Confidentiality, or not disclosing certain information, is important in a wide range of jobs. Show
Confidentiality matters for legal and reputational reasons, and it also matters because your future employment may depend on it. Some information is protected by law in several countries, including personally identifiable information and also ‘trade secrets’. It is therefore important to understand the nature of confidentiality, and how to ensure that you comply with legal or ethical guidelines. What is Confidentiality?Confidentiality means the state of keeping secret or not disclosing information. It comes from confide, meaning to trust someone or tell secrets to them. Confidential information, therefore, is information that should be kept private or secret. Confidentiality is simply the act of keeping that information private. Types of Confidential InformationThere are, broadly speaking, five main types of confidential information. 1. Employee InformationIn the course of the job, you will hear information about individuals within your organisation. Some of this will be unsubstantiated gossip, and some will be information that you have come across in the course of your work, especially if you are a line manager or you work in human resources. Handling Gossip It goes without saying that you should not spread gossip, especially if you do not know if it is true. Even just asking someone else whether they know if it is true that x did y can have huge consequences for x’s reputation. As a general rule, if you would not ask the person concerned, or mention it to their face, don’t mention it behind their back. Get a reputation for integrity, rather than one for gossiping. If you come across private information in the course of your work, including any information that identifies an individual (name, address, maiden name and so on), then you should not disclose it to others. This also applies to information collected at interviews about ethnic background, disabilities and so on. There are legal requirements about keeping that kind of information safe and secure in many countries. If you break those laws, you are likely to be personally liable and potentially face prosecution. 2. Managerial InformationManagerial information includes both information about individuals, such as disciplinary action, and also about broad management actions such as planned redundancies or employee relations issues. Some types of managerial information will become public in due course—such as planned redundancies—and other information may remain confidential for much longer. 3. Organisational InformationOrganisational information is also known as business information or ‘trade secrets’. The definition covers anything not in the public domain that helps the organisation do its work better or more efficiently. It would therefore include, for example, information about industrial processes, budgets, costs, forecasts, and even customer contact information. WARNING! Sometimes organisational information is covered by confidentiality agreements or contracts of employment. If you are tempted to disclose any information of this nature, you should check your contract first and, if necessary, get legal advice. 4. Customer or Contact InformationCustomer and contact information is partially covered by ‘trade secrets’. However, forthcoming changes to data protection law in Europe (and relating to any data held on a citizen of a European Union country) means that it needs to be considered and held differently. If you think this may affect you or your company, you are advised to seek legal advice. 5. Professional InformationSome professionals — including doctors, lawyers and accountants — come across information about individuals or organisations through their professional position. For example:
These professionals are often bound by professional codes of conduct as well as formal legal requirements. Casual vs. Legal ConfidentialityThere is a distinction to be drawn between casual expectations of confidentiality and legal requirements.
Protecting Confidential InformationIf you regularly handle confidential information, you should take steps to ensure that you protect it adequately. These should include, for example:
When to Break Confidentiality There are a number of circumstances when you may and must break confidentiality. You may break confidentiality when:
You must break confidentiality when:
Common Sense and Professional StandardsMuch about confidentiality is either common sense, or covered by professional standards. It follows that you need to protect information that is about an individual, and which they would not want disclosed more widely. What is changing, and rapidly, is the way the law regards wider disclosure. Tolerance is decreasing. If you regularly handle confidential information, it may be time to review what you do. What is the best advice to follow when participating in workplace conversations?Which of the following is the best advice regarding workplace conversation? Be courteous and attentive when conversing with managers, colleagues, subordinates, and customers.
Which of the following is the best advice to follow when dealing with conflict in a team?Which of the following is the best advice to follow when dealing with conflict in a team? Look for areas of mutual agreement.
Which of the following is the best advice regarding small talk in the workplace?Which of the following is the best advice regarding small talk in the workplace? Read newspapers and listen to the radio and TV so that you can discuss current events intelligently.
In what phase of team development do teams select members become acquainted build trust and form a collaborative culture?The first stage is forming, which is when the members within the team first come together to meet. It can be considered the period of orientation when everyone is getting to know one another and becoming acquainted.
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