Lesson 4. Confidentiality in The Workplace

Work
Immersion
Lesson 4
Confidentiality in the
Workplace
Work Immersion
Confidentiality
 Confidentiality is the protection of
personal information.
Work Immersion
Confidentiality
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.
Work Immersion
The types of information that is considered
confidential can include:
1. name, date of birth, age, sex and address
2. current contact details of family, guardian etc
3. bank details
4. medical history or records
5. personal care issues
Work Immersion
6. service records and file progress notes
7. individual personal plans
8. assessments or reports
9. guardianship orders
10. incoming or outgoing personal
correspondence.
Work Immersion
Other information relating to ethic or
racial origin, political opinions,
religious or philosophical beliefs,
health or sexual lifestyle should also
be considered confidential.
Work Immersion
Maintaining confidentiality include:
1. Separate folders should be kept for both all
employees form and employee medical
information.
2. All confidential documents should be stored in
locked file cabinets or rooms accessible only
to those who have a business “need-to-know.”
3. All confidential information should be protected
via firewalls, encryption and passwords.
Work Immersion
3. Employees should clear their desks of any
confidential information before going home at
the end of the day.
4. Employees should refrain from leaving confidential
information visible on their computer monitors when
they leave their work stations.
5. All confidential information, whether contained

on written documents or electronically, should be
marked as “confidential.”
Work Immersion
6. All confidential information should be disposed
of properly .
7. Employees should refrain from discussing
confidential
information in public places.
8. Employees should avoid using e-mail to transmit

certain sensitive or controversial information.
Work Immersion
9. Limit the acquisition of confidential client data
(e.g., social security numbers, bank accounts,
or driver’s license numbers) unless it is integral to
the business transaction and restrict access on
a “need-to-know’ basis.
10. Before disposing of an old computer, use software
programs to wipe out the data contained on the
computer or have the hard drive destroyed.
Work Immersion
Confidential Workplace
Three Categories
1. Employee Information
Many states have laws which govern the
confidentiality and disposal of “personal
identifying information”
a. an employee’s Social Security number,
b. home address or telephone number,
c. e-mail address,
d. Internet identification name or password,
Three Categories
1. Employee Information
Many states have laws which govern the
confidentiality and disposal of “personal
identifying information”
e. parent’s surname prior to marriage,

f. driver’s license number,
g. employee medical and disability information
Three Categories
2. Management Information
Confidential management information includes
discussions about employee relations issues,
a. disciplinary actions,
b. impending layoffs/reductions-in-force,
c. terminations,
d. workplace investigations of employee
misconduct.
Three Categories
3. Business Information
We oftentimes refer to confidential business
information as “proprietary information” or
“trade secrets.” This refers to information
that’s not generally known to the public and
would not ordinarily be available to
competitors by illegal or improper means.
Three Categories
a. Common examples of “trade secrets”
b. business plans,
c. financial data,
d. budgets and forecasts,
e. computer programs and data compilation,
Three Categories
f. client/customer lists,
g. ingredient formulas and recipes,
h. membership or employee lists,
i. supplier lists
Importance of Confidentiality in
Workplace
Confidentiality is important for a lot of varied
reasons. The data pertaining to recruitment,
compensation, and management of employees is
naturally sensitive. In the wrong hands, this
information could be misused to commit fraud,
discrimination, and other violations. Some of the
important reasons for maintaining confidentiality are
as:
Workplace
1. Professionalism
To maintain a general degree of
professionalism, it is important that your personal
details remain personal. Disclose your personal
details to only a few people and that too with
discretion. Getting over-friendly with colleagues
is a major cause of office issues.
Workplace
2. Safety
Personal details like annual income, marital
status, and remuneration, if revealed, can
be misused to cause trouble to you or your
organization.
Workplace
3. Security
You may have access to sensitive information of
the organization and some of your personal
details, like date of birth, could be your access
code. In this case, maintaining confidentiality
becomes important for the security of the
information that is at your disposal.

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5. All confidential information, whether contained

8. Employees should avoid using e-mail to transmit

e. parent’s surname prior to marriage,

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