CIVIC centre officers who sparked uproar by e-mailing a sick joke to a member of the public have today been warned about their actions.A man who e-mailed Ipswich Borough Council over heating problems was stunned to be sent the gag, which makes fun of Alzheimer's disease and AIDS.
CIVIC centre officers who sparked uproar by e-mailing a sick joke to a member of the public have today been warned about their actions.
A man who e-mailed Ipswich Borough Council over heating problems was stunned to be sent the gag, which makes fun of Alzheimer's disease and AIDS.
The e-mail, seen by the Evening Star, records how the joke was bandied around several managers of Ipswich Borough Homes' sheltered housing scheme, who provide daily support to tenants over the age of 60.
From there, it made its way to Civic Centre, the borough council's headquarters, before being sent to the shocked recipient from the address of his local housing officer.
Following the breaking report in the Evening Star last month, Ipswich Borough Council issued a stark reminder of their code of conduct to the staff involved.
A spokesman for Ipswich Borough Council said: "A senior manager has spoken to the staff involved and an e-mail has been sent to all staff reminding them that we have a code of conduct and that this council takes these matters very seriously."
The recipient, who did not wish to be named, said: "I am pleased about that because it seems before that they did not have any control of the workers if they are able to make jokes and laugh at the rules.
"Hopefully these workers won't make these sick jokes again. It knocks your confidence in the council."
The incident came amid reports that one-in-four employers have taken action for "inappropriate" messages.
Around 15 per cent of firms surveyed by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development said their staff had been discovered downloading pornography, with many of those employers taking disciplinary action.
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