By silicon.com, 12 February 2004 17:55
NEWS 12.02.99: Email is becoming an increasingly important part of the Valentine Day ritual, according to a study from UK secretarial agency Office Angels.
The research found that nearly three-quarters of office workers engage in email flirting. One in four are flirting with colleagues. Eighty per cent would be happy to send their Valentines over the net.
But Nick Lockett, lawyer at UK firm Sidley & Austin, warned that unwanted inter-office messages could land the sender in a sexual harassment suit.
He cited an example where emails aided a woman in a lawsuit against her co-worker. "At first glance, the email looks like flirting," said Lockett. "But the flirting was all one way. You see her responses and realise she's telling this person, 'Please stop this. It's not appropriate.'"
12.02.04: Valentine's is a particularly trying time for two groups within society - singletons and IT managers (who may or may no be one and the same depending on whether you buy into the stereotypes).
Networks become overrun with saucy emails, flirty IMs and a whole wealth of Valentine's themed spam - from online florists to the ever-present generic viagra sellers hoping to spice up (or pep up) somebody's Valentine.
Systems start to struggle and with so much romance in the air vigilance goes out the window, people start clicking on random attachments and all manner of virus related hell can break out.
So it is really worth all the hassle? For more on the Online Valentine read the latest Will's Web Watch on this thorny issue.
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