Aviva mistakenly fires 1,300 employees by e-mail

Aviva Investors, the insurer's asset management arm, accidentally fired more than 1,000 employees Credit: Reuters

More than 1,300 employees at Aviva Investors were mistakenly sent an e-mail telling them they had been sacked, the company said.

The e-mail, which was intended for one employee, told staff to hand over all company property, including security passes, on their way of the building.

The Daily Telegraph obtained a copy of the message which read:

Paul Lockstone, a spokesman for the London based insurer, told Bloomberg:

Mr Lockstone added that the Human Resources department issues an apology "fairly quickly" after the message was sent.