What Is the Meaning of Confidentiality in the Workplace?

by Sam Ashe-Edmunds

The word “confidentiality” has both casual and legal meanings in the workplace and will have different meanings throughout your professional career. In some instances, confidentiality refers to not discussing internal goings-on with co-workers. In other instances, it refers to not sharing trade secrets and other company information with competitors, the press or anyone outside of your company.

Casual Definition

You’ll be more likely to climb the corporate ladder during your career if you get along well with co-workers, build strong professional networks and have a reputation as a trustworthy employee. If you repeat confidential statements made by co-workers, even if the original source doesn’t hear about your gossip, the people you tell might lose respect for you and no longer trust you. If you gossip with customers, they might tell your competitors, who will be less likely to hire you in the future.

Legal Definition

During your time in the workforce, you’ll have access to information your employer doesn’t want made public or revealed inside the company. This can include salaries, employee perks, client lists, trade secrets, sales numbers, customer information, news about pending terminations, reasons for a firing, phone codes or computer passwords. You may not divulge this information while you are working for an employer or after you leave. In some instances, you will be asked to sign a confidentiality agreement requiring you to keep company secrets after you leave an employer. Some companies might offer to hire you specifically because they want you to bring inside information about your former employer they can use. Even if you don’t sign a confidentiality agreement, sensitive information you have might be protected under state or federal laws.

Casual Examples

Examples of breaking casual, confidential communications include repeating a co-worker’s opinion of his boss, revealing the fact that a peer is interviewing with another company, forwarding a confidential email from one employee to another, sharing information you overhead others discussing or passing around a document you found that wasn’t intended for others. A general rule of thumb for discussing others and/or their information is not to repeat something if you wouldn’t say it if the person was standing next to you.

Legal Examples

Information you can’t share outside of a business might include customer lists, production processes, recipes, patents, financial information, research, website traffic statistics and computer and building security information. Companies that collect data on customers cannot share this information with other companies unless it informs customers in advance, such as when businesses share email lists. Personnel information is confidential, and information in an employee’s file, such as social security number, salary, health records, disciplinary actions and termination reason can’t be discussed with other employees. Most of this information can’t be discussed with potential employers who call for a reference. Divulging inside information can damage your former employer, allowing them to sue you to recover those damages. Review any non-compete or confidentiality agreements you’ve signed with your attorney and discuss any proprietary information you have you might not be able to share with a new employer.

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