An advertising copywriter from New Zealand put a positive spin on a redundancy meeting with his bosses by hiring a clown to join him.
When Josh Thompson met with the human resources team at FCB New Zealand and was laid off, a clown sat next to him the whole time to offer 'support', which even included creating balloon animals.
Under New Zealand's employment rules, employers are legally obliged to allow anyone attending serious meetings to have another person present, particularly if the person's future with the organisation is up for discussion.
When Thompson was called into the meeting, he had a good idea that the game was up. His company - where he'd worked for five months - had lost a significant client. That meant that jobs were on the line.
Where others would have moped and cursed their luck, Thompson - who is a stand-up comedian in his spare time - saw an opportunity for a gag.
He hired a clown called Joe to come along with him.
Joe isn't just any clown, either. In fact, he cost A$200 (£100) to hire, which is quite a lot for a couple of balloon animals.
Josh told the BBC: "I was working - because I had a job back then - and I got an email and the email said: 'Hi Josh we'd like to meet with you to discuss some matters in regards to your role'.
"Basically I sensed that this was going to be a redundancy, so I thought I might as well try to make the best out of this situation."
That's exactly what he did.
Joe sat there and fiddled about with balloons, although at one point it became too loud to hear so he was asked to stop, and even reacted accordingly when the verdict was delivered.
Joe continued: "He nodded his head along when I received the bad news as if he was also receiving the bad news.
"Professionalism at its finest, really."
Despite receiving the bad news that he'd been sacked, the experience has now become a positive one for Josh.
He added: "If you've got family, friends, step mums, step dads, step kids, bring them by all means.
"But if there's a clown available, especially Joe, I'd definitely recommend it."
There you have it. Getting fired doesn't have to be a terrible live event. It can also be a bizarre and unusual one, too.
But, don't feel too bad for Josh. He's since found work for an Aussie ad company called DDB. He starts next week.
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As for Joe, let's hope this is a new and lucrative side of his business.
Featured Image Credit: Josh ThompsonTopics: Inspirational, Funny, Interesting, Weird