09/03/2025

What to Do if an Employee Accidentally Sends a Graphic Email

Don't let your organization mishandle such an occurrence

A reader asks: A while back, I was working on a matter with a colleague, and he replied to an email I had sent. However, instead of answering my question, he copy/pasted what seemed to be a response to an ad offering adult services for money, which he had intended to send to someone else. There were some things in there that would make even a fairly sexually liberated person a bit uncomfortable reading.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I forwarded it to my boss, the head of the legal department, for advice. She took the matter over from there and alerted our information security department, as well as HR. There was an investigation; it became clear that him copying that text to me was a complete accident. Apparently, he felt terrible and he offered to apologize to me directly, but I declined (I was embarrassed and really just wanted to forget the whole thing).

It was a small company, and the CEO asked me directly what I thought they should do and whether I would feel more comfortable if he was fired. It almost felt like he wanted me to tell him that I couldn't go on working with this guy anymore so that he could justify firing him. However, I said I could get past it and continue working with the guy, and I didn't think he should be fired because it was a mistake.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.