An Aussie applying for a customer service role at an insurance company was left shocked after the hiring manager opened the interview with a Welcome to Country.
The applicant shared the ‘weird’ experience on Reddit, saying the hiring manager at the Brisbane-based company ‘took it upon himself’ to perform a Welcome to Country at the start of a ‘very small’ group interview with less than five candidates.
‘I wanted to get others’ opinions on this as I thought it was peak Australian corporate culture,’ the candidate wrote.
‘At the time I didn’t give it a second thought but in retrospect it’s pretty weird and unnecessary.
‘I understand companies doing these for big/important meetings with higher-ups, but at a job interview it just felt pointless.’
A candidate for a customer service role at a Brisbane insurance company was left confused after the hiring manager opened the meeting with a Welcome to Country (stock image)
A Welcome to Country can only be delivered by traditional owners or custodians of the land on which the event takes place.
It is usually performed by a local Aboriginal elder to acknowledge and give consent to events taking place on traditional lands.
If a traditional owner is not available to do a Welcome to Country, an Acknowledgement of Country can be delivered instead.
Aussies were quick to share their thoughts, with many agreeing the Welcome to Country had been unnecessary at the job interview.
‘I’d say I’m a pretty progressive guy in terms of Aboriginal rights, don’t mind a Welcome to Country at a formal or sporting event,’ one man wrote.
‘However I think Acknowledgement of Country in the workplace for anybody below the CEO (and even then) is the most cringey load of bull**** of all time.’
‘Cringe. Did he get up and sing the National Anthem too? Stinks of virtue signalling,’ a second commented.
‘Do that s*** and I am walking right back out the door,’ a third said.
‘Interview be damned. I’m not going to work somewhere full of virtue-signalling woke leftist bobble-heads.’
Aunty Joy Murphy Wandin is seen performing a Welcome to Country at the A-League Women Grand Final match between Melbourne and Sydney on May 4
Others shared their own experiences of the Aboriginal ceremony.
‘I went to a function the Labor Party threw for small businesses to meet a number of Federal MPs,’ one person wrote.
‘Not only was there a 20 minute Welcome to Country, literally every speaker spent a few minutes doing an Acknowledgement of Country before speaking.
‘It’s reaching a f****ing bizarre level of performative quasi-religious theatre.’
‘I had a photography award night with my local council EVERY person who spoke acknowledged and welcomed… made me not want to participate again just say it once and move on,’ a second said.
A third shared: ‘My experience has been that any meeting I’ve had that involves HR or similar, will almost always include an Acknowledgement to Country. They seem to take it very seriously, often more so then the ‘purpose’ of the meeting.’