Work 'Investigation'

Gemma_Babe

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Savvy_Sue

I believe she needs to ask if this is part of a formal disciplinary procedure, or just an investigation. If they are still investigating, then this behaviour might be reasonable, but once they have investigated then she has the right to know exactly what is alleged before attending a disciplinary hearing.

Also if it's a disciplinary hearing, she has the right to have a colleague or TU rep with her, and she should be told this beforehand.

If her actions on her mobile phone were liable to reflect badly on the company, then it would be foolish to say it's none of their business.

Gemma_Babe

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inmypocketnottheirs

You do not have a chance with libel and the police. Libel is a civil matter and not a criminal offence. In fact libel action is so expensive it is not covered by legal aid. Remember the Neil Hamilton and Mohammed Al Fayed case? Hamilton was bankrupted!

Your friend should just worry about minimising collateral damage and keeping her job.

Zazen999

Gemma_Babe wrote: »

My friend also did something silly, but not illegal or particularly serious via the internet (using her home internet connection) which she accessed with her work laptop (while on maternity leave) and also once with her work blackberry.

How silly are we talking here? Bidding on ebay? emailing someone a 'funny' email?

Can you say without giving the specifics?

Gemma_Babe

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Zazen999

Gemma_Babe wrote: »

She entered their email on a website causing the site to generate a small number (<10, over a period of months) of spam type emails the their address. This was in response to them doing the same thing to her though (although they won't admit it).

The libellous email is making direct accusations of hacking accounts and stuff though.

Was it done deliberately to generate those emails; or was it for another reason [from your second sentence it seems like it was a genuine attempt to get back at them]?

Gemma_Babe

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Zazen999

Gemma_Babe wrote: »

Yes it was done purely to generate those emails. There was no intention to cause harm or intercept the emails in any way.

What did she think that would achieve?
How would that get back at the company?
Who in the company would put HER email address in to generate spam emails, and why would they do that?
How did the ex-friend find out about it?

Gemma_Babe

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Zazen999

Gemma_Babe wrote: »

Sorry I must not have explained properly. Her ex friend had been putting my friends email address into this web site to generate emails to my friend, so my friend put her ex friends email address into this web site to generate emails back to her.

The only way my friends employer is involved is that this was done in part on a company laptop, however outside of work hours + on my friends home internet connection.

You didn't explain that!!! When you said 'they' I thought you were referring to the company, not the ex-friend.

Were they both work email addresses or not?

Has she any proof that the ex-friend has done this?

Sorry to be pedantic - just trying to work out whether she should panic or not!