I feel a bit sorry for the former head of HR at BUPA. She got the context of the event wrong. This story is from the AFR and I have included a comment.
Ice-breaker games in corporate settings are usually harmless bordering on the inane. What’s your favourite movie? How do you spend your spare time? Blah blah blah…
At Bupa’s town hall recently, executives were included in an ice-breaker game. The story goes that the question was about “superpowers” and what were some held by those on stage.
The health insurance giant’s relatively new head of human resources, Rebecca Donaldson, gave an answer that stunned the attendees.
She said she was prone to add a few things at the self-checkout that she doesn’t end up paying for.
There were a few awkward titters. Did they hear that right?
But did the head of HR for the country’s second-largest private health insurer really just admit to “micro-looting”?
“Personally”, Malcolm King said, “this is exactly the quality needed to climb the corporate ladder.”
Donaldson joined Bupa from Ramsay Health Care in January after stints with Qantas and the ABC.
Last week, Bupa announced that she had resigned.
A Bupa spokeswoman said the remarks were “unacceptable and inconsistent with Bupa’s values and of the high standards we expect from our leaders”.
“The executive has apologised directly to colleagues who attended the conference.”
Bupa APAC CEO Nick Stone thanked Ms Donaldson for her contribution to Bupa.
“During her time with us, Bec brought clear focus and energy to employee engagement, talent development, succession planning, and global mobility.
She’s also been a strong advocate for diversity, inclusion, and belonging, including initiatives for our First Nations team members,” Mr Stone said.
“We have a talented People team and strong momentum to sustain this important work with a focus on building a high-performing culture.”