HR on 'The Ice': in the extreme conditions of Antarctica, there is no place for weak HR practices

HR Magazine, June, 2004 by Ann Pomeroy

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Hoffman hosts a talk radio show that is broadcast to the McMurdo community (the station's signal only covers a two-mile area). He gets plenty of callers, and they can go on the air if they choose. "People don't talk about work," he says, "they talk about relationships."

Despite the cold environs, employee relationships sometimes warm up significantly, says Clarissa Weir, SPHR, who heads the HR department at McMurdo during the winter season. It's common for employees to develop "ice relationships" while working in Antarctica, says Weir. "Some people manage to be discreet, but often those around them know about the relationship."

So-called "ice marriages" usually end in "tarmac divorces," says Weir. "When the plane touches down on the tarmac in Christchurch, New Zealand, the relationship is over."

ANN POMEROY IS SENIOR WRITER FOR HR Magazine.