Following on from our previous blogs on great innovations that can really help our industry, this month we asked a client to tell us about their experience of Workrest – a new mobile app designed to increase the efficiency and reliability of work and rest time logging by crew members.
“The makers of the Workrest app have a background of working as crew on superyachts, so when I read their claims to have developed a better way for logging working hours I thought it was worth taking a closer look.
“We’re all familiar with the need to log and monitor the details of working hours for compliance with the requirements set out by the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006). For years we, like the majority of other operations, have crew members who have been completing paper logs. Not only does that feel distinctly old-fashioned in this age of digital technology, but the makers of Workrest also make a valid point that these logs are often completed from memory and this, coupled with a stack of log sheets becoming a tedious chore, may lead to records being slightly less than accurate! On a darker note, paper records are also easier to alter should there ever be an instance of crew or management wanting to, shall we say, “reflect the best possible work and rest conditions on board”.
“So how does Workrest help with all this? As an app on crew members’ smart devices, it makes completing logs just a simple process of completing a few data fields. Trialling the product ourselves, it’s clear this makes it far more likely that crew will update it more frequently. This removes the painful big task that can build up when it’s left for a month or so and greatly reduces the risk of inaccurate details being remembered.
“Another huge benefit of the system’s digital nature is that management can access and review individuals’ working hours as soon as they are entered. Any issues can be spotted and dealt with quickly. In addition, the secure password access for each crew member removes the ease of third party alterations inherent with an antiquated paper system.
“While no app or software solution can force compliance, Workrest brings time-logging systems up to date with other technology on board and in doing so makes the capture of information much easier and far more likely to be accurate and reliable. There is also potential for further future benefits to be added with the makers talking about additional functionality such as automatic calculation of crew leave allowances.”
If you would like to read more about Workrest there is additional information on the product website: www.workrest.co
