This is the place to see and be seen – HR’s annual voyage on board The
Aurora.
The great and the good captured for three days on the luxury liner for
Richmond Event’s yearly clash of knowledge and egos at the HR Forum.
The line-up at Southampton docks included some real stunners – cars, of
course. Gleaming Porsches competed with the latest Jaguars for attention. If
you didn’t know better, you might think HR directors were overpaid.
"You’ve got to be kidding," said one about to board the boat – sorry,
ship.
Then we set sail, cruising towards the Channel Islands, bearing 800 chiefs
of the trade.
What would happen, mused the Personnel Today team, donning their lifejackets
during the obligatory drill, if the whole ship sank along with everyone on
board? Would HR die along with its captains of industry? Had our leaders put
their successors in place? "I’ve got mine with me," admitted a few.
Hands up those who practice what they preach.
Moreover, if the ship went down, would productivity go up? "It could
do," according to one senior director.
Speed networking kicked off the first night. Delegates were allowed three
minutes to sell themselves to one another in a version of the latest dating
craze.
The drink flowed amid accusations that delegates were selling themselves to
each other in a wholly different way. The Aurora is called the ‘love boat’ for
reasons Personnel Today doesn’t quite grasp.
Among the crowd emerged a lone trade unionist. Rory Murphy loomed large in
the form of general secretary of the financial union, Unifi. Murphy was gutted
that no other unionists had made themselves available to debate the benefits of
working with the trade unions.
Personnel Today believes it was telling that Unifi was the only union to
return organisers’ calls to address this event.
They should have been made to walk the plank. Ha-harrrr me hearties.
By Personnel Today team
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