What about managing up? Meaning effectively communicating with higher-ups to align objectives.
If there’s an issue with managers in the office not understanding and not responding appropriately to shipboard problems isn’t that the best or only alternative to leaving for another company?
Not saying it’s a cure-all but seems like, at the margin, that’s going to be the best alternative available.
The best way I can describe it is where once there were peers, now there are those ashore and those afloat with a literal and figurative gulf between them. By this I mostly mean in the senior officer ranks and senior management ranks. The commonality and cohesiveness has evaporated and you are being given questionable directives, thinly veiled threats, and clear evidence that money is being saved by not putting it back into the vessel.
Before I get pounced on, yes I know this has been the case in many places for many years. It has just finally made its way to me personally and really hit home in the past few years. You feel like less of an asset and more of a pain in their ass, but you are doing the job the same way you always have. Not a great situation.