The end of March saw the great and the good of public sector HR descend to Brighton for the annual conference of the Society of Personnel Officers in Government Services, known in polite circles as Socpo.
Now the big news at conference was that Socpo has changed its name to the Public Sector People Managers’ Association (PPMA), with Guru pin-up Angela O’Connor as its new president. But Guru had eyes and ears at the conference, and can exclusively bring you the real news of the week.
As someone who taught the Daily Mirror’s 3am Girls everything they know, Guru is not embarrassed to steal back their ‘Wicked Whispers’ tag line to ask the questions that mattered on the south coast:
Which high-profile HR director was startled when a leading industry figure burst into his hotel room at the Hilton Metropole, insisting that he had booked the room?
Which member of the press pack was found dribbling into his take-away at 4.15am on Thursday, having discovered Brighton’s 24-hour chippy?
Which delegate was enjoying breakfast in the Metropole on Friday morning still wearing her ballgown and tiara?
Due to the UK’s draconian libel laws, Guru is unable to bring you details of what else went on behind closed doors after hours but, safe to say, the perception that the public sector is ‘boring’ was most certainly proved wrong.
