Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Bullying and harassmentEquality, diversity and inclusionLatest NewsRace discriminationSocial media

Estate agent Savills investigates racist tweet

by Adam McCulloch 12 Jul 2021
by Adam McCulloch 12 Jul 2021 England fans gather in central London for the Italy v England Euros final
Shutterstock
England fans gather in central London for the Italy v England Euros final
Shutterstock

Estate agent Savills has launched an investigation after a manager allegedly posted a racist tweet following England’s Euro final defeat to Italy.

The personal account – held by a Savills employee who since been suspended by the firm – also allegedly joked about domestic violence.

Savills has said the employee claimed his Twitter account was taken over by a third party and Greater Manchester Police are investigating.

However, it has been reported that further social media posts associated with the manager posted on a platform called Picofru appear to have racist and misogynistic content.

The employee has deleted his personal Twitter account but screenshots of the comment were circulated on social media platforms with members of the public demanding Savills issue a response.

A spokesperson for Savills said the firm was investigating the Twitter messages.

“Savills abhors and has zero tolerance to any form of racism and racial discrimination and is appalled by the racist comments in these tweets,” the estate agent said.

“Savills is immediately investigating and will take appropriate action.”

Social media

Woman’s transgender views a philosophical belief, EAT rules

How can HR respond if an employee has been trolling someone online?

How to handle controversial employee opinions

‘All views my own’: Monitoring employees’ social media

Prime minister Boris Johnson and the FA are among the many to have condemned so-called England fans who subjected Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho with online abuse after they missed their penalties during Sunday’s match.

Johnson said: “This England team deserve to be lauded as heroes, not racially abused on social media.

“Those responsible for this appalling abuse should be ashamed of themselves.”

However, former England footballer and Sky football commentator Gary Neville implied the prime minister was partly responsible for a climate in which people felt they could abuse footballers on race grounds. “They are poles apart,” he said when asked about Southgate’s leadership compared with the prime minister’s. Johnson, Neville recalled, “said Muslim women looked like letterboxes”.

Conservative MP Natalie Elphicke and Conservative activist Darren Grimes also criticised Rashford, saying the 23-year old should spend more time practising his football skills and less time getting involved in politics. Rashford last year campaigned for poorer children to receive free meals during school holidays.

Elphicke, who made the comment to an internal Conservative MPs’ group a member of which then leaked it, publicly wrote: “Last night I shared the frustration and heartbreak of millions of England fans. The team gave their all. Congratulations and onwards to the World Cup!”

pic.twitter.com/4WRXf1tlia

— Savills (@Savills) July 12, 2021

But to the Conservative group she said “would it be ungenerous to suggest that Rashford should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics”. She has since apologised.

In a statement the FA said: “We could not be clearer that anyone behind such disgusting behaviour is not welcome in following the team.

“We will do all we can to support the players affected while urging the toughest punishments possible for anyone responsible.

“We will continue to do everything we can to stamp discrimination out of the game, but we implore government to act quickly and bring in the appropriate legislation so this abuse has real life consequences.

“Social media companies need to step up and take accountability and action to ban abusers from their platforms, gather evidence that can lead to prosecution and support making their platforms free from this type of abhorrent abuse.”

It has now emerged that the employee is claiming that his Twitter account had been taken over by someone else, which Savills is investigating.

Employers find themselves in a delicate position when it comes to employees’ social media messages. Controversial opinions have seen staff dismissed in recent years even if not in the hate crime category, which racist abuse clearly is.

Beverley Sutherland, a director of Crossland Solicitors, recently told Personnel Today, that employers should have “very clear policies outlining what is and is not acceptable, and ensure that an employee’s opinion is properly characterised”.

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

She added: “If an employee, contrary to this policy, vocalises views which causes offence to others or brings the employer into disrepute, they should be disciplined.”

Latest HR job opportunities on Personnel Today


Browse more human resources jobs

Adam McCulloch

Adam McCulloch first worked for Personnel Today magazine in the early 1990s as a sub editor. He rejoined Personnel Today as a writer in 2017, covering all aspects of HR but with a special interest in diversity, social mobility and industrial relations. He has ventured beyond the HR realm to work as a freelance writer and production editor in sectors including travel (The Guardian), aviation (Flight International), agriculture (Farmers' Weekly), music (Jazzwise), theatre (The Stage) and social work (Community Care). He is also the author of KentWalksNearLondon. Adam first became interested in industrial relations after witnessing an exchange between Arthur Scargill and National Coal Board chairman Ian McGregor in 1984, while working as a temp in facilities at the NCB, carrying extra chairs into a conference room!

previous post
Four in five against four-day week on lower pay
next post
CBI urges self isolation rethink from ministers

You may also like

Black security manager awarded £360k after decade of...

20 May 2025

Contract cleaner loses EAT race discrimination appeal

14 May 2025

Lincolnshire doctor awarded £250k in race discrimination case

2 May 2025

Trump ‘restores’ meritocracy by eroding discrimination protections

25 Apr 2025

West Yorkshire Police denies positive discrimination accusations

10 Apr 2025

Eight new equality laws in the pipeline

10 Apr 2025

Thames Valley Police ‘positive discrimination’ led to ‘divided...

4 Apr 2025

NHS trust took ‘reasonable steps’ to stop racial...

31 Mar 2025

What is the way forward for DEI?

31 Mar 2025

HMRC worker sent birthday card awarded £25k for...

21 Mar 2025

  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • The Majority of Employees Have Their Eyes on Their Next Move PROMOTED | A staggering 65%...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Self-Leadership: The Key to Successful Organisations PROMOTED | Eletive is helping businesses...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+