I’m on record as saying when an employee asks for something look for a way to say yes. If you come to me and say you want to bring an emotional support clown to a meeting–any meeting–I will look for a way to say no.
But Human Resources people in New Zealand are nicer than I am. Or perhaps, they were blindsided and were so freaked out they didn’t know how to respond. I don’t know.
Joshua Jack, a New Zealand ad man, received a notification to attend a meeting and said he could bring along an emotional support person. So he did — a clown.
To keep reading, click here: Man Brings Emotional Support Clown to Termination Meeting
Bringing another corporate clown to a redundancy meeting? Why not? The conclusion was foregone, and you might as well enjoy the orchestra music while the Titanic sinks. Besides, everyone needs an advocate in stressful times, and the only sense in which the corporation “has your back” is “backstabbing”.
This is definitely interesting. I’ve never heard of emotional support clowns. Seriously, most clowns are scary. Great article!
They weren’t nicer than you – it’s the law here that anyone can be a support person (including union reps) – from MBIE (our employment ministry) https://www.business.govt.nz/hiring-and-managing/ending-employment/employee-redundancy/. The idea that you couldn’t
Anyway, the guy who brought the clown was Australian so that explains it too 😉
This is absolutely my favorite column. I just love the idea of a support clown.