So I guess maybe it is a generational thing? And, yeah, that happens, its part of being a human. Yeah it totally sucks but now you at least have a chance to start fresh. You added nuance that I hadnt thought about. This incident was a huge violation of trust. (IE: if they think you f*cked up, then respond like you did, however you actually feel). By Candice Novak. If that is so, there is nothing you can do to avoid the termination and you should be looking for new employment. 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. You knew better. But, bald facts, they told you not to do the thing you turned around and did. How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. You put your coworker in an awful spot by telling her this information. ), You also werent fired for technically breaking a rule. You were fired for actually breaking a rule, and a serious one. The thing is, its a big deal that you were given confidential information and then texted it to a friend. If a member of your staff violates this explicit. Yep. Really? There is no other guarantee, and yet people count on it. When you don't know the sender, but the email is clearly confidential and sensitive, things are little more complicated and you have a decision to make. They may very well have not had the option to give you a second chance, whether you wanted to or not. Employees. You did a thing that caused this outcome. how do you handle being pregnant at work? There are lots of situations in which leaking information to a journalist would absolutely be the right thing to do, and we should absolutely encourage it in those cases. and sent to multiple people (!!)? Thats just not something you can let yourself do. I went to a church where I attended youth group, sat outside, and repeated my news over and over to Jesus for about three hours before I felt certain I could keep it from anyone else (note that no one else was anywhere nearby). Can I be fired for breaching data protection? The Census Bureau does NOT play with that sort of thing, and you would indeed be given the boot as soon as the breach was uncovered. Yep, we regularly are reminded about FERPA requirements (academia) and staff members have gotten in hot water for not promptly picking up student transcripts from the printer (for instance). Breach of confidentiality at work - Dealing with employees - Peninsula UK The OP would be better off to own up to her mistake and her mistaken thinking in saying/writing/texting the information, say what she learned from it, say how she would plan to deal with a similar situation about exciting confidential information if this ever happens again, and conclude by saying that it was 100% her own fault, that she doesnt blame the organization, the manager, or her coworker, that she understands that she put her coworker in a horrible position, and that she will NEVER do anything like that EVER again. should I tell my coworker about our colleagues criminal record, I deeply regret joining my companys leadership program, and more, my company is cutting my overworked teams pay as punishment for mistakes. There is zero entitlement in saying that shes upset she didnt get a second chance. But how do I explain this to show I learnt from my mistake and get a new job ? If you hadnt told your co-worker, then they could not have ratted you out. 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. Yep, I have a friend whose grandmother was a codebreaker and took loose lips sink ships seriously till her dying day. it doesnt count as they reported themselves if they later say they were ratted out by the person they reported it to. Ive been under NDA for things I cant even disclose to my boss, much less a friend outside the organization. If her friend never told anyone it never would have gotten out. I came here to say this. People dont talk about it very much but it definitely happens. I disagree. Nowadays with mobile devices, email and the cloud, it is extremely easy to share files, easy enough that we may accidentally send and share them to the wrong person. Im not sure what the best way is to address this, but were trying! I have personally learned that if you never want coworkers to find out something embarrassing or private about you, never ever tell them. It can be exciting to know whats going to happen before it happens, even when the news itself isnt *that* thrilling. Assuming OP was correct and journalist friend never would have said anything, OP could have pretended it never happened. Every bit of what Ive said is probably hearsay. I could have just sent the report and most likely no one would have ever known, but it would have been a violation of company policy. Its hard though, and its a skill thats learnt over time. I wanted to say, it sucks you lost your job after this one time indiscretion, but Im glad you understand the seriousness of it and with Alisons script, I hope youll find a new job soon. Unless his bedroom was a SCIF and the phone secured, thats really bad. Fired for gross misconduct because I sent confidential information to personal mailbox - how do I get another job? But you should try to understand how this happened (why that friend? Talking about your work on a more general level is usually allowed unless your employer or their client is unusually paranoid. So, are you clear about the severity of your action and the significance of this rule? 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. Oh my. 2 July 2018 at 9:11PM. A lot of times, the actual employee might not be important, but they might know something like when a key senior person works, or gossip about so-and-so, that is then used to either help with hacking, help with fraud, do additional social engineering where they know just enough about a topic to lead the conversation, or in some cases to put pressure on a higher-level person to try to get them to give further information or make certain decisions. While it didnt result in any press, it was obviously a major lapse in judgment and I understand why it resulted in my termination. While it clearly appears LW would not have done any of this, the regulations and policies are written to protect the employer and coworker from any potential negative actions. Whether or not you knew about the policy upfront, you need to be ready to discuss steps you take to stay informed about policies and ensure you're following them. I actually think your big mistake was telling your coworker, not telling a trusted friend. Extremely good advice! I used to work at a public Zoo that was owned by the state, and so we were all state government employees. But, its important for an employer to know that you understand the need for reporting and would report things yourself if needed. I just wasn't thinking at the moment I sent the information. confusedabouteverything Forumite. Let me tell you what happened to the people who were not on the care team and accessed a newsworthy medical case. I can't remember the details, but there was a point about the fact the word "confidential" added in every e-mail by such a notice wasn't actually helpful, since tools that looked for the word confidential were flagging everything up, including a large number of false positives. In addition to Alisons script, I think it also reflects well on you that you reported what you had done. At the end of your explanation, look your interviewer in the eye, and dont say anything else. "I made a dumb mistake and misjudged the sensitivity of some data" is both more accurate and less severe. The OP was not entitled to be making calls on who outside the org could be trusted with this information. If you break certain unspoken rules, you can lose your job or ruin your career. 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. Giving her information relevant to her beat and asking her not to share it is basically asking her to stand on the sidelines and fail to do her job, while somebody else gets the scoop. Unless this job was the bulk of your experience, I would leave it off your resume. 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. Does that matter? nsx advanced load balancer documentation; . Keep your chin up are you not getting any extra help? No 2nd chance especially because you knew it was a no-no before you shared. I think people are reading defensiveness from the qualifiers probably and suppose. I can sympathize that this is still very raw for OP and perspective will only come with more time. But it could be that GSAs dad had a code/password to verify it was actually him and the caller forgot to verify that first. 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. Dont get me wrong, she shouldnt have ever told the friend and Id understand if they were worried if she told more people, but its concerning how they immediately jumped to an even worse conclusion based on nothing but their own assumptions. Hopefully there still something to be said for that! Now were just nitpicking the OPs words here. I hope youre able to learn and move on from this, OP. 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. Im more curious about what KIND of exciting information it was. 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. I get why maintaining confidentiality is important, and I understand why the OP was wrong in this particular situation, but balance is also needed. Im also a public affairs officer for a government agency- one that almost exclusively deals with highly classified information. Forgetting the attachment. 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. Dont disagree feelings arent wrong but the way we think about them often is. It made it seem like some part of OP still feels hard done by, rather than really getting it. She shared it with a friend. Its also true that people do break confidentiality for a variety of reasons, but people who are really really REALLY aware that they are breaking confidentiality and how big the consequences of it are, are also on top of not leaving a footprint that can be traced back to them. Good luck! One day its pre-public FOUO information; what next? 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. The secretary is going to be featured at [cool upcoming event]! Also, legally email addresses themselves dont typically count as 'personal information' as they are contact addresses and are treated in similar ways to phone numbers legally, as opposed to, say, identifying information like full name, DOB and home address all in one document. Also, the OP wont be able to ever claim the good work experience she gained from the role. I got fired due to sending an email by mistake to the wrong person that had someone else's credit card information in - Answered by a verified Employment Lawyer . If youre found to be lying, thats an instant rejection in a way that a well-explained firing would not be. My worry, OP, is that you dont see this as sufficiently serious to warrant a firing but I promise you that in most communications positions, it really likely would be. its not condescending to point out that what LW did was incredibly foolish. Can I Get Fired for Private Texts or Email Messages? | Money Theres no such thing as blind-siding once youve committed an infraction and people have to act on it. And Im happy to report that I have never shared that news (still remember it bcs this was so hard that first time!). Clearly yall do not understand handling confidential information. Agreed. Im sorry this happened to you OP, yeah, in communications at nearly any company this in indeed A VERY BIG DEAL. The emphasis on how not harmful the infraction was is totally hurting your case, OP. And it makes sense that it is. In a truly dangerous/vital public information sphere there are agency heads/regulators/IG offices/congressional members/even the police depending on the issue that you should contact before going to the press. Or at least, I can. I used to be a journalist, I have lots of friends who are journalists and I never tell them anything that I shouldnt, even the ones I really trust. Accidental disclosure is the unintentional release or sharing of sensitive information. Yes you can. I have also had to recommend the firing of a personal friend. (Im a journalist, there are only a few specific cardinal sins in our industry, so lets euphemistically call this a case of inadequate attribution.) Sorry this happened, OP! On Monday, I was called into a fact-finding meeting with HR. Point isnt that OP doesnt have a right to feel what OP feelsif OP has a sick, gut-punch feeling, thats the truth of how OP is feeling. 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. The information was work i was working on at the moment and I emailed it as I needed to do work on my personal laptop ; I couldn't take my work station away whilst on extended leave overseas. Log the incident in an 'cyber accident book'. Its the Im still pretty upset that I had no second chance, but I suppose I just lost their trust. that did it for me (especially after all the ways the OP dodged responsibility in the original letter). Egress Software Technologies Ltd. Find out what you should do when a misdirected email lands in your inbox. Excitedly texting confidential, FOUO information to a friend who happens to be a journalist, unconscious of the optics and real potential harm? 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. I empathize I LOVE being a person who is in the know and I can be impulsive. Acidity of alcohols and basicity of amines, Using indicator constraint with two variables. If it bleeds, it leads, and if its not bleeding, you might as well kick it a few times to see if itll start bleeding Nope. Good luck! Doesnt matter if it was a friend. You colleagues are often the closest people to you, so it makes sense to want to tell them about your problems (which include work screw-ups), but you cant. Yes, I did filing in a small-town law office where almost every name was familiar and nothing I read or saw left the office. Its also possible that she got caught in a broader crackdown on leaks and thus wasnt given a second chance when she otherwise might have been. There are people who would refuse to acknowledge their error and go about their lives being bitter and blaming others. There are no legal ramifications or civil lawsuits at this stage as it wasn't trade secrets or secret IP. It sounds like OP is young enough that they havent learned that there are some jobs where gossiping about your workplace with your friends is okay, and some jobs where that absolutely cannot fly. So this. And, to be fair, based on your language about technical leaks, victimless, and ratting out I dont think your organization could entirely trust that you understand the gravity of the situation and wouldnt repeat the mistake. Definitely anti-climactic to actually know at this point! It also protects the coworker from any immediate threats or retribution by LW. e.g. People leak or share things to journalists they know all the time, with agreements by those journalists on how to share it. Its not an obligation to confront. And then that coworker did tell someone, and she was fired. Confidentiality, especially in government, is no joke and should be taken very seriously.
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