'Dragon p*rn' | Employee unfairly dismissed after boss read WhatsApp messages about 'steamy' audiobook

A finance administrator was constructively unfairly dismissed after her employer accessed her private WhatsApp messages, including references to a “steamy” audiobook, which were then used during disciplinary proceedings, an employment tribunal has ruled.

The tribunal found Ms K L Coleman resigned from Thermoelectric Conversion Systems in June 2025 following a breakdown in trust and confidence after managers read extensive personal conversations stored on her work computer and refused to allow her chosen trade union companion to participate properly in a disciplinary hearing.