Plus, I think part of it was that it was exciting BECAUSE it was secret, and now its apparently common knowledge. Yes, you can get fired for opening a phishing email. I found out accidentally.) Ultimately, its your choice to make. Received confidential email not for you? | Email DLP | Egress Dont blame the co-worker for ratting you out. blue_haddock wrote: . Employee Consequences for Breach of Confidentiality 5 Ways Your Emails Could Breach GDPR - TowerWatch Tech LW used Slack at work (and was not supposed to) I was dismissed for a breach of confidentiality. I guarantee you that somewhere in the company handbook for the Government Agency where you worked there is a paragraph about the obligations of an employee who learns of a data breach. If I know that Senator Y is releasing a health care plan on Monday that would require mandatory surgery for every American, and he has bipartisan support for it, thats a much more specific news tip, and Id rather my friend just not tell me and save me the heartburn. All we know is that OP made a disclosure, and the coworker is aware the disclosure happened via Slack. Well its possible your coworker just had it out for you, but it sounds more likely that she genuinely misunderstood or that she understood perfectly but thought leaking info to a journalist friend was serious enough to report and then it was your boss who misunderstood the details. Reacting to being fired for that as if being personally persecuted over some piddly technical rule violation and not being given a second chance? 2007-2023. Its unfortunate that LW lost her job over it but the coworker isnt to blame for LWs decision to disclose information they werent supposed to. And in this case, I beleive that is correct. I think in both cases, part of the concern is this retroactive removal of risk. Leaking anything that could put those things at risk is an insta-fire offense. Head of the department who everyone hates for non-scandal reasons is stepping down amid a scandal Im a long time reader posting my first ever comment to tell you that this comment is incredibly condescending, unnecessary, and unhelpful. Much as we like to think confidentiality is transferrablethat as long as the people we tell keep things confidential we didnt breach confidentiality to tell themits not. One of my favorite shows had a plotline about a sibling not liking someone not breaking doctor confidentiality. Penalizing or firing such employees may lead to the loss of good talent and even create a negative impact on employee morale. Its not a big career risk for her friend the way it is for her, but depending on what the information was, it could have put the friend in an awkward position. You made a mistake. It is ok to be upset at the coworker but it is important to recognize that she did nothing wrong and is not a rat. I want to push back hard on this, the coworker is not a rat. I even tell friends this who work in classified situations and I dont even report the news anymore.). If you had stayed, they would never have trusted you again. In addition to 100% needing to own it when asked about it, I think OP may also benefit from focusing the job search on jobs that dont involve handling sensitive or high profile information. I am a govt worker in NY. The only thing even slightly puzzling is why during the conversation with the mentor, mentor didnt say you do understand I am obligated to report this? Maybe mentor thought that might prompt LW to do something track-covering so it was better left going directly to the bosses without warning. Agreed, that immediately got on my nerves. The org needed to know in order to assess potential damage and limit future opportunities. But the judge's response to the request for a. My boss wanted to press charges, but his business partner didnt, so they just fired him. Thats real life. I think that WAS her second chance, and I think something she said at the meetings (perhaps about how the problem is the coworker for being a rat) blew that second chance. You really think a lawyer would publicly (extremely publicly) admit to doing something he hadnt done, for which he was sanctioned and fined by regulators, and permanently ruin his own reputation in the process? Between that and having family members who have been laid off and lost access to their work account that they used for personal use as well, I have learned to keep work and personal email accounts separate. broke a rule can be trivial, even if its technically a firing offense. And I dont think it helps the OP to say that she doesnt have the right to have feelings of resentment toward the coworker. While some employers will accept the I take personal accountability and heres how I address it path, this probably does remove some employers from consideration. Everyone in the workplace has an equal obligation and responsibility to ensure that rules are upheld because thats what keeps the company operating smoothly and in business and able to provide jobs to you all. Really? If she had been doing something perfectly acceptable, seen by someone who misunderstands the situation, and fired because of that, then she would be an innocent victim of a very unfair employer. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. December 15, 2009, 1:05 PM. Im sorry it happened to you, though, and it definitely stinks. The problem here is that the OP misjudged the level of confidentially expected in the situation, and maybe by their office/profession in general. An employer of mine got a FOIA request where they asked for every email wed sent to anyone from any regulatory agency. Dan is such a pain! They care a little more in the last 2 years, but not much. If the coworker said that when that wasnt communicated to her, that was wrong as hell. They made much more money off of the JK Rowling name. I tell my team that if it leaks from us, they cannot work here. Ive worked in the banking industry for a couple decades and this would be a fireable offense on the first instance, no ifs, ands, or buts. My mom worked in sunshine law for state government, and what constitutes a record is a lot broader than most people realize. A terse to non-existent IT policy or one that's full of unexplained jargon can work against a company. To say my friend was mortified would be an understatement. Same here! OP: Move to a sector and a position where you wont be called upon to handle confidential information, and admit that you are doing so because youve recognised your own limitations and are willing to actively avoid being a liability to your future employer. No. If its a marketing message, spam, or something that looks entirely unimportant simply delete and move on. Although it was mortifying at the time, this has taught me a hard but valuable lesson about handling sensitive information setting boundaries in my relationships with reporters. To me, her wrong doesnt justify her mentor going behind her back. Doesnt matter if it was a friend. Thats what I would do. The financial firm I worked for had mandatory quarterly compliance meetings with examples of Dont Be This Guy Because He Doesnt Work Here Anymore. I agree that you can learn how to share without breaching confidentiality. e.g. A first offense is still a breach in trust. It may be unfair to assume a journalist is cutthroat and would kill for a lead. I sent confidential documents to someone by accident via email I need the file completely removed - Gmail Community Gmail Help Sign in Help Center Community New to integrated Gmail Gmail Stay on. ), Because honestly, the more I thought about this letter as I read it, the more uncomfortable I got, too. Loved your opening act for Insolent Children, btw. And youre a risk, on top of having done a fireable offense. I dont think we fired anyone but the need for absolute confidentiality was reiterated. Yeah, if the LW is in the US or things operate the same way in their country, theres no point in trying to lie or even waffle about what happened. I doubt she had it out for you and rather was worried you confided a big breech to her which could adversely affect the company. Doesnt matter that its your friend or that you trust her, its still a huge liability. High-profile thing the president wanted and agency employees opposed isnt going to happen But what you were effectively asking your employer to do is trust a totally unknown (to them) journalist not to publish something that was apparently such exciting news that you, bound by confidentiality, simply couldnt keep quiet about it. If that got into the wrong hands it could even result in the end of civilization. I think if the OP had framed the situation as, how can I get another job after being fired for being a whistleblower after I shared important but unfortunately confidential information with a journalist because the public has a right to know, these comments would be very different. I used to work for Marvel Studios. These comments seem harsh for the most part. I would also lay odds that when LW says Coworker was understandably very uncomfortable with what I did, and we had a very nice conversation about our duties as communication officers, and trust, etc., that means that despite what LW thought about it being a nice confidential chat, her mentor figure was trying to imply to her that she was going to HAVE TO report the incident, because trust and responsibility. Second chances arent a foregone conclusion in any aspect of life or work; your expectation that there should have been one at all suggests a level of entitlement that needs to be examined. Im of course devastated, and moving on and figuring out my next steps. I think its fair for you to be upset that you didnt have another chance, but also understandable that your employer felt it couldnt give you one. But it sounds like it doesnt really matter that HR jumbled the details because neither was a permitted thing to do anyway. The info is out, the tech used to spread it is irrelevant and a distraction from the problem. Things worked out this time, so I was right! People do stupid or extreme things all the time; their lives dont end, but they *can* be turning points for a downward spiral. But I dont think this applies in any case since it was on her personal cell. Having said that, as a hiring manager, if you were able to talk to me about how this one-time error in judgment caused a deep shift in thinking and was a critical pivot point in your professional development I would hear you out. All rights reserved. In a job interview, how do I explain why I was fired? Sometimes the news is a dreadful burden to bear (staff reductions of people you know, elimination of services you think are important) and sometimes the news is exciting, you have the inside scoop and cant wait to share it. OP wasnt a journalist. The employer has a policy against this and everyone working there has signed that they read the policy. I work as a contractor on a program that just announced 10 new cities will be joining. We were interviewing someone who had broken the #1 cardinal ethical rule in our industry (a branch of health care). So, thats to say that I *completely* get the idea that at some point, you get to a point where you just really really need to share. Or it could be about a broader picture like if youd had performance issues or other problems that made it easier for them to decide to just part ways. This is important both in terms of owning your mistake and not blaming the person who reported it. The secretary is going to be featured at [cool upcoming event]! I resent our new hires for setting better work-life boundaries than our company normally has, hairy legs at work, my office sent me a random TV, and more, heres an example of a great cover letter with before and after versions, my employee cant handle even mildly negative feedback, my new coworker is putting fake mistakes in my work so she can tell our boss Im bad at my job, insensitive Diversity Day, how to fire someone who refuses to talk to us, and more, weekend open thread February 25-26, 2023, assistant became abusive when she wasnt invited to a meeting, my coworkers dont check on people who are out sick, and more. I would argue if you acknowledge your error in judgment, it would work more to your benefit, then classifying it as a one-off mistake and overreaction by your company. I encourage you to spend some time really thinking about this and absorbing the very good feedback you have generally received here. The latter looks more like something that could repeat under similar circumstances. I can imagine all kinds of things that wouldnt be that exciting to the world but that I would still want to tell a friend. Quite recently, a client of my firm contacted us to say they had heard staff in a bar gossiping about another client. Im not sure what the best way is to address this, but were trying! In such cases, the employee should be given the benefit of the doubt. Oh yes. 3) The recipient was a journalist thats super relevant, even if its not in their area This is a solvable problem. While the 911 caller believes criminal charges are appropriate, that is a matter for the district attorney to decide. In this case you will get a second chance it will just be with another employer. Not because my coworker ratted me out, but because I came to her for guidance and instead of being straight with me, she made me think it would be OK only to be questioned hours later. This is 100% on you. As I read it, LWs friend couldnt pass the information along at all. Theres no context where calling a stranger honey doesnt feel condescending (whether someone intends it to or not!). You might not immediately get the same job you had before and might have to accept something more junior but be clear in your communications and you'll get there. You take this as a hideously painful lesson, and change your behavior across the board, and most people could see that as a learning moment, from which you learned. Is there a solution to add special characters from software and how to do it. Thats totally true, and when I worked for state government release of confidential information would have been grounds for immediate termination, but Alison is the only one who calls it confidential, OP calls it non-public. So in regards to the tell an imaginary friend idea, I have also: openly disclosed highly confidential information to a) my cats and b) Jesus. And while you felt mad at coworker, really youre mad at yourself. I remember the line of people walked out the door for looking at OJ Simpsons records when he was arrested. Hopefully whatever she disclosed doesnt violate a public access law, since the information was released publicly shortly afterward, but wow did she dodge a bullet. Getting fired sucks. Long since past, now.). She already got that advice from Alison. Where did you go from here? But when youve broken someones trust, they dont owe it to you to offer that opportunity and shouldnt offer it unless they sincerely believe that you could meaningfully repair the breach quickly and comprehensively. 2) Told someone you broke a rule. Im just explaining that the information was likely a non-public record and not a confidential record. While I agree that this needs to be explained in the right way. I felt as defensive and upset as you. Im glad that youve had time to think about it and can own the mistake, thats the most important part when we mess up. it really should be I made a foolish mistake, Its more a case of I broke the rules bigtime and expected someone else to cover up for me.. I was fired for technically breaking a rule but it was my first offense, and nothing bad actually happened, and Im definitely learned my lesson. I love telling people things! If that is so, there is nothing you can do to avoid the termination and you should be looking for new employment. You asked how to handle this in future interviews and one key is owning the mistake, taking responsibility for it. If nothing exculpatory came out in that meeting then maybe firing was the appropriate response. Your coworker then followed proper procedure when learning of this data breach- their actions were not ratting you out, their actions were following proper protocol for what an employee who is working at a company that frequently deals with sensitive data is tasked with doing once they learn of a data breach. While that obviously wasnt the result Id have wanted, I learned an important lesson about confidentiality, and its not a mistake Ill ever repeat.. Hard disagree. I wont lie, Im tremendously curious, but I also know this is just one of those things I will never get to know. From the other persons perspective, its always easier to say Oh, dont worry, its not that bad than to get a half-hearted minimizing apology for something youre really stinging from. And youre being very generous toward the coworker in saying she misunderstood and mistakenly misrepresented it. . Dont fall for it. Training in this area is important generally, but a communications/ PR person should not need to be reminded to keep sensitive information confidential thats a very basic aspect of the job. But you should try to understand how this happened (why that friend? Like I said, very strange but its worked for me. Really? Im not curious at all, but Im different. This is probably not a feasible strategy, unless the OP was at the job for only a few months. If asked specifially try to describe in detail what happened and what you learned from it, for example: ask if the new employer has clear guidelines on data handling. Im not trying to teach her a lesson, necessarily, she seems to have gotten the point. However, at the time, I did feel guilty so I confided in an older coworker who I considered a mentor. What the saying about eyes, ears, mouths??? If OP had never confided in any coworker about what she had done, it would still not be blind-siding to be fired for it. When I was a journalist I did not appreciate people giving me tips I couldnt use! I think she was trying to lessen some of the guilt she felt, but really she should have just sat with that feeling and let it fuel her resolve to never share confidential info with an outside party again. She screwed up, and they fired her because thats what she deserved. I did something similar over 20 years ago. Thats another instant firing, even if the information isnt ever misused. Your former job will probably only verify your employment unless you broke a governmental regulation. Hind-sight is 20/20, but the LW should have thought twice about sharing that leaked incident with any coworker, especially a mentor who likely would be obligated to let the higher-ups know. Ive been under NDA for things I cant even disclose to my boss, much less a friend outside the organization. They sound far more serious than what happened. As others mentioned, the breach is possibly a fire on first offense potential, but since they fired you after investigating slack that makes me wonder if you had too casual and friendly of chats with the journalists whose job it was for you to talk with. Agreed. Its so very context and field dependent. Id spend some time processing how you felt and trying to learn to take accountability and personal responsibility for this (and seriously its something thats really uncomfortable and hard for everyone but it helps so much). OP I dont want to pile on, many people have made the point that this would be a very big deal in many industries, and that your coworker was not responsible for your being fired, and indeed may have been obligated to report the violation. Sometimes they do, and other times they tell the person telling them that they or their actions negatively impacted another person that *they* are the ones in the wrong for telling them something that made them feel bad. This is an actual security headache/nightmare for my government department as its so common for people to go out to lunch and start discussing what theyre working on while eating. And thats still very unrealistic / way off-base, if OP truly gets why this was a slam-dunk decision, in that particular circumstance. Click "Enable" if it isn't selected already. She shared it via text not voice, but text, which could be seen by someone else. End of story. If the email involves sensitive information, this could be a serious problem for the people involved. (Im not from the US, and not in government) If I were in OPs place, I would also be upset and feel betrayed. Thank you it was getting boring to read everyones outrage. When an employer says something is confidential, take it seriously If a breach is proved, the employee may be liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages Howard Levitt Published Aug 01, 2019 Last updated Oct 28, 2019 4 minute read Join the conversation I have also had to recommend the firing of a personal friend. I imagine theres a section in the manual and training (possibly annually) about the great responsibility they bear around confidentiality and how people will try to scam them into breaching security, yet OP does not appreciate the weight of this. RIGHT NOW it is totally privileged information and it needs to be treated that way. The message there is dont violate confidentiality policies. (Even before learning it was to a reporter!) An example: nsx advanced load balancer documentation; . I sent a compromising message to the wrong person. How will I ever Here are five such rules, most of which were broken by Block (who reportedly left Oracle yesterday.) 3. Your coworker didnt choose to know this information and does not owe you silence. Perhaps something like the announcement of the new Amazon HQ? Or did you double down on not my fault, not a big deal, and co-worker shouldnt have said anything? And theyll be first with the story. When an employer says something is confidential, take it seriously This was a person whose reviews had been glowing up until that moment and I am sure they are still upset that this came out of the blue. One of my coworkers saw another coworker sexually harassing a woman. In fact, if you are being sent overseas, you have to take a special counterintelligence training before you go that includes tips like dont wear items with your agencys name written on them while you travel and never park next to a panel van.. It could be that she did (and I think no employer should ever fire anyone without hearing their version of the story) but the employer still thought its bad enough that they need to fire OP. I worked for a federal government contractor and we were awaiting news of whether we were getting a contract renewal. Talking about your work on a more general level is usually allowed unless your employer or their client is unusually paranoid. Yep. Good luck to you, OP, with getting over this one. I mean, yeah, absolutely! Just a bad situation. Whats not fine is trying to take somebody elses, or dramatically moping about it until someone gives me theirs. When they took the only course of action they could have taken and still kept their job and notified your employer of your actions, you became defensive of your actions. +100 to this. Since you touched on it in your follow-up, OP, dont look at this as not getting a second chance. You are its just going to happen at another organization. You made yourself very vulnerable, your mentor knew that, and unfortunately, youre now bearing the consequences. You were wrapped up in a project and yes you messed up but no you didn't mean to. Something LW has not seemed to understand: the fact that you worked for a governmental agency is not the issue, the fact that you leaked info early is. Contact the unintended recipient It's a good idea to contact the unintended recipient as soon as you realize the error. This was a Friday. Fired. Confiding in an older mentor in the expectation of confession-like confidentiality? I just think it serves OP to choose a more benign explanation because it will help OP deal with the fall out of the situation going forward. Of course, its your fault but it is only human to be annoyed with someone, especially someone who seemed to completely misrepresent what happened. 10 Ways to Rebound From an Embarrassing Email Mistake Sometimes I see stuff that is cool to nerds of that particular field, but 95% of my Secret Information from clients is not even interesting to them. Yeah just assume that for the next few years youre out of the running for jobs that require a confidentiality. Yes and thats the consequence they now have to live with. This makes it seem like they owe LW something, to be loving and release her to her best life. It makes me so happy that I had to tell someone is a reason to text them, OMG, huge news that I cant tell you, but you will be SOOOOO happy when its in the papers in a few days! Not to actually, yknow, tell them the private information. Even if you trust her 100%, she is still too high risk. Im going to go see how they reviewed it.). In 2014 or so, I once slapped a superior in the face because they were yelling in my face because I was stepping on freshly mopped floors. You did wrong, fessed up, and got fired anyway. +10. It helps you to catch context-driven mistakes such as adding the wrong recipient, attaching the wrong file, or forgetting to use Bcc instead of cc. Are there any reasons why the coworker couldnt be upfront with what had to be done ? I get that people can learn from their mistakes, but this could be an indicator of a lack of proper framework, and perhaps a boss wouldnt want to risk it. Im still learning Slack, so maybe being naive. Take ownership and accountability of it, because for better or worse, all of us could have made OPs mistake at some point in our careers. Every hospital Ive worked at requires yearly HIPAA compliance training. Remember when Beyonc lip synched at Obamas inauguration?
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