywhere from two weeks up to four
Natalia Rolle:months. And in some cases, it is much longer because we are very much dependent on government agencies for of course, the passports and the visas, and especially after the pandemic, wait times for
Natalia Rolle:appointments have been a little bit more difficult to get, although the wait times are of course improving. So for us as we are scheduling embarkations or demarcations, three to six months out, we
Natalia Rolle:also have to ensure that there's a lot of contingency planning, in the event that there are agency delays or other delays when gathering the required documents to go on board. So it is quite a complex
Natalia Rolle:process. But we managed to get through it because we managed to continue to keep our vessels staff. So despite the complexities, we work through them as they come up!
Nadine Heubel:Well, and I learned something new. I mean, I I was aware of many things working together with you, but I had no idea I had no idea that you need to, in some cases a country clearance
Nadine Heubel:for colleagues to leave your country.
Natalia Rolle:Yeah, so specifically for Indian nationals before they can even leave to let's say, for work in another country. You have to petition we of course go through an agency petition to the
Natalia Rolle:government for their release or they can get turned around at the airport. So it's it's a very unique and intricate process of course and then other nationalities in some cases require this eight. So
Natalia Rolle:it just, it's really dependent on the nationality of the new hire and also the home port of the vessel. So
Nadine Heubel:very interesting to listen to this. Heinemann Americas is a family business with a very unique culture and you are still living in it and I have been have been living in it. So we can
Nadine Heubel:really say it's very unique and very special. And when you and me we work together Heinemann Americas we did a lot of cultural work together. And we did this mostly for our headquarter staff. So can
Nadine Heubel:you tell us a little bit what is the Heinemann culture? And also, how do you make sure that this super unique and special culture is then also brought to the teams onboard the ships?
Natalia Rolle:So I would say regarding the culture of Hindman, it can be described as human centric. So we definitely strongly take into consideration how our people want to work, how to inspire them
Natalia Rolle:to do their work, and how we give them the tools and show them that we're invested in their development. So of course, as you know, from our work together, this is a never ending effort demands a lot
Natalia Rolle:of communication and regular communication between management, HR, and the people of our organization. So for us, we've created various communication loops from onboarding to an employee's exit, to
Natalia Rolle:hear their sentiments and needs before making decisions, implementing changes, and even thereafter. So for our onboard crew, we make every effort to ensure that they feel part of the bigger picture,
Natalia Rolle:and are not just on the vessel with no voice in the middle of somewhere or moving from port to port this year, especially for us as we manage a smaller fleet, we want to continue to ensure that they
Natalia Rolle:have regular updates with our shore side management and the rest of the team is scheduled rather regular visits, not just from our shipboard operations team, but also from other departments. This
Natalia Rolle:year, we're beginning the year with a fleet kickoff, where we will present to our entire fleet, the focus in the priorities for 2023 so that they are in the know and they can ask questions or voice
Natalia Rolle:concerns. And our hope is to have something like this scheduled on a regular cadence. So they simply keep abreast of how we're tracking towards our priorities and goals. We will also introduce like
Natalia Rolle:quarterly pulse surveys, you know that we have them for our corporate staff, to the shipboard teams this year, just to hear more frequently about what is going on how things are trending for them. And
Natalia Rolle:just in an effort to create communication loops for them, so that we hear their sentiments and their needs before we implement decisions made changes. And even thereafter,
Nadine Heubel:How do you do the fleet kickoff? Is this like on a zoom call, or?
Natalia Rolle:Yeah. So it is it's a team's call. And it takes a lot of organization, I know shipboard operations, they're trying to align port schedules so that we do it when they're in port. They
Natalia Rolle:don't have deliveries going on or too much on board going on and can get everyone in the room. And then for our staff that are at home or on vacation, they will also be provided with the link to just
Natalia Rolle:call in. And they'll receive updates not just from HR, but our Managing Director, our shipboard operations team, and we will give them just an overlook of what the year looks like for us.
Nadine Heubel:Amazing. And as you said, I mean, you can clearly see that communication is really key to what you do. That's very to the or to your heart, very important for you. And at the same time
Nadine Heubel:you also said it, it's hard work. Communication is it's hard work. But if somebody can do it, it's you. Now, last episode, Jennifer Feldman from Effy. She was talking about some of their HR
Nadine Heubel:initiatives and one in particular where they focus on mental health and well being. And I think it's really a very, very important theme, especially for crew members who are far from home. What are
Nadine Heubel:your initiatives in this area?
Natalia Rolle:I know mental health and well being it's one of those topics that everyone says hey, it's a priority for us. But it truly is priority for us here at Heinemann Americas, especially as it
Natalia Rolle:concerns the crew on board. So in 2022, so last year we introduced in the earlier q1 mental health course. And what is included in this course is pretty much a training on how to notice and support
Natalia Rolle:themselves through any sort of menal crisis or even recognize individuals who may be experienced the same thing on board. And it also really gives them resources to connect to the appropriate
Natalia Rolle:personnel or person on board or even shoreside in our office. And this training is included in the initial E-training that all of our crew is required to go through prior to onboarding. So we try to
Natalia Rolle:provide them with the resources before they even go through and may experience something on board, just in a very proactive, so we take a very proactive approach. And then we also have regular bi
Natalia Rolle:weekly meetings with managers on board. And one of the checking questions is around not only their mental health and well being, but how their team is trending from a mental health and wellbeing
Natalia Rolle:perspective, especially when there are events that may take place on board, or something may be going on personally with a crew member at home with a loved one or a friend. So it's something that we
Natalia Rolle:do prioritize, and we take very seriously. And we try to ensure that everyone is aware of the appropriate resources available to them.
Nadine Heubel:Thank you for sharing and what you said, I think it's so important to prevention, or just to recognize it within yourself that something is going on, and that maybe you are not
Nadine Heubel:yourself. And sometimes you're the one at what we all want to accept it or what and don't want to hear or don't have the tools to know it. So that's great that you help everybody to really do a kind
Nadine Heubel:of self check, but also be able to see if others are in in need or in pain. ]So what I always also found fascinating I have always found fascinating is that the retail staff on board is of course part
Nadine Heubel:of Heinemann Americas are part of the retailer, the concessionaire but at the same time, it is also a part of the cruise line ecosystem. So in a way, there are maybe two value systems not necessarily
Nadine Heubel:competing, but two value systems. So how do you collaborate with the cruise lines to really make sure that the cultures are aligned and that your staff feels home in both worlds so to speak?
Natalia Rolle:Of course, you've worked for Heinemann America's uh, you know that we thrive in differentiating ourselves from our competitors, with our unique offerings layouts activations in our
Natalia Rolle:stores. And we also recognize the role that the crew plays in representing our brands. And while we make every effort to guarantee that they're fully versed in our values in our service leadership
Nadine Heubel:Very fascinating. And then, you know, you talked a lot about different HR activities already, but which one is the one you are most proud of?
Nadine Heubel:commitments, because those are things we're proud of, we also ensure that we remain a partner to the cruise line. So how do we do that? We do our due diligence in really understanding the values and
Nadine Heubel:the differentiators of the brands that we partner with. And we present those values and differences to our onboard crew in the pre onboarding stages of hire, so that they are fully aware from
Nadine Heubel:embarkation, not only what Hindman expects of them, but also what will be expected of them from our cruise partner. So throughout their contract, because so we do our due diligence by preparing them
Nadine Heubel:because we understand that there is a period of time where they're growing their sea legs for a better sentiment, and they're adapting to the brand that they may be representing. We try to give them
Nadine Heubel:that information even before they go on board.
Natalia Rolle:Well, I've been with Heinemann quite. I've seen a number of initiatives rolled out to operations just being a part of Heinemann starting from almost the very beginning as it relates to
Natalia Rolle:cruise retail. So I would say my top two specifically for 2022 would definitely be the rollout of the mental health course. And then in 2022 for our shipboard teams. We also implemented an elearning
Natalia Rolle:system trainings in performance management tools. So we moved away from a lot of the paper forms to electronic...makes our lives a little easier but of course from a corporate responsibility
Natalia Rolle:perspective limits the amount of paper waste that was taking place so
Nadine Heubel:absolutely glad to hear that you're paperless now. I was always so bad. I would always lose the papers. My biggest issue so now there's nothing I can lose. It's all online? It's great.
Nadine Heubel:So another another question for you. What do you think? How is HR going to or needing to evolve in the cruise retail, if you'd want to be relevant and even maybe more important in the future?
Natalia Rolle:in my opinion, HR and crews, retail has always been complex. But even more so now, especially with advances in tech focus, I think there needs to be a shift from just sort of managing
Natalia Rolle:the personnel and doing administrative tasks, to really increasing the employee engagement and building the company culture, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the employee experience on
Natalia Rolle:board really impacts guests experience. So it is vital that we not only have the right amount of talent onboard, but also ensure that they're trained, that they're engaged and retained through
Natalia Rolle:policies and processes that put people at the forefront and a customer centric culture.
Nadine Heubel:Yeah, you are absolutely. Well, well, well prepared for this or always been an advocate also, for really making sure to be engaged, as you said, and I think that's, that's always
Nadine Heubel:something about how I have known you and how I came to appreciate you a lot because employee engagement was always something very, very important to you. So last question before we go to the rapid
Nadine Heubel:fire questions, because this is the sea trade podcast. So I need to ask the question, what do you think see trade can do to really support the retail industry even more to thrive.
Natalia Rolle:So I think they do a great job at just offering the opportunity to collaborate and explore solutions that support sustainable cruising for sure. I would say more focus, if it's not
Natalia Rolle:already should probably be on challenging companies in the retail travel for shipboard retail sector, to really rethink their business models and traditions, especially in light of the pandemic and
Natalia Rolle:all of the other things that have taken place since 2020. Within this space, because I think that while traditions have taken us or brought us to where we are in many organizations, there needs to be
Natalia Rolle:a real push and challenge on companies to collaborate more and really rethink how they do business.
Nadine Heubel:Thank you. Thank you for sharing this interest. Definitely note it from a Seatrade perspective. So are you ready for the rapid fire questions?
Natalia Rolle:I am!
Nadine Heubel:Yay! Nat what is your favorite cruise destination?
Natalia Rolle:Nassau Bahamas!
Nadine Heubel:No, no no bias there right?
Natalia Rolle:No Bias!
Nadine Heubel:You want to share with the listeners why?
Natalia Rolle:My family's from the Bahamas. So any destination in the Bahamas really is just because I come off the ship and experience the culture and the food and just have a great homely
Natalia Rolle:experience so
Nadine Heubel:and what is your favorite location to unwind on a cruise ship?
Natalia Rolle:I would say the balcony. Oh. Take a break a breather.
Nadine Heubel:Buffet or a la carte breakfast?
Natalia Rolle:a la carte!
Nadine Heubel:bingo or trivia?
Natalia Rolle:bingo!
Nadine Heubel:Oh. I thought the I thought you're going to be a trivia.
Natalia Rolle:Its not much thought!
Nadine Heubel:it's more relaxing. And maybe maybe less competitive. So what was the last product you bought on a cruise ship?
Natalia Rolle:Rituals, dry body oil. I really like it. So yeah.
Nadine Heubel:What is your most favorite speciality restaurant on a cruise ship?
Natalia Rolle:I would say Izumi, the sushi restaurant on Odyssey of the Seas.
Nadine Heubel:And now last question for you. Which retail operation on which ship and this needs to be outside of theHeinemann Americas operations would you like to give kudos to?
Natalia Rolle:So I would say not a particular ship. However, kudos to Effy Jewelry on the Return To Sea Collection for which they did for Carnival. And it said to be inspired by many aspects of the
Natalia Rolle:ocean and it's a beautiful collection. So I would say kudos to them.
Nadine Heubel:Amazing. Thank you. It was so great to have you on the show. It was so great to reconnect with you. Thank you for all the insight you have given us. And I'm looking forward to follow
Nadine Heubel:all your successes from the outside now thank you so much for being on the show.
Natalia Rolle:Thank you for having me. Feel free to reach out anytime.
