Employees from a British railway company were insulted by the outrageous stunt of their management. Most employees failed a cyber-security test, thus posing a threat to a smooth company operation. Besides, the staff wants to seek damages for the moral harm.
West Midlands Trains (WMT) decided to check their staff for vigilance. Almost 2,500 employees received an email telling them about a financial reward for their hard work during the COVID pandemic and inviting them to click on a link for details. As soon as people opened the link, the company sent a second email explaining that "this was a test designed by our IT team". This way, the management wanted to find out how credulous the employees could be in the face of a cyber threat caused by hackers who perked up during the pandemic.
Hurt by the “cynical and shocking stunt”, the staff filed a complaint with the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) union. Manuel Cortes, the union's general secretary, said: "Our members have made real sacrifices these past 12 months and more. … The company must now account for their totally crass and reprehensible behavior … and stump up a bonus to each and every worker. In that way the company can begin to right a wrong which has needlessly caused so much hurt."