How long do you think before AIB realizes how comically they handled the whole #metoo situation?
The CEO has already stepped down and the AIB has written a letter talking about the uncertainty of their future. I thought the hierarchy in any organization works at making the environment safe for everybody, not burn down the house because one of the pillars turned out to be flawed. Seriously, to close down a company because of one or two people is not a great advertisement for scale-ability or sustainability of their circus.
Organizations have a responsibility towards everybody who is connected to it directly or indirectly. They have a responsibility to make it safe for everyone and not hand-pick a few and say they are ‘bigger than the company’. Sure, the CEO bungled but doesn’t AIB have other people (Departments) that can manage the crisis better.
More importantly, this was a fantastic opportunity for AIB to stand up and say that their jokes aside, they are very serious about the business of comedy. They could have turned to creating awareness, and educating people about sexual harassment. With all their access, they could have definitely turned things around and used the incident itself as an example of everything that is wrong with sexual harassment and steps they have taken to address it the right way. They could have been an advocate for all to follow, a voice in the darkness for people who have undergone the trauma of sexual bullying. Except, they didn’t. And that’s the story.
Trouble is, in that one single moment, with that one single letter; they proved that more than comedians, they were just a bunch of jokers. And, nobody is laughing.
Samir Limbu is Co-Founder and Managing Director of I Train Consultants
