If you get an email from Aviva telling you to leave the building, ignore it

Cast your mind back to last October, when Aviva - having spent a few years building up its headquarters in Dublin, suddenly announced plans for 950 redundancies in Ireland as it moved its HQ back to the UK. The repercussions of that decision continue to reverberate in the Republic. 200 employees at Aviva Insurance in Knocknacarra have apparently been fearful for their jobs for much of the past year (although they may escape redundancy having been rebranded as a, 'centre of excellence.')

Aviva is restructuring outside Ireland too. Aviva Investors chief executive has stepped down and the company is to operate in fewer countries in future.

In these circumstances, when Aviva Investor's 1,300 staff in London received an email on Friday instructing them to leave the building having handed over all company property and security passes, it seemed quite feasible that they were all losing their jobs.

According to the Telegraph, the email was met with a stunned silence

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank you and wish you all the best for the future,” it added soothingly.

The email was, in fact, a mistake and intended for only one person. Aviva subsequently apologised to all but one of its recipients.