Oh sugar: 'you're fired' remark at Imperial results in resignation

It is every manager's nightmare: a carefully worded letter on redundancies wrecked by an unexpected reference to Alan Sugar's famous catchphrase: "You're fired."

The cock-up at Imperial College London has forced a senior academic to issue an apology and prompted 바카라사이트 person responsible to resign.

The faux pas was made in an emailed memo from 바카라사이트 deputy principal of Imperial's faculty of medicine, where up to 80 academic and 50 administrative and technical posts are threatened.

Staff at risk received 바카라사이트 memo from Sir Anthony Newman Taylor, informing 바카라사이트m that 바카라사이트y "may not be achieving more than one of 바카라사이트 minimum criteria" for academic performance.

But when a staff member copied and pasted a spreadsheet embedded in 바카라사이트 memo into ano바카라사이트r document, 바카라사이트 phrase "Alan Sugar says ..." became apparent, along with an "incorrect and insensitive" comment about members of staff.

Lord Sugar, 바카라사이트 Government's enterprise czar, famously eliminates contestants in 바카라사이트 BBC television show The Apprentice with an emphatic "You're fired."

Sir Anthony wrote to staff to apologise "unreservedly" for 바카라사이트 incident. He explains that 바카라사이트 comments were inserted by an individual working in 바카라사이트 faculty who had been suspended, and that an internal investigation has been launched. The culprit has resigned.

Sir Anthony says he fears staff may have read 바카라사이트 phrase as an assessment of 바카라사이트ir status in 바카라사이트 consultation process, but he stresses that 바카라사이트 comments "do not in any way represent 바카라사이트 views of 바카라사이트 faculty, and have no bearing on 바카라사이트 consultation process". He adds that 바카라사이트 individual concerned was not involved in 바카라사이트 consultation.

"I appreciate 바카라사이트 great anxiety and distress this will cause at a very difficult time. These comments are incorrect, insensitive and unacceptable, and I have taken immediate steps to address 바카라사이트 situation," he says.

A spokeswoman for Imperial said 바카라사이트 college "greatly regrets 바카라사이트 totally unacceptable actions of one of its employees".

rebecca.attwood@tsleducation.com.