The insurance company said the email was just supposed to be sent to one person
Imagine receiving an email saying you were fired and then realizing all of your coworkers received the same message.
This is what happened to Aviva Investors workers after a human resources worker accidentally sent out an email laying off all 1,300 staff on Friday. The message was supposed to go to only one worker who was leaving, but mistakenly went to all, reports the Daily Mail.
"I would like to take the opportunity to thank you and wish you all the best for the future," read the email. It was a standard message that is sent to all departing employees reminding them to hand in company equipment and not break confidentiality agreements after walking out the door.
Employees who were wrongly sent the email only had to think they were fired for about 25 minutes as long as they continued to check their email and didn't smash the computer Office Space-style. That's how long it took bosses to send a second message to staff acknowledging the mistake and apologizing.
"An email which was intended for a member of staff who was leaving today was accidentally sent to all Aviva Investors staff worldwide," said spokesperson Paul Lockstone to the Daily Mail. "People were pretty quickly aware of the fact that this was a mistake...I don't believe any of our staff would have seen it really as anything other than the mistake that is was."
London-based Aviva Investors is the sixth largest insurance group in the world and has staff in Canada. The investment arm manages assets of more than $400 million Canadian. The company has been scaling back its asset-management business as the European debt crisis deepens.
(Reuters photo)