That would likely lead to your manager also getting fired (for not firing you in the first place) and also make your entire department/agency look bad to the public (whod be wondering who else still working there has done something similar without getting fired). Agreed. Having a mentor at a different organization in a similar role might be a good idea for the future. So if shes genuinely surprised at this outcome, it stands to reason that its new for her, which strongly implies she just hasnt been working very long, which implies youth. Sometimes their hands are tied too. Like its going to be easier to find a job because she has the integrity to say she got fired. It doesnt matter if it was text or Slack, a single journalist or a whole group. When theres something I really want to share with my wife, I mask it, pretty much what we do here talking about how the client invested in llama shearings, or called up asking about rumours of purple llamas, or asked us to sell all their teapots that kind of thing. the coworker? (Drunk driving is an extreme example of this. I work in a field (not government) where some nonpublic is newsworthy but only in the arts and style sections. This makes it seem like they owe LW something, to be loving and release her to her best life. Yeah, I thought it was from her personal cell too. (sorry for all the theys. English has a pronoun problem.). A terse to non-existent IT policy or one that's full of unexplained jargon can work against a company. Especially odd because LW emphasized how trustworthy the friend is for why the friend wouldnt blab. I dont know whether you meant it this way, but the co-worker is not untrustworthy for reporting this. While it is possible the line could be actively tapped/monitored by someone else, even if it was an unsecured line it would be reasonable to assume the home phone number on file for GSA's dad would lead to the dad. 9 Posts. Journalists get embargoed or off-the-record information all the time and are able to play by those rules. And there are reasons the rule is dont leak, rather than dont leak (except to people youre *really sure* wont tell any one else (except people who they are really sure they wont tell anyone else (except people theyre absolutely positive wont tell anyone else))). Im interested in the fact that the journalist friend is described as 100% trustworthy. This is a great point LW. can you get fired for accidentally sending confidential information. And if weve learned anything from this letter, its that information thats supposed to be kept secret isnt always. But if youre singling people out, or only using it in the context of chastising someone, then yeah, for sure condescending and rude. It should go without saying: a breach of confidentiality could and would wind up in a bar complaint in my jurisdiction. Until the boys parents threw the uncle out. It could also end poorly if the employer actually sees a job opening posted for the position the LW claims was eliminated. Hows work? I have absolutely no clue in your situation, but there are times when it really can be appropriate to let someone go without any second chances. No, no, no, no, no. Yeah, I think CA meant, the message was only sent to the friend/journalist, but you dont know where she opened it: if shes in an open newsroom or something, someone could have seen it on her screen over her shoulder. 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. Moving forward, the best way to handle it is be honest. Then your story isnt just I did something wrong, they found out, and I got fired, its I did something wrong, I knew it was a mistake and told a senior member of my team about it, and as a result I got fired. The more you can acknowledge that you took responsibility for your mistake, the better it sounds for a potential employer. I was new, too eager to please, naive and I let the client rush me instead of following established protocol. Even if this person had not turned her in, there was this bomb just sitting there waiting to go off. Im just explaining that the information was likely a non-public record and not a confidential record. And in fact, NOT getting that second chance with them might mean that you take it more seriously and handle the next relationship in a trustworthy manner. Does your company know she could have called the police? This was supposed to be a stand-alone comment. Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. So, are you clear about the severity of your action and the significance of this rule? I even tell friends this who work in classified situations and I dont even report the news anymore.). So please think about that aspect when youre thinking about how she ratted you out. But OPs situation sounds like more of a case of I am just soooo excited about Cool Thing that I had to tell rather than something dangerous or corrupt is going on and the public should know.. I think that speaks to exactly why this was such a breach, though. What you did was misconduct. 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. I got that impression as well and have had younger coworkers who sent random, very personal info to me in texts. Yeah, I wish the mentor had walked the LW directly to the boss to discuss this openly. Thank you for saying that feelings are never wrong. You dont get a warning for things like that. and sent to multiple people (!!)? But that was the right response to what you did. Yes! Some of the stuff I handle is really interesting logistically and historically but I just do not have the right to get carried away and share it. You can never rely on people to be 100% trustworthy, no matter how long youve known them. Yes, or that appalling line by E M Forster, written just before the Second World War: if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend I hope I should have the guts to betray my country. Count your blessings that you just got fired. Fired. He was very good about keeping track of his boundaries, and we got very used to finding ways of being politely interested in how his work was going for him without putting pressure on him about the details. Don't say "I was escorted out by armed guards" where you can say "My manager was disappointed enough to let me go". Im not going to spell out what it was, but it was completely unethical and immoral, and shes lucky her license wasnt permanently revoked for it. The hospital I was working for last year had the best of this kind of presentation that Ive ever seen. LW, youve learned half of your lesson, but really need to keep working to get there. This will sound very, VERY strange, but if you have the urge to share things youre not supposed to, theres a trick you can try: telling a fictional character in an imaginary conversation. I dont know. Im also not going to tell anyone else! 2. @MarkAmery OP said themselves that what they sent was 'client confidential information' but ruled out trade secrets/IP being involved. If you say, My coworker ratted me out, an interviewer hears, My coworker reported my misconduct. Youre the one who comes off looking poorly there, not the coworker. That the information eventually became public is not in any way relevant. But what might walk that back to a performance plan would be a sincere, unqualified apology showing understanding of the gravity of the error. You can get past this, if you learn from the experience. If you got the launch codes for the missiles, thats a big no no to share. This technique requires extra steps, but it . (Especially since termination hearings and the related records are often public records once the employee is terminated, so any concerned employer could just do a records request and get the whole story.). You unpromptedly wrote a message to the friend. She knew about a leak and didnt say anything, who knows what else she is helping to hide, My boss, in a well meaning way and to correct some weird barriers previously put in place by the person before him, told me openly that if Big Boss [aka the owner] asks you anything, just answer him, its all good, you dont need to filter things through me or anything., And I just tilted my head and laughed at him saying Even if you told me differently, I would tell him whatever he wants to know. Which given our relationship he just giggled and responded with of course and thats the way it should be.. one last post-script: this person wasnt super good at their job, but was a teammate i worked closely with, and doubt they had been put on a PIP prior to this. This kind of reaction from the company screams 'serious laws broken' and there aren't many other possibilities on what these laws maybe. But unfortunately, the rules of your job are such that you justcant. Your comment above is much closer to an effective track. But the judge's response to the request for a. There are different levels of confidentiality for different circumstances. Ill add one point: You dont know that she didnt leak it. I understand your irritation with your former coworker. One piece of information I learned (that has since been announced publicly, but hadnt been at the time) was SO EXCITING that in a weak moment, I texted one friend about it in celebration. Except that when the reference checker asks if the candidate is eligible for re-hire (for the position they left or any other position) should the opportunity present itself, the response will be no. Im sorry, what? And especially, sharing information that youre not supposed to tends to be the type of thing that will get you fired immediately without another chance. Or well often hear from contacts on the Hill about something going on behind the scenes, like that a bill is about to be introduced. "Compose the email, and only then go back and enter the address (es)," he says. And thats still very unrealistic / way off-base, if OP truly gets why this was a slam-dunk decision, in that particular circumstance. Oh, its possible to be a rat in the workplace. But thats where having friends in the same workplace comes inyou can expend the impulse by gushing to them and then zip your lips once you leave the building. I am replying under Engineer Girl for a reason. Many types of information are protected only during specific time frames insider trading comes to mind as a particularly nasty one disclosing inside information about a pending large contract award or trade is absolutely firable. If you open a phishing email and it results in your company's confidential information being compromised, your employer may fire you. Even a private company would consider this a breach of trust, and could could consider firing. +1000. It can depend on what mechanisms are in place to protect the content of the email, who is sending the email, who it is being sent to, the content of the email, and whether the subject of the HIPAA information has provided their written authorization for unsecured PHI to be . How do I politely turn down the call for an interview by another employer? But if I found out a coworker was sharing this information with just anyone it would be a probably HIPAA violation and, yes, I would need to tell my boss. (Im a journalist, there are only a few specific cardinal sins in our industry, so lets euphemistically call this a case of inadequate attribution.) Im sure they thought she was a fruit cake. A majority of those who work from home would use their own personal digital devices such as laptop, tablet or mobile to perform their daily work tasks and it is also convenient for employees to. However, it is unlikely that the circumstances of your firing will be able to be overlooked by an employer who needs to trust your judgment with sensitive data, definitely for the foreseeable future, possibly for many years into your career. That said, I am curious if theres other context that explains why they fired you for a first offense without warning you first. I was working on some client confidential information on my client issued laptop and I emailed this info to my personal mailbox as I wanted to continue doing work on my personal laptop; I couldn't take my work laptop away whilst on extended leave overseas. Because a) LW broke confidentiality. Let me tell you what happened to the people who were not on the care team and accessed a newsworthy medical case. We will always be privy to confidential information in our roles, its the nature of what we do. I think interviewers will pick up on the equivocation in your language here. I playfully made a sexual remark about a female coworker. I think this really depends. Yes of course it feels bad that you were fired. Fascinating (and fun!) I dont believe this falls under inadvertent, though OP deliberately gave that information to her friend. You got a hard hit, and I am sorry for all the difficulty that causes. What am I doing wrong here in the PlotLegends specification? The penalty for breach of confidentiality isn't restricted to employees who have . If we receive confidential information, there are very specific and non-flexible procedures we have to follow to handle those documents/information. Im in Chicago so I read about those firings with interest. What the saying about eyes, ears, mouths??? I wont get into too many details, but where I work had a plan that was controversial and there was both opposition to it, internal and external. That will go over much better with future employers. Dont reveal confidential information and fully own up to your shit are good lessons. The enforcement has to be based on the idea that the leak was damaging. Oh yeah, my response wasnt to you it was just to continue what Alanna said. Medical too. Even in the private sector, there is information that is classified, sensitive or commercially in confidence and not to be shared. when we had a high school shooting, a student I knew (10 y old) and who got into it (gladly uninjured) got a visit from his own uncle who was a journalist that very evening, who came to visit the parents and then proceeded to try to get his nephew to talk about the details. We dont even know where the LW is; Alison has gotten letters from outside of the United States before. Changing how you feel (as opposed to what you say or do or think) is not something you need to do to solve the problem. Can you get fired for accidentally sending confidential information? Regulation people have heard of is going to be changed/repealed and its a big deal Well, you certainly can do that, but its one hell of a risk, and a continuation of poor ethics. Its a bigger deal because that friend is a journalist. I hope there are things at your job that are exciting to you! Tessian Cloud Email Security intelligently prevents advanced email threats and protects against data loss, to strengthen email security and build smarter security cultures in modern enterprises. So I guess maybe it is a generational thing? Im not saying the employer didnt do these things or even if they didnt that its anybodys fault other than LW that this happened, but its a good way to stop situations like this before they happen. A true 100% owning of what you did. She would have learned a valuable lesson and still kept her job. Of course, but if you think that there arent tons of people out there whove made huge mistakes and managed to keep it from getting out, youre kidding yourself. (Also the NASA leaker didnt get fired. how do you handle being pregnant at work? Thank you for explaining this! The LW blabbed, why would her friend have more self-control? Then what? You said it yourself that you were working on client confidential information, and sent it to your personal mailbox. Thats pretty ratty behavior. But I cant talk about the specifics of that scene. Another engineer girl here, at a place where people have been fired for leaks and it hits the news when it happens: theres a warning during New Hire Orientation, and between that and our reputation, youre expected to know it. In fact, think of it this way: you put your journalist friend in a situation where she was potentially sitting on a scoop but she actually kept mum to protect you. Or even if you sit at the bar and the llama design keeps crossing your mind and you talk before you think. Learn that about yourself, and move on. You might have to take a step back in your career to come back from it but you can you bounce back. Hopefully there still something to be said for that! If Jane knows, then it cant be too bad.. LW doesnt seem defensive at all here, and its okay to feel upset while still taking ownership of their actions. ! but you just cant. I dont recall that Lily Rowan ever had a job. Instead, the employees found out by reading the news instead, which hurts morale. 4) The coworker was absolutely right to report the breach in confidentiality. 2 July 2018 at 9:11PM. This is a tough lesson to learn. No one ever called for a reference. You would never want someone to find out from the news media that they no longer have a job, for example. I didnt read it that way, its not a question of the coworker being Untrustworthy, its a matter of the OP not being able to judge who she can trust to keep things quiet. Im not sure what the best way is to address this, but were trying! 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. It makes the sender aware of their mistake and less likely to bother you again in the future. can you get fired for accidentally sending confidential information. Im not understanding how OPs update comment reads as defensiveit shows significant progression from deflection to ownership, to me. Its especially challenging if youve grown up immersed in social media, where confidential emails with the names and sensitive details blacked out are frequently posted on Facebook or Twitter or someones blog, where they go viral. TootsNYC is talking about this latter case. I agree that its ok to be upset with people, even if its irrational or illogical, as long as we ultimately let it go and refrain from mistreating someone because of our illogical emotional response. Im sorry, but I think you were fired with pretty good cause and it would be important to own that or you wont be able to spin the story for future employers. Its a big difference if you sit together at a bar, your friend mentions chocolate teapots and you say oh, this morning I was asked to design a llama-themed one before you realize that you really shouldnt have said that. OP erred, which she knows, but I dont think that means her mentor no longer has the obligation to be honest with her. Not me. I supervise a manager who falsified an employee write-up but I dont think she should be fired. Good points, and good advice for anyone whos apologizing for anything. I love telling people things! I see it a lot and I wonder sometimes if its not sending the wrong message that its okay to break confidentiality because Friendship/Family Conquers All or something. There isnt really such thing as a rat in the workplace. You did a thing that caused this outcome. She IS a rat! I mean, mayyyyyybe but the OP put the coworker in a really uncomfortable position here, and while Im sure she didnt mean to, thats what she did. 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. Definitely anti-climactic to actually know at this point! I wonder LW, would your interactions with the higher ups have been different if your co-worker/mentor had given you the heads up that she was going to have to report this? Forgetting the attachment. 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? Your first step should be to contact your old HR department and ask about their policies for reference checks. It being Silicon Valley, not only was the phone found, it was immediately identified for what it was. If nothing exculpatory came out in that meeting then maybe firing was the appropriate response. Thats why your organization wants it to stay within their walls (and possibly HAVE to keep it within their walls by law)they cant control what outside people do, whether theyre only one person removed (your journalist friend, who apparently DID keep the secret in this case) or hundreds of people removed if the gossip chain goes long enough. If I were your coworker I would have done the exact same thing. Yup, landline. how else could you have met that need?) I think its also something to do with the fact that if you tell a journalist something newsworthy, youre not just talking, youre offering a thing of (potential) value, which is an entirely different action from sharing news with a friend. I dont think it matters now, but the Slack functionality for deleting messages from channels is pretty thorough. Id like to know what LW said at the two meetings they gave her before firing her. Thats when it gets tricky. (I thought Al Frankens apology to the fellow entertainer was pretty good, actually. Period. For me, it was like OK, she shared embargoed information something she shouldnt have. Or they might have a zero-tolerance policy for leaks as a deterrent. I doubt it was the plan to storm Area 51. Both of those would merit a reprimand, separately or together, but somehow in the telling it got turned into that the latter happened with the former as the method. They did exactly the right thing to you. they dont owe it to you to offer that opportunity, That reminds me of the guys who say, I know I cheated on you, but I want a second chance.. Maybe you havent worked with, or known anyone whos worked with, sunshine law and right-to-know, but this is incredibly serious for anyone who has. [important person 1] and [important person 2] are coming to my office for a press conference. The communications team is often brought on board to develop strategy for organizational decisions that may not be public for weeks or even months. I have news from my job that I cannot share with some coworkers. But also to say that when you work with confidential info, the impulse to share is a common one, and managing it is something you need to be on top of from every angle. They also rely on constant prompting that can give even the most diligent employees click fatigue after a while.
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