Offensive emails the norm, say ex-BoI staff

HUNDREDS of Bank of Ireland employees were involved in passing around emails which senior bank managers deemed offensive and inappropriate, it was claimed yesterday.

Two former staff, who worked for ICS Building Society — a division of Bank of Ireland — told an Employment Appeals Tribunal many of their team leaders and supervisors also circulated the material.

Sarah Rooney, 26, of Glasthule, Co Dublin, and Sarah Murray, 26, of Ballybrack, Co Dublin, were two of just five junior staff fired in September 2009 following an internal inquiry into the matter.

Both women are taking a claim of unfair dismissal against the bank.

Ms Rooney said she had no doubt that staff in all divisions of the bank were engaged in passing around such emails — a culture which was already in place when she joined in 2005.

She broke down crying at the EAT hearing as she recalled wondering why she had been suspended in early 2009 when her immediate supervisor, who had sent her such emails, was not being investigated.

Ms Rooney, who was “Employee of the Quarter” at the time, said she had tried to explain to her senior manager, Pauline Keogh, that everyone was involved in passing around the emails but that Ms Keogh did not want to know.

Ms Rooney said she would have provided Ms Keogh with a list of other people circulating such material.

She felt devastated when Ms Keogh made the decision to sack her, as others did not suffer the same punishment.

Both women stressed that they made split-second decisions to forward emails which were later deemed offensive.

Under cross-examination by Tom Mallon SC, for Bank of Ireland, Ms Rooney and Ms Murray blamed their immaturity for not realising at the time that circulating the emails was inappropriate.

Both women said small groups of staff would regularly congregate around a desk to look at an email and there was never any attempt to conceal such activity.

Ms Murray said 90% of staff in her division passed on such emails, which were sent to staff in all parts of the Bank of Ireland group.

The EAT heard that the two women studied beauty therapy after failing to find another full-time job. Both said they were not seeking reinstatement because of their experience with the bank.

“I don’t think I would be mentally able to go back,” said Ms Murray. “It has completely destroyed me.”