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Its no fun to be fired. But given the kind of convo LW describes.while the LW really should not have been surprised they got reported and then fired, and does seem to be downplaying the severity, I wonder if something about the convo led them to believe it was somehow less serious than the mentor clearly understood it to be, and mentor didnt seem to do anything to help the LW understand how big a deal this is, which is kind of a bummer. Messages like this can simply be ignored and deleted. I dont feel like we need that caveat though, there of course will be exceptions, but this is kinda derailing. Click the "Settings" icon (the wheel/cog) and click "See all settings". This is why you never ever confidentially share work-related things with colleagues. "Even if it were, transmitting some personal data by email does not of itself breach data protection laws in any jurisdiction" Actually in the UK the Data Protection Act would apply as it is being transmitted outside of the company without the express authorisation from the data subject. Alison, I really liked your advice, because it can apply to any situation where the person has truly done something egregious but has to move on. *(assuming that you did so)* She covers a totally different subject area so it never even crossed my mind that her career would be an additional conflict. My mom worked in sunshine law for state government, and what constitutes a record is a lot broader than most people realize. She broke a very real and important rule. It was absolutely drilled into all of our heads during grad school and training that you can never, ever do this. I have personally learned that if you never want coworkers to find out something embarrassing or private about you, never ever tell them. Inadvertently, in my view, would be something along the lines of had confidential documents in a briefcase that you accidentally left behind at a coffee shop. If you break certain unspoken rules, you can lose your job or ruin your career. Its a risk when you ignore these compliance issues especially willfully. But reasonable minds can certainly differ. Ive been actively observing how my more senior colleagues handle that sort of thing (we need written permission to share information about clients with people connected to their situation, and knowing how to answer questions from people who arent authorised to be told something but who are definitely going to ask is covered in training). Even if the coworker had malicious intentions, they were following privacy laws and regulations. You are fortunate to get the opportunity to learn it early when it hasnt resulted in severe long term consequences. If I were your coworker I would have done the exact same thing. So, are you clear about the severity of your action and the significance of this rule? I am really jaw-on-the-floor stunned at people taking aim at the coworker. I just want to remind people that it happened. I am very, very lucky. While they may not state why someone was fired, Ive found it pretty common to state that someone was fired (or laid off etc) and if the person is eligible for rehire. You knew better. Regardless of what word you use when you disclose what happened, understanding that difference, owning up to it, and showing how you've changed as a result is your best hope of gaining future employment. That mindset is just so messed up. OP erred, which she knows, but I dont think that means her mentor no longer has the obligation to be honest with her. Theres a great blog called SorryWatch (.com) that analyzes & critiques apologies made by public figures. If you told, you breached confidentiality, no matter what the other people did. Build sneaky protections into your life so you get away with violating important rules is NOT what LW needs to learn. Why are Suriname, Belize, and Guinea-Bissau classified as "Small Island Developing States"? Disclosing confidential information has, at best, resulted in nothing, and at worse, resulted in injury/death, or even political systems toppling. That makes a certain subset of people *extremely* excited. I think one can be upset at not getting a second chance without feeling necessarily entitled to one. Many employers monitor emails, and some employees . Its a bigger deal because that friend is a journalist. Shell lose credibility in the hiring process, and even if she did slip through and get hired, its automatically grounds for a dismissal if the truth ever came to light (even in Canada, where it is harder to let people go from roles than in most of the US states). She can still apply to jobs in her field, and even in the fields you noted, shell just have to be very clear in interviews that she understands why she was fired from this job and how shell work to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. Maybe you get a 2nd chance IF you were contrite enough and blamed your excitement at the new teapot program. It can feel like the end of the world but I promise you it isnt. This mixed with the coworkers inflated story, I would be more than annoyed by this coworker too. OP needs to learn the art of discernment. We had a discussion on a work committee about not using our work emails when discussing some sensitive information. An employee who doesn't know about a policy important enough to fire someone over is just a ticking time bomb to an employer. You're fired for violation but convince the Dept of Labor that no one without an IT degree could ever understand your policy. Based on it happening before GSA was born, this most likely happened on a land line. And youre being very generous toward the coworker in saying she misunderstood and mistakenly misrepresented it. I dont think we fired anyone but the need for absolute confidentiality was reiterated. Good luck! I was often privy to non-public information because I was designing media campaigns around them. Thats a flat out easy to uncover lie. Government tends to operate differently. 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 GSAs dad would lead to the dad. People dont talk about it very much but it definitely happens. I remind people about once a year that not only can I not look up their medical info on my own, I cant look it up even if they ask me to, and I get in even more trouble if I look up my own medical info. AND I told somebody within the company about that? I cant say any details yet, but needed to share my excitement!!. Did you apologize profusely and then explain that there was some miscommunication here? I get so exasperated with TV shows where a SO throws a tantrum about a cop/government worker not being able to tell them stuff, and turns it into a trust issue. You made yourself very vulnerable, your mentor knew that, and unfortunately, youre now bearing the consequences. OP, think about your choice to share with this person. Penalizing or firing such employees may lead to the loss of good talent and even create a negative impact on employee morale. You did a thing that caused this outcome. The person you wronged is not obligated to give you that second chance with them. (For example, my BFF works at the Pentagon. Where I work, I cannot legally share information about very exciting things that are happening/about to happen. Its hard though, and its a skill thats learnt over time. Id say forgive that coworker NOWyou put her in a terrible position by being a big blabbering blabbermouth. Other agencies will provide title and dates, and whether you are eligible for rehire. someone in another department saw the post, reached out to the person who made it and asked for information about the person they had heard it from. Then the stories died down and the pressure with it even though there were still occasional leaks. To say my friend was mortified would be an understatement. [duplicate]. This is not about a public records requestits about how information is released to the public before that information becomes public. Really? All people, of all ages, are capable of errors in judgment. I worked for a federal government contractor and we were awaiting news of whether we were getting a contract renewal. (Also the NASA leaker didnt get fired. Im not sure whether this is something they can move on from or not, but they absolutely need to get themselves out of the mindset that their coworker ratted on them, because thinking that reporting things like that is tattling and childish is how corruption grows. Pro tip: when working in mental health residential treatment, do not have clients write your staff logs. The answer hinges in part on what constitutes truly private communication, says Christine Walters, an independent consultant with FiveL Company and author of Helping Leaders Limit their Liability by Learning the Law. FIFTY?! Its extremely tempting to want to be the person in-the-know, but my motivation for keeping things confidential is stronger: I dont want to ruin my reputation, and I dont want deal with the fallout of severely disappointing my colleagues, whom I respect and like. LW, first, I want to offer sympathy. Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been. But even if there is no danger, an obligation to report is just that. 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. The mistake may not have been trusting the friend with that information, but it was definitely telling her. Dont disagree feelings arent wrong but the way we think about them often is. This is essential to sanction the employee and also send out a clear . Oh yes. and the agency lost control of the information. Why is it so hard for people to just keep their (figurative) mouth shut? You might add to Alisons script, I knew immediately that I needed to report my indiscretion, and I did so right away. I agree with you that its ok for OP to feel resentful (at least in the short-run)! Basically, I was fired for X mistake. When telling me about the call, she said that when the checker said the guys name, she couldnt stop herself from bursting out, Wait, he told you to call me?!. I am now going to assume that its exactly that. I had friends who would jokingly-semi-serious ask me if I was poking around their accounts and such while I was working there and I would deadpan look at them and say your finances and personal information isnt interesting enough to lose my job over and then change the subject. +1 on the choice of language and framing. How to answer question on moving to another country for job? Your employer lost control of this information, even in a very small way, and thats a big deal. Nah. MUCH stronger. In my job I often get embargoed advance copies of speeches that politicians are going to give they send them out to press to help us start working on getting most of a story written and cleared so we can just drop in a few quotes and crowd reactions and publish the story within 5-10 minutes of the speech ending. BUT, that shouldnt excuse leaking things, and theres a big difference between a spouse or a journalist, though I can understand why it can still be difficult. Only behaviors are right or wrong. And that wasnt even technically confidential. I have also had to recommend the firing of a personal friend. If it was more time than 6 months, thats a resume gap that a recruiter will ask about, and if the OP lies about the gap, an experienced recruiter will hear it in her voice. The 2nd chance is just too much risk as far as theyre concerned. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? Ah, no, there definitely was a record if there was any form of written communication at all about the information. Similar in IT in my first internship, I had access to about 40,000 social security numbers. I say dont lie during any part of the job application. And it is so hard! If you can trust someone, you can trust them, journalist or not. 4. Your assistance is much appreciated. It was bananas. would be frustrating if she had a good relationship with them, or if she cared a lot about the reputation of her publication as a whole. Im just explaining that the information was likely a non-public record and not a confidential record. Blame yourself for breaking the rules. If her friend never told anyone it never would have gotten out. Oh honey UGH you are just the worst. Or if the coworker only decided afterwards this couldnt be kept in the dark, call her and tell her this. OP, its great that you trusted your friend enough to be confident that she wouldnt share what you told her. But when the guilt is deserved, its got a purpose. Every bit of what Ive said is probably hearsay. If its a marketing message, spam, or something that looks entirely unimportant simply delete and move on. Removed a long string of comments about the condescension in the honey remark. I dont love not being able to tell her things (even though we are each others I promise not to tell anybody (but Friend) person), the way we share this information is by forwarding press releases once the information is public. Third, with bright line rules, we cannot adopt situational ethics where its ok to disclose to close-trusted-journalist-friend because we trust them. Thats just not something you can let yourself do. 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. Employees. Its the only way they can maintain control of the information. Her best chance of moving forward and looking as good as possible in an interview is to accept full responsibility and say that she made a mistake and learned from it. You are almost certainly an at-will employee so you can be discharged at anytime and for any reason or even no reason at all. If youve no idea who the message was supposed to go to, simply let the sender know you received it by accident and move on. I know Id be pissed at you. Like, its so obviously wrong that people dont even talk about it. Replying to the sender is a good thing to do for a couple of reasons. I get why maintaining confidentiality is important, and I understand why the OP was wrong in this particular situation, but balance is also needed. OOPS! Trying to tell the OP otherwise is to minimize the impact of a serious offense. We literally filled a room with records for them, and 99% of it was people asking what flavor of donuts to bring to a meeting or requesting copies of informational flyers. Yes, some employer will bin you, others might give you a second chance. We also got early warning that legislators were encouraged to resign, a day or two before the press releases. 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. Its understandable youre upset, but I wouldnt have given you a second chance either. I am a veteran employee in good standing, but if I shared Material NonPublic Information I learned on the job and was found out, I would be terminated immediately and they would be right to do so. Theres no context where calling a stranger honey doesnt feel condescending (whether someone intends it to or not!). And theres a difference between feeling (sensation) and feeling (conclusion drawn from integrating sensations and information). 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. I dont know if it was to avoid track-covering or to prevent retaliation, but that was a specific part of the procedure. A non-disclosure agreement (often referred to as a confidentiality agreement), is a legally-binding contract which governs the sharing of information between people or organizations and sets limits on the use of the information. Also, if your mentor went through the trouble of having a conversation with you about your duties and seemed concerned, I doubt she was out to get you she probably felt it was her duty and to her best interest to report now that you have made her an accomplice-after-the-fact in any potential breach (say, your friend was the one out to get you and it leaked before your department had any plans for dealing with a leak, this mentor would also be in trouble for not reporting it as soon as she knew if they found out she did), OP I want to comment on one aspect that I didnt see anyone mentioning directly.