‘Belittling and stressful’ | Legal expert weighs in on 'pandemic bonus email'

Recently, it was claimed that West Midlands Trains emailed around 2,500 staff members with a memo stating that the firm’s Managing Director, Julian Edwards, wanted to thank them for their hard work throughout the pandemic year. It shared that as a thank you for their efforts, they would get a one-off payment after “huge strain was placed upon a large number of our workforce”.

While many employees will likely feel grateful, happy and excited upon receiving such an email, it was short-lived as when staff clicked through to read the thank you note they were reportedly met with a second email explaining that it was a “phishing simulation test” and that there would be no bonus.

“This was a test designed by our IT team to entice you to click the link and used both the promise of thanks and financial reward,” the email informed staff.

Unsurprisingly, the move was met with huge criticism, with Manuel Cortes, leader of the Transport Salaries Staffs’ Association (TSSA), branding it as “cynical and shocking”.