Good morning, afternoon, evening,
Since writing last week I suspect many will feel they have lived a lifetime given the way days blend one to the next when working from home. Personally I find it at least as tiring as being in the office … there should be a new phrase for that: ‘isolation fatigue’ perhaps?
Clearly the big news this week is the extension of the suspension of voyages until at least 15 May. Thank you to all those orchestrating the communications – it has been a massive effort. We’re still working out when to bring the ships back into service. It’s likely to be on a phased basis and will depend on how COVID-19 develops around the world, on when countries start to relax borders, on when ports might open again, etc. Right now, all of that is incredibly hard to predict. We are starting to make some guesses so we can plan ahead and I’ll keep everyone updated as our thinking develops.
The big news at the end of last week was that Queen Victoria arrived safely in Southampton, completing her voyage around South America. All Guests are off and safely home. I’ve received some delightful letters from appreciative Guests, telling of the wonderful care the ship’s company has given them. Everyone should feel proud!
We had a scare on Queen Mary 2 earlier this week when we thought a Guest might have COVID-19. The onboard team did an incredible job, under exceptionally stressful circumstances, to isolate all Guests as well as all but essential crew and to move to a completely new way of working within just an hour or two of being alerted there might be a case. Thankfully re-examination of the test was quickly undertaken and the results came back negative – phew. Thank you to all the officers and crew on QM2 – you really have been through the mill since the end of January and especially in the last couple of weeks.
Queen Elizabeth continues to be anchored off the coast of Australia and, from what I can see, Captain Inger Thorhauge has everyone hard at work getting the ship into great condition for when she returns to service.
We held our first virtual meeting of the Employee Experience Group – a great way for me and the Cunard Senior Leadership team (SLT) to understand how everyone is getting on with working from home in the UK. Two big things came out for me. First the challenges for parents, especially single parents, who not only have to look after their kids 24/7 but home-school them too. We’re doing some serious thinking around this now. The other piece of feedback was that some people might not be getting enough contact with colleagues during this period and that can be hard when one is used to the work environment. Please do have regular meetings with your teams/colleagues – and do check in with one another from time to time.
Starting this week, for the Carnival House folks and the Hamburg office, the SLT will host a 30 minute ‘check-in’ meeting. We’re going to see if Zoom can handle the 150 that might join. It will be a bit like a ‘floor walk’ – with a few updates but a focus on Q&A, which we’ll be able to field through Zoom’s chat functionality. The invitation will go out shortly. If it works well then we’ll schedule it weekly and I’ve provisionally asked Josh W to join next week.
I hope you are all continuing to look after yourselves. I noted that wine sales are on the ‘up’ in the UK; as Pasteur said, ‘c’est le most healthy and hygienic of beverages’ … but all things in moderation (that’s more of a mental note to self!).
Take care of yourselves and very safest of travels for all those on QM2.
Simon Palethorpe,
President, Cunard
Read all of Simon’s updates here