The 1,300 employees of London-based Aviva Investors had a rude shock when they checked their email on Friday: every single one of them had been fired – unsympathetically, might I add.
The mail, which the HR department intended to send to only one recipient, read as follows:
“I am required to remind you of your contractual obligations to the company you are leaving. You have an obligation to retain any confidential information pertaining to Aviva Investors operations, systems and clients.”
Depending on how one takes it, the final line could be read as consolatory… or as a final officious kick in the teeth:
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and wish you all the best for the future.”
The company’s HR department realized their error some thirty-five minutes after the fact, recalled the mail and sent out a mass apology to all of the employees. There is, as of yet, no word on the fate of the dumbass who clicked “send all”.
