E-mail harassment by colleagues costs employer £10,000

The Equal Opportunities Commission, which supported the woman in her action, this week warned employers to make employees aware of the dangers of e-mail abuse.

The sales support administrator and personal assistant for Holden Meehan Independent Financial Advisers, who wishes to remain anonymous, discovered the e-mails inadvertently after being given access to a colleague's inbox while he was on extended leave.

She made a formal complaint, which she felt was not treated seriously. Eventually she felt she had no choice but to resign.

The woman said:

"I was really shocked and upset when I came across a series of unpleasant e-mails about me. When my complaint didn't seem to be taken seriously I lost confidence in my employer and felt I couldn't carry on working for Holden Meehan."

She said she was ostracised by her colleagues after she made the complaint. When she informed the office manager that she was being victimised she was told to "imagine how the others feel, some of them are losing their jobs."

In fact, according to a report on the BBC, all those involved in sending the e-mails have now lost their jobs.

The EOC said that the dangers of misusing e-mail were well known. Julie Mellor, Chair of the EOC warned:

"All employers should make their staff aware that sexual harassment can take many forms and can be deeply distressing for the person on the receiving end. The fact that comments are made by e-mail doesn't mean they should be treated any less seriously than if they were spoken or written down. This needs to be made clear in harassment and IT policies."