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I wouldnt lead with it, but I wouldnt hide it either if it ever comes up, and folks will likely ask about why youve left past jobs. I would feel terrible about it, definitely, and probably think about it for a while after, but ultimately, Id need to prioritize my family and act in a way that would protect my job/salary/health insurance so I could continue to provide for my them. All of that being said, I wish her the best in moving forward and finding another job shell bounce back and be the wiser for it. Confidentiality is not just an issue in communications. If you break certain unspoken rules, you can lose your job or ruin your career. And it is so hard! 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. The same goes for ratting out. I always assumed the phrase meant no feelings are incorrect, and it made a lot less sense than the way youve laid it out! 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. Because, if you did the first apology option then I think it would be (more) possible youd get a 2nd chance. Yup. And there was no social media then, so 100+++ times that now. These comments seem harsh for the most part. If someone told me something that I know Id have to report, I would report it. There ARE circumstances in which keep this confidential means you can tell very close, trusted people about it as they did in the letter. I accidentally sent the email about the female coworker to this other female coworker. It might possibly be seen as less bad that the information shared was intended to be made public anyway, as opposed to it being information that wasnt ever supposed to get out. But OP gets to choose what they think the coworkers motivations may have been. My boss and I had a very serious conversation about it, and I think the only reason I was not fired was that I immediately and unequivocally took responsibility. Im thinking of the Elizabeth who went on a 20-email rage about being called Liz, or even the old 1970s memos from the Tiger Oil CEO that found new viral life in the digital age. We dont know if the coworker intentionally or mistakenly misrepresented the scope of OPs disclosure. 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. If its something that would be a big deal for LWs friends news outlet to report first, not being able to say anything to the reporters who could write about it even, hey, I hear this might happen, you should make some calls! It doesnt, but we still shouldnt state assumptions like facts if theyre not supported by whats said in the letter and theres nothing wrong with Michaela pointing it out. I had to learn the hard way, Im afraid, but I did learn. My guess is that the LW was fired for a first offense because they refused to take responsibility for their breach. Its to LWs friends credit that she didnt pass on the info to a journalistic colleague who DOES work in that area; its not to LWs credit. It shouldnt happen but Id understand if it did. If nothing exculpatory came out in that meeting then maybe firing was the appropriate response. 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. I encourage you to get involved with PRSA. Im sorry but it would definitely be a good idea to recognise that this is a really big deal and learn from it. Good luck! That doesnt seem to be you, which is a great sign. Yeah, Im wondering that too. Fired. I am very, very lucky. When they call for a reference, many employers will absolutely say if you were fired or laid off, and they will give detailed references. At some workplaces, the hiring process includes security checks that even go into your social media profile, blogs, etc, to see whether your personal communications display a suitable level of discretion. ), Im guessing it was something more like: trouble, it doesnt seem applicable. If she really understood or valued confidentiality, she would not be trying to convince us of how victimless this was. The focus moving forward should be about realizing how serious a problem it was, how badly you feel about it, and how youre committed to not making the same mistake again. You might have to take a step back in your career to come back from it but you can you bounce back. Nah, I think the odds of whats super exciting to a government agency being equally exciting to me are pretty slim. On the other hand maybe they didnt listen to her or believe her, and in that case shes been fired based on a misunderstanding but that doesnt help her because what she actually did wasnt OK either. Instead, youre better off with something like, The truth is, I was fired. Theres no such thing as blind-siding once youve committed an infraction and people have to act on it. You shouldnt be upset at your coworker, if anything she should be upset with you for putting her in that situation. You violated your contract so your previous employer had little choice but to let you go - your new employer will understand this but if you show them you've accepted responsibility for it and will make sure never to do that again then I think you've got a good chance of getting another position. Its helped me when a friend has told me something in confidence but I really need to talk about it for whatever reason. I recall a year or so into this administration at least a couple federal departments making A Big Deal out of leaks because it seemed like every other story (usually negative) was quoting an anonymous source sharing sensitive information they werent authorized to release. Equally, when we had a client who does the same job role as someone I know, I had to completely embargo that piece of information in my head, because I know that its a small field and my friend might recognise the detail I thought was vague enough to be anonymous. I have information that I have kept confidential for more than a decade that I know the patients wife does not even know (think undisclosed criminal record). Which is so far beyond the truth Im honestly wondering if this coworker had it out for me the whole time. You broke a rule and you have to take responsibility. Finally I decided to own it at the next interview and I got the job. as a manager, should I not wear a childless shirt in my off-hours? I dont know. They got caught. Thats a good friend but you put her in a bad position. This is what I wanted to say but you said it better. The rules are severe because people need externals to keep them motivated. And it makes sense that it is. You may want to target less security-sensitive industries or environments until you've worked up enough of a resume after this event to show that you're reliable. If you shared something with me that I didnt ask you about or probe for, and just knowing it could jeopardize my reputation or career you bet your ass Id share it with our manager. Ive definitely been guilty of sharing exciting but not-yet-announced news with colleagues. Gossage said he believed he was speaking in confidence to someone he trusted implicitly, but the story subsequently appeared in the Sunday Times, to the dismay and rage of the author of the Harry Potter books.. If people really need jobs, they need to act like they really need jobs. Perhaps the email was intended for a client in which case the clients data is at risk and the sender has inadvertently committed a data leak. 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). While the 911 caller believes criminal charges are appropriate, that is a matter for the district attorney to decide. As a communicator, youre likely to be privy to confidential information on a regular basis during the course of your career, and if that information leaks for any reason, it could have serious repercussions for the organization especially if its a government body. How exciting! and I started reading the details from the email out loud to him. But your friends profession means you often cant share these types of things with her because of other peoples perceptions about it they dont know your friend, and while she may take off the record seriously, some journalists dont and your coworkers have no way of knowing which type of journalist she is. 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. There are offenses, especially regarding releasing items, that would be serious enough to warrant immediate dismissal. We need to be careful about using terms like victimless mistake. It would have been nice- but Im sure the coworker was also pooping masonry. The protected classes are race, age (40+), sex, national origin, religion, or disability. This disclosure was not inadvertent, and trying to frame it that way could backfire pretty hard. She did her job. Obviously leaking to one journalist that youre friends with is better than leaking to a whole Slack channel full of them, but partly because its possible to do the first innocently, whereas theres no question of innocence with the latter. Im so sorry and I will never do anything like that again.. Be careful. Our actions and our thoughts can definitely be wrong, but calling someones feelingswhich they have little to no control overwrong (or, dead wrong with double asterisks), only contributes to shame and self-loathing. Including their reputation being damaged. how do I tell employers I was fired for a video I put on YouTube? i think we often send the message (societally) that making someone feel bad is a mean thing to do; its not. My (unclear) point is that there are some options for OP that extend beyond you can never share anything before its public with anyone ever and completely change career tracks.. I can remember almost exactly what I said: It was wrong of me to put that information out. Its hard though, and its a skill thats learnt over time. Since this incident, Ive taken steps like [saving journalist friends as contacts in a different phone, deleting my Slack channel, etc. Im literally barred by policy from opening up my own files unless theres a work related reason I could lay out to do so. How did you talk to your boss about the slack channel full of journalists? Were you able to correct the factual mistake in context, and what phrasing did you use? Youre heading in the right direction, and youve also gotten some really good advice. Im a journalist and Id concur and depending on how sensitive/important the information was, and what a big deal it was when it did break, you might have put your friend in a tough spot at her job by giving her a news tip she couldnt pursue or share with her colleagues. You can bet Id be gone with no second chance despite my almost-20-years and ton of good work. I realize you want to minimize your mistake! In my experience, it was highly effective. Ethically, you dont have to do anything. Show prospective employers that you can reflect on your actions and learn from mistakes, because thats not at all what Im seeing here. You just seem to still want an answer and I picked up on this as a possible avenue to reflect on in your letter. Things worked out this time, so I was right! Thats the person were gonna call the blabbermouth in this situation? Yup! This was all public information, but the original report was work product of Company A even if it had originally been created by the coworker. 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. Thats not really a response to the OP but more a pushback on some the comments. She IS a rat! But it sounds like it doesnt really matter that HR jumbled the details because neither was a permitted thing to do anyway. Theres beating themselves up, but then theres also understanding and feeling properly appalled that they did something really unconscionable. But despite how liberal weve gotten with sharing information, you really do have to be very strict about upholding confidentiality policies without making any exceptions. Contact the recipient Get in touch with the recipient as soon as you notice the mistake and ask them to delete the email without reading or sharing it. While it didnt result in any press, it was obviously a major lapse in judgment and I understand why it resulted in my termination. OP, please do not take this comment string seriously, because internalizing these statements will severely harm your ability to address your error effectively. You can get through this, but be honest with yourself! And it seems like you do. Much safer. Agreed, except for this: a journalist, who by profession is at risk for leaking said confidential information. Because when your mentor is a coworker at the same employer, you cannot, cannot speak as freely. But I now realize that I had no business sharing my bad behavior with colleagues it put them into a completely untenable position. Im assuming the LW plead their case and filled in relevant information. Heres one: You work for the Census Bureau , which runs demographic surveys beyond the decennial Census, and came across [popular celebrity]s personal info, perhaps noting they live near you. The fact that you were surprised and angry (to the point of calling her a rat, essentially) speaks to the fact that you actually do NOT know who you can expect to keep things secret, at least not as well as you think. LW, people in the comments are also ragging on you for being upset with your coworker but frankly, I would be mad too! Its very dangerous to OPs professional reputation to assume OP can trust anyone who is unauthorized, including a good friend, with embargoed information. 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. In this case you will get a second chance it will just be with another employer. +10. That said, if this was going to be public anyways, your boss may have been inclined to write you up rather than fire you if you were sufficiently remorseful/petrified/mortified. They take information security and confidentiality so seriously that they make delivery people who come to the offices sign an NDA just in case they were in the elevator with Sam Jackson. Perhaps over official lines it could be interpreted by the journalist as on the record comments. Reporting misconduct is the right thing to do, and thats how an interviewer is going to see it. And that doesnt even take into account that I could be prosecuted for divulging any private information. Its so very context and field dependent. The damage from most leaks isnt visible until much later, but it can be massive. 27 April 2021. A while back I had a coworker/friend who created a memo, for our company A, all based on publicly available information, along with suggestions and comments by the coworker. Thats a horrendously burdensome thing to ask! We wont tell anyone. 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. Even in the private sector, there is information that is classified, sensitive or commercially in confidence and not to be shared. 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. 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. Lack of the maturity to keep exciting news to onesself. I used to handle accounts, but could not handle my own. I had the same thoughtthat was very unwise. 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.. You knew better. I work for a public universitys PR office and I 100% know Id be fired if I shared info with anyone before pub date. The type of violation you are talking about normally only applies to confidential (shall close) records and not non-public (may close) records. I do have to wonder if the hospital failed to educate its employees on how freaking serious that kind of breach was, although Id still put the failure on the feet of the violators. Same applies here as you stated. Thats a flat out easy to uncover lie. Your coworker was not at all in the wrong here, OP. It was the wrong thing to do, and Im sorry. The info I released did not in fact cause any problems, but I tremble now because it so easily could have, in even slightly different circumstances. It can be exciting to know whats going to happen before it happens, even when the news itself isnt *that* thrilling. If you were fired for an embarrassing reason that would torpedo your chances in an interview, say that your position was eliminated. Oof this is so condescending! I found out accidentally.) Share information about a company merging before its publicly announced? Interpretations, justifications, conceptualizations can also be wrong, surely. I felt as defensive and upset as you. If the policy says people who tell information to non authorized individuals must be fired they could have been fired for not firing you. Yeah, its like that line from Horton Hears A Who. As I read it, LWs friend couldnt pass the information along at all. The first person needs to understand that most of the time, you arent entitled to negotiate a yes, because the answer is no. According to Tessian research, over half (58%) of employees say they've sent an email to the wrong person. Contact the GDPR manager at once. And Im not saying it was fair or unfair or whether your previous employer made the right call. I wouldnt be obligated by anything other than displaced loyalty if I wanted to try to be squirrelly of course but I respect myself way too much and have my own standards to just keep quiet about things. MUCH stronger. Not necessarily for the leaking but for the way youre talking about it. Life may not look better in 6 months but I bet it does in 3 years. Its a bigger deal because that friend is a journalist. Confidentiality, especially in government, is no joke and should be taken very seriously. Because she knows other journalists who do cover your area and one of them just might need a serious break right when she knows this information. People working on campaigns get to be privy to all sorts of information that is not intended to be public. 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. Goes a long way to being the right way to describe this. I actually think this was a little rough of her mentor. But the other person she spoke to, her coworker, told others, and somehow that message (of who and how she leaked it) got twisted into something much worse. (Most companies that use these kinds of scanners dont let employees know. I got that impression as well and have had younger coworkers who sent random, very personal info to me in texts. 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. 2.) confusedabouteverything Forumite. It may be unfair to assume a journalist is cutthroat and would kill for a lead, but its also nave to assume they wouldnt let anything slip to the exact wrong person. No checking out salary information permitted! I was new, too eager to please, naive and I let the client rush me instead of following established protocol. It only takes a minute to sign up. Phrase it as a serious learning point, because you sure as hell aren't going to do it again after getting fired. Plenty of folks are friends in my business lobbyists, journalists, staffers you cant lose control of your impulse to share information.