A personal assistant who discovered that nine of her work colleagues had circulated obscene e-mails about her has received £10,000 in compensation.
The woman (37), who does not want to be named, said she was "shocked" by the e-mails, many of which were of a sexual and violent nature, and made a formal complaint to her employers, Holden Meehan Financial Advisers.
She resigned, claiming her complaint was not taken seriously, and prepared to take a case of constructive unfair dismissal and sexual harassment to an employment tribunal. The compensation was agreed before the case was heard.
The woman, who worked as a sales support administrator and personal assistant, said she inadvertently discovered the e-mails after she was given access to a colleague's computer while he was on extended leave.
She claimed she was ostracised by her colleagues after she made her complaint and was told by a manager: "Imagine how the others feel, some of them are losing their jobs".
The implication was that some of those who had written the e-mails were facing the sack because of what they had done.
Ms Julie Mellor, chairwoman of the Equal Opportunities Commission, said: "All employers should make their staff aware that sexual harassment can take many forms."