Fishermen’s Perception of their Quality of Work Life: A Preliminary Study

The fishing and commerce sectors are the most accident-prone sectors of the maritime profession in France. They are the cause of 85% of the total number of accidents. Fishing accounts for less than half (47.7%) of the total number of accidents. Sailors are the subject of a particular accidentology, the main causes of fatal accidents being falls overboard and shipwrecks, but there is little information on fishermen’s perception of their quality of life at work, even if it can exacerbate risks at work. This preliminary study explores fishermen’s perceptions of their quality of work life through 3 measures: job satisfaction (JS), work-life balance (WLB) (based on 4 dimensions), and organizational commitment (OC) (based on 3 components). From the responses of 30 French fishermen, we observe that they are generally satisfied with their work (JS) and that they are supportive of their organization (OC). The expression of a negative effect of work on private life cannot be confirmed (WLB). Correlation analysis shows that there is no statistical association between the 3 measurements, invalidating our hypothesis. Positive “intra-scale” correlations are found between the 2 positive dimensions of the WLB and between the 3 components of the OC. These results are discussed considering the literature.

Introduction

As indicated in the maritime work accident report (Rapport des accidents de travail maritime, 2021): “the occurrence of work accidents remains high in the fishing sector with a frequency index of 47,5 MWA¹1Maritime Work Accident. per 1000 sailors” (own translation, p. 13). The maritime sector is the most accident-prone in France, with a mortality rate in 2021 only for the fishing sector, of 12.09 per 10,000 sailors (in comparison, for all sectors of activity in France, the rate is 0.33 per 10,000 employees) (Rapport des accidents de travail maritime, 2021). Among accidents in the professional fishing sector, 66% occur at sea (Bureau d’enquêtes sur les évènements de Mer (BEAmer) [Office of investigation into maritime events], 2023). Although we note an improvement in the prevention of occupational risks for most sectors of maritime activity, this is not the case for fishing (Rapport des accidents de travail maritime, 2021). In 2021, the number of fatal MWA increased sharply with 13 fatal accidents in the fishing sector. Sailors are the subject of a particular accidentology with the main causes of fatal accidents being falling overboard and shipwrecks. However, studies on the perception of quality of work life concerning this population need to be developed. Concerning accidentology in the ground sector, the studies showed—the links between the environment, work characteristics and accidents (e.g., García-Herreroet al., 2012; Kirschenbaumet al., 2000), and -how certain conditions of working environment can affect the health (Faragheret al., 2005). To study quality of work life, certain concepts are widely used such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, and organizational commitment (e.g., Bhendeet al., 2020; Daud, 2010; Elisaveta, 2006; Faridet al., 2015; Kermansaraviet al., 2014).

The interest toward the concept of job satisfaction or work feeling is not new (Hoppock, 1935; Kornhauser, 1930, cited by Wright, 2006). This concept has been operationalized differently (Judgeet al., 2001), with most research defining it as a positive effect and attitude toward work (Locke, 1969, 1976). Different theoretical models have allowed the development of a more complete definition of job satisfaction, characterizing it as a multidimensional construct (Shouksmithet al., 1990; Weiss, 2002). There are two approaches to assessing job satisfaction. A first global approach, considering job satisfaction as a general feeling (Judgeet al., 2012). A second approach by facet, referring to the evaluation of different aspects of work (e.g., Scarpello & Campbell, 1983; Spector, 1997; Weiss, 2002).

According to Lockwood and Society for Human Resource Management (U.S.) (2003, p. 2.), the concept of work-life balance “…is rising to the top of many employers’ and employees’ consciousness” and “…interestingly, work/life programs existed as early as the 1930s.” The human being is located at the intersection of interacting environmental systems (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). He or she oscillates between two roles: the one he (or she) plays at work and the one he (or she) plays within his family circle. The incompatibility of personal and professional demands would generate role conflicts (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985). Conflicts between the two spheres have consequences on the health of individuals (Fonteet al., 2022).

Organizational commitment is defined as the link that unites an individual to their organization (Mathieu & Zajac, 1990). Porteret al. (1974) established three factors characterizing commitment. Firstly, the employee’s adherence to the values and goals of the organization. Secondly, the desire to make efforts in favor of the organization and thirdly a strong desire to stay there. Their work led to the creation of the OCQ (Organizational Commitment Questionnaire). This conceptualization was the basis of the most used model: the three-dimensional model of Meyer and Allen (1991), integrating attitudinal and behavioral commitments. They distinguish three main dimensions in organizational commitment: affective, continuance and normative. These three dimensions are complementary and can coexist in an individual to different degrees.

Fishermen’s mobility depends on the tides, which sometimes results in reduced rest times. This profession is marked by constant mobility and atypical working conditions, such as the pace of work or climatic conditions, which expose them to occupational hazards (Lawrieet al., 2004; Percinet al., 2012). Atypical and often intense working hours can cause imbalances with their family or social life (Dhanabhakyam & Sarath, 2023). However, this profession is marked by a strong cultural identity, with transmission from father to son in the past (Clouette, 2021), less marked today. Testimonies from fishermen speak of their passion for their trade (e.g., Churchill, 2023²2 https://coastalreview.org/2023/12/for-dave-rohde-a-passion-for-fishing-was-also-a-lifesaver/. ).

The aim of this preliminary study is to analyze fishermen’s perception of their quality of life at work, based on three concepts: job satisfaction, work-family balance, and organizational commitment. Considering the particularity of the profession and its diversity in the world (e.g., Antriyandartiet al., 2023; Pollnacet al., 2012), we formulate the following hypotheses:

1. H1 Fishermen are overall satisfied with their work.

2. H2 In the work-life balance, fishermen will express negative effects of working life on private life (WLB1).

3. H3 Fishermen express organizational commitment.

4. H3.1 The highest score will be that of affective commitment.

5. H4 There will be correlations between the 3 measures.

Materials and Methods

Ethical Statement

In relation to the ethical and deontological aspects of research, the first page of the questionnaire integrated a section informing the participants of the objectives of the study, guaranteeing confidentiality and anonymity, and reminding the reader of their right to withdraw from the study at any time. All participants signed a free and informed consent.

Sample

The sample was constituted by contacting several Regional Committees in France for Maritime Fisheries and Marine Farming. The sample is composed of 30 men and women fishermen. Among them, 93% are men (N = 28) and 7% are women (N = 2). Furthermore, 17% (N = 5) are between 18 and 25 years old, 37% (N = 11) belong to the 25–35 age group, 13% (N = 4) to the 35–45 age group, 23% (N = 7) to the 45–55 age group and 10% (N = 3) are 55 years old and over.

Tool

The online questionnaire included a section designed to collect socio-demographic characteristics, then respondents filled in the job satisfaction questionnaire, the work-life balance scale and, finally, the organizational commitment questionnaire.

Job Satisfaction Questionnaire

In this study, we chose to evaluate job satisfaction through different facets, considering external (such as work pace) and internal factors (such as stress). We have created a scale inspired by the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (Weisset al., 1967), assessing environmental, social, and organizational aspects. The questionnaire is comprised of 10 items: work pace, working times, break times, autonomy, relationships with colleagues, weather conditions, fatigue, stress, work-life balance, remuneration. The evaluation of the items is based on a Likert scale from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied).

Scale on the “Private Life-Work Life”

To study the balance between private and professional life we used the Survey Work–Home Interaction-Nijmegen (SWING) scale proposed by Geurts (2000), translated, and validated in French (Lourel & Guegen, 2005). It is made up of 22 items divided into 4 dimensions. The first assesses the negative effects of work life on private life using eight items (e.g., “you find it difficult to fulfill your family obligations because you are always thinking about your work”). The second focuses on the negative effects of private life on professional life using 4 items (e.g., “you don’t want to work because of problems with your spouse/family/friends”). The third measures the positive effects of work life on private life with five items (e.g., “you manage your time more effectively at home thanks to the way you work”). The last presents the positive effects of private life on life at work through five items (e.g., “After spending a pleasant weekend with your spouse/family/friends, you feel more fulfilled in your work”). Each item is measured on a scale ranging from 0 (never) to 3 (always).

Organizational Commitment Questionnaire

We used the organizational commitment questionnaire by Meyeret al. (1993) translated and adapted into French by Durrieu and Roussel (2002). The instrument includes 18 items, divided equally into three dimensions: affective (e.g., “I really feel the problems in my work as if they were my own”), continuance (e.g., “It would be very difficult for me to leave my job now, even if I wanted to”) and normative (e.g., “I would feel guilty if I left my job now”). The rating is based on a measure ranging from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 5 (Strongly agree).

Results

Socio-Demographic Characteristics

In our sample, 37% (N=11) come from the “Normandie” (Northern France), 33% (N=10) from the “Bretagne” (Far west of France), 17% (N=5) from the “Pays de la Loire” (Western France), 7% (N=2) from the “Hauts de France” (Northern France) and 7% (N=2) from the “Nouvelle Aquitaine” (Southwest). In the sample, 40% (N=12) are sailors, 47% (N=14) are bosses, 3% (N=1) have just retired, and 10% are second captains (N=3). Fourteen fishermen have been practicing for less than 10 years (47%), 6 (20%) have between 10 and 20 years of experience (20%) and 10 (34%), more than 20 years. Regarding accident variables, 73% (N=22) of our sample have already witnessed an accident. In addition, 67% (N=20) had injuries at work, for example: “knife in the leg”, “fishhook in the hand”, “broken wrist” or “metal shard in the eye”. Among our sample, 50% (N=15) have already been the victim of a work accident, the reasons for the accident being “weather conditions” such as “storm”, “fall in bad weather”, or even “ significant fatigue” leading to “a fall down the stairs”. Concerning work stoppages, 70% (N=21) have already experienced this situation.

Measurements of Quality of Work Life: Descriptive Statistics

Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (JS)

The questionnaire has good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.94). The overall average, including the 10 items, is: 3.180 (SD = 0.998). The descriptive analysis item by item shows that the average scores vary from 2,633 (work-life balance) to 3,833 (autonomy) (Table I).

Table I. Job Satisfaction Questionnaire: Mean Scores and SD of the 10 Items 1 (Very Dissatisfied)/5 (Very Satisfied)

Item	Mean scores (SD)
Work pace	3.500 (1.167)
Working times	3.500 (1.167)
Break times	3.133 (1.224)
Autonomy	3.833 (1.510)
Relationships with colleagues	3.700 (1.418)
Weather conditions	2.800 (1.095)
Fatigue	3.000 (1.083)
Stress	2.667 (1.184)
Work-life balance	2.633 (1.189)
Remuneration	3.033 (1.351)

Work-Life Balance (WLB)

The overall averages by dimension range from 0.358 (WLB2) to 1.314 (WLB1) (Table II).

Table II. Work-Life Balance (WLB) Dimensions Means and SD (0 (Never) to 3 (Always))

Dimension	Mean scores (and SD)
WLB1: Negative effects of work life on private life (8 items)	1.314 (0.689)
WLB2: Negative effects of private life on work life (4 items)	0.358 (0.494)
WLB3: Positive effects of work life on private life (5 items)	1.280 (0.782)
WLB4: Positive effects of private life on life at work (5 items)	1.147 (0.825)

Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OC)

The overall averages by dimension range from 3.162 (OCA) to 3.566 (OCN) (Table III).

Table III. Organizational Commitment (OC): Means and SD 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree)

Dimensions	Mean scores (and SD)
OCA: Affective commitment (AC) (6 items)	3.162 (0.622)
OCC: Continuance commitment (CC) (6 items)	3.254 (0.818)
OCN: Normative commitment (NC) (6 items)	3.566 (0.695)

Measurements of Quality of Work Life: Correlation Analysis

A Pearson correlation analysis was carried out between the 8 global variables of the study: the 4 dimensions of work-life balance (WLB1, WLB2, WLB3, WLB4); the 3 dimensions of organizational commitment (OCA, OCC, OCN) and Job satisfaction (SAT). There were 3 significant correlations: WLB3 vs. WLB4; OCA vs. OCC; OCA vs. OCN (Table IV).

Table IV. Matrice of Correlation (Pearson) Between the 8 Variables

Var	WLB1	WLB2	WLB3	WLB4	OCA	OCC	OCN	SAT
WLB1	1	0,492	0,155	0,073	−0,008	0,237	0,188	0,053
WLB2	0,492	1	0,079	0,201	0,100	0,238	−0,029	0,327
WLB3	0,155	0,079	1	0,637 a	−0,134	−0,082	0,249	0,097
WLB4	0,073	0,201	0,637 a	1	−0,149	0,108	0,108	0,257
OCA	−0,008	0,100	−0,134	−0,149	1	0,640 a	0,563 a	0,133
OCC	0,237	0,238	−0,082	0,108	0,640 a	1	0,490	0,270
OCN	0,188	−0,029	0,249	0,108	0,563 a	0,490	1	0,225
SAT	−0,053	−0,327	−0,097	−0,257	−0,133	−0,270	0,225	1

Discussion

We hypothesized that fishermen would generally be satisfied with their work (JS, H1). This hypothesis is validated. Indeed, the descriptive analyses showed that the average satisfaction is 3.2 out of 5 (very satisfied). However, if the higher items are “autonomy” (3.83) and “relationships with colleagues” (3.70), the lower are “work-life balance” (2.63) and “stress” (2.66). This confirms the results of previous research, showing, despite difficult working conditions, professional satisfaction among fisherman (Pollnac & Poggie, 2008). Moreover, Pollnacet al. (2012) showed in several countries and geographical regions, significant variations. Autonomy and relationships are part of the five core social motives (Fiske, 2003; Desgré & Gaymard, 2024). Individuals are motivated to perceive that they can influence their world (Deci & Ryan, 2000; Fiske, 2004). In other part, belonging motivation reflects the desire of individuals to be accepted by others and to maintain good interpersonal relationships. It is interesting to note the share of internal (or intrinsic) factors for the highest punctuations and for the lowest punctuations. If the status of the “work-life balance” item in the Job satisfaction questionnaire allows us partially to validate hypothesis 2, the use of the WLB scale does not allow this validation. As a reminder, in hypothesis 2 (WLB) we assumed that fishermen would express the negative effects of professional life on private life (WLB1). This assumption was based on difficult working conditions and atypical hours and their possible impacts on private life (Dhanabhakyam & Sarath, 2023). We cannot confirm this hypothesis because if we take the punctuations of the scale, we obtain a score of 1.314, which is below the average. However, this dimension is the one which obtains the highest score. The score for the negative impact of private life on professional life is much lower (WLB2 = 0.358), indicating a lower impact of private life on professional life. The other 2 dimensions, which lead to the positive effects of work or private life, do not provide us with more information. Thus, this measure does not seem relevant to our population of fishermen. The third hypothesis was that fishermen would express their organizational commitment. This hypothesis is validated because the punctuations of the 3 dimensions are beyond 3. On the other hand, sub-hypothesis 3.1 is not validated since the highest punctuation does not concern the affective commitment (OCA = 3.162) but the normative commitment (OCN = 3.566).

Normative commitment is defined as the set of normative pressures internalized with the aim of acting in the interest of the organization. It corresponds to a feeling of obligation on the part of the individual to stay in the job. If we thought the affective dimension was more important due to attachment to the profession, the importance of the normative dimension can also be explained. The individual feels responsible towards the organization, and it must out of loyalty to stay there. This dimension concerns a feeling of duty, considering sometimes that the organization brings more than what the worker does (Allen & Meyer, 1990). The fishermen in the sample have a high level of affective, continuance and normative commitment confirming that there are united to their organization. This measure of organizational commitment appears relevant in the context of the study of fishermen. We had thought that there would be correlations between the 3 concepts, but this hypothesis was not validated (H4). In the literature concerning the ground sector, several studies highlight the links between these different concepts. For example, Faridet al. (2015) showed a high significant relationship between quality of work life and organizational commitment. Other studies showed the links between job satisfaction and the private sphere (e.g., Ernst Kossek & Ozeki, 1998; Saltzsteinet al., 2001). Other studies defended the links between work-life balance and organizational commitment (e.g., Lourel & Guegen, 2005). In the maritime context, we do not observe any links between these variables. On the other hand, positive correlations were found between dimensions 3 and 4 of the WLB (measurement of the positive aspects of work on private life and of private life on work); and between the 3 components of organizational commitment.

Conclusions

The aim of this work was to deepen knowledge on factors of job satisfaction, the effects of the professional interface in relation to private life and to determine the organizational commitment of French fishermen. To summarize, it appears from this study that fishermen express satisfaction with their work and a strong feeling of responsibility towards the mission of the organization (Organizational commitment). The measurement of the professional-private life interface (Work-life balance) does not appear to be discriminatory in this sample. This study being exploratory, the limitations lie in the sample (size and diversity of it). This study enrich however literature, since of the paucity of psychosocial studies about quality of work life among fishermen.