Challenge them directly and be sure that when they say it's okay to start at 9.30am, make sure they actually mean it, or don't do it. Compare someone in law enforcement happening to find out the (secret) address and phone number of their friend-groups favorite celebrity, or finding the contact information for the cutie in the convertible, after their roommate catches the license plate numberand sharing. Your contract can still be terminated if you violate a lawful . Thats the wrong lesson to learn. Im just explaining that the information was likely a non-public record and not a confidential record. Forgetting to attach a mentioned attachment is common, but still embarrassing. 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 was fired for technically breaking a rule but it was my first offense, and nothing bad actually happened, and Im definitely learned my lesson. Forgetting the attachment. I work in communications for a large organization and I see this as a trust issue with leadership. I get why maintaining confidentiality is important, and I understand why the OP was wrong in this particular situation, but balance is also needed. It all comes down to the nature of the data you are handling. She knew about a leak and didnt say anything, who knows what else she is helping to hide, My boss, in a well meaning way and to correct some weird barriers previously put in place by the person before him, told me openly that if Big Boss [aka the owner] asks you anything, just answer him, its all good, you dont need to filter things through me or anything., And I just tilted my head and laughed at him saying Even if you told me differently, I would tell him whatever he wants to know. Which given our relationship he just giggled and responded with of course and thats the way it should be.. A person who is aware of a breach is required to report it. The person you wronged is not obligated to give you that second chance with them. ), This didnt involve a records request. But there was no way we were actually going to get the contract now if they didnt. Im not sure you can conclude that it was publically disclosable. It would have been nice for her to warn you that she was going to report it, or even given you a chance to do it yourself so it would have gone over a bit better. This incident was a huge violation of trust. Or you mistyped her email by one letter and it went to a colleague who had no reason to respect the embargo? And if it is a part of that, the coworker was obligated to report it! Which is actually good most of us get making a mistake when were young, and really learning from it. what did you want to get out of sharing with her? Is it possible to rotate a window 90 degrees if it has the same length and width? Yes, this is the valuable lesson about how precarious trust is and how breaking it can have swift painful consequences! Site design / logo 2023 Stack Exchange Inc; user contributions licensed under CC BY-SA. Don't be me, is what I'm saying I guess! Well, this is both unkind and off-base. Dealing with an employee suspected of revealing confidential information So, the implication is actually the opposite of giving your feelings 100% credence its saying, separate how you feel from what you do. 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. This is a tough lesson to learn. Head of the department who everyone hates for non-scandal reasons is stepping down amid a scandal Best wishes! Or did you double down on not my fault, not a big deal, and co-worker shouldnt have said anything? Id say forgive that coworker NOWyou put her in a terrible position by being a big blabbering blabbermouth. However, if the message appears urgent to somebodys life or career, its likely youll want to consider stepping in. Understand the true risk of accidentally hitting send to the wrong person. Like I said, very strange but its worked for me. Its like pain (heck, it IS pain); its telling you something important. I dont want to beat up on the LW, but I do think they fundamentally need to understand that the loss of trust made it impossible for the agency to give you a second chance in this position. Same here! Sometimes its because someone could obtain an unfair benefit from early access to what will later become public information (e.g., think analogous to insider trading). Im curious about how to turn the page, and I think your advice is really good about this own it, let go of the defensiveness, be ready to talk about changes youve made so it wont happen again. LW, I work under some pretty hefty NDAs (currently, Im working on a project where the security protocols themselves are considered to be non-shareable with anyone who doesnt have a business need for them and hasnt also signed an NDA. You certainly don't need to blurt out a 5 minute monologue unprompted, but you do want to be ready to answer these questions because they will come up if you disclose what happened as you intend to. On other occasions, you might accidentally receive a confidential email with information meant for one person (or a few people) you know. I was often privy to non-public information because I was designing media campaigns around them. ! but you just cant. Dont fall for it. A first offense is still a breach in trust. I tell my team that if it leaks from us, they cannot work here. I, too, have made foolish mistakes that cost me a job. Based on it happening before GSA was born, this most likely happened on a land line. You believe your friend is trustworthy but, wow, the optics of sharing with a friend who is a journalist are really bad, and . LW already feels wronged. picture of male guinea fowl . You are allowed to feel your feels about things, so long as you understand the reality. For example, a lot of insider trading is based on the TIMING of someone finding out information. OP can come up with steps to fix the real problem in their future jobs, but they cant really fix an evil coworker. A little time isn't unreasonable. What am I doing wrong here in the PlotLegends specification? I wouldnt be surprised if there was a state or federal regulation that she violated by sharing that information. whatever you think is appropriate] to make sure it doesnt happen again.. If theyd covered up for her/not removed her access to confidential info and she did it again, their jobs would be on the line too the next time. The emotion is neutral; its what you do with it that counts. One day its pre-public FOUO information; what next? Once you realize that you are likely on the road to employment termination, you need to know that there are options: Responding To The Red Flags. I think in both cases, part of the concern is this retroactive removal of risk. Thats a big deal. Id had excellent feedback up until then (if this is true), but I mistakenly shared some non-public information with a friend outside the agency, and they let me go as a result. In this situation, it is acceptable to make 'fear of attachment' jokes. Can you get fired for using work email for personal use? Occasionally our clients have been in the media and have shared part of their story. Draft your UI forms and pre-write your objection to his unemployment on the grounds of "good cause" firing for willful misconduct- Then after all that you can fire him. Screw-ups happen. Can you get fired for a PERSONSAL email accidentally sent to a coworker This was actually a very kind way to get this point across. Yes, the ratted me out thing is probably not a fair assessment of what actually happened here. And I think you can share your excitement with others, just not the information. (Drunk driving is an extreme example of this. It only takes a minute to sign up. Possible scripting adjustment: I mistakenly shared some non-public information with a friend outside the agency before it was officially released to the public. I imagine optimal framing varies by industry and so Im not sure what to advise there. She cut a guys LVAD wires so that hed be bumped up to the top of the heart transplant donor list? For the other 2 questions, I would simply urge you to remove the phrase ratted out from your professional vocabulary. Show prospective employers that you can reflect on your actions and learn from mistakes, because thats not at all what Im seeing here. Even innocuous-sounding information, like the name of a database, can be a huge security risk. Oh honey, how young are you? Journalists get embargoed or off-the-record information all the time and are able to play by those rules. Thanks for answering! Well, you certainly can do that, but its one hell of a risk, and a continuation of poor ethics. The awareness that anything sent in your work email is subject to FOIA and open records requests really varies. This seems like a no-brainer to just not do, and if you did, certainly not to tell someone at work that you did this. Some seem to imply there is no reason ever to leak information, which isnt true. I remember the first time (as a teen) that I had something from a volunteer position that I had to keep my mouth shut on. I mean, yeah, absolutely! Sent a confidential email to the wrong address? If you live in a place where its illegal to shoot guns into the air, and you shoot a gun into the air and the bullet does not actually kill anyone in its fall, you have still broken the law and placed others in danger. People tend to share with trusted confidants/partners/etc. She screwed up, and they fired her because thats what she deserved. OP has been mature about admitting fault, lets not undermine that by implying it was no big deal. 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. Take full responsibility. Please keep us updated and let us know how things work out for you. But I cant talk about the specifics of that scene. One Employee's Accidental Email Leads To A Significant Data Breach She got paid to pose as Roeders* mistress, once. Yet, the subordinates were not pleased! Thats the person were gonna call the blabbermouth in this situation? Yeah it totally sucks but now you at least have a chance to start fresh. That was a stressful week for all concerned. In this situation, I reported myself is simply false, given OPs expectation that her mentor wouldnt pass along what she knew to anyone else. I work in retail, and the company has yearly mandatory training on How to handle confidential info. I work in the auto industry in media communications. If anything went down, you could say But Older Coworker knew! If you embezzle from the company and tell a coworker who then reports it, the mistake is embezzlement, not telling a coworker about it. If you hadnt told your co-worker, then they could not have ratted you out. So, he learns about things at the same time as the public, and he just knows when Im extra busy because theres a big release coming, or someone messed something up, etc. Later the coworker left the company and at company B was asked to write a similar report for the new company. You knew better. This technique requires extra steps, but it . Penalizing or firing such employees may lead to the loss of good talent and even create a negative impact on employee morale. Confidential information is meant to be confidential and not shared with anyone. Im sorry it happened to you, though, and it definitely stinks. Only hope going forward is own up flatly and without defensiveness . Likewise, LW needed to understand that you dont get a next time not to tell anyone confidential information just because you get it now that they meant it when they said the information was confidential. Age is hardly an indicator of a persons ability to consistently make the best choices at all times. I completely agree that in the long run, this was a kindness. Or, she just needs to buy a journal and write the good news, and her feelings about same, down and go on with her job. This is essential to sanction the employee and also send out a clear . Weve all made mistakes. Whether she is under FOIA or a state public records law, there are a lot of rules about non-disclosure of certain information. reading. If youre excited that your agency is moving into a new building or buying land someone could buy up the new building or land ahead of time for profit. Like, its so obviously wrong that people dont even talk about it. On other occasions, you might accidentally receive a confidential email with information meant for one person (or a few people) you know. President issuing an executive order on (issue the agency deals with) I work as a contractor on a program that just announced 10 new cities will be joining. She can come to value the lesson while seeing it all clearly. (the confessional? 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. How do I make amends and go about apologizing to former manager(s) after being dismissed for gross misconduct? [important person 1] and [important person 2] are coming to my office for a press conference. I accidentally sent the email about the female coworker to this other female coworker. Also ratty. Actually advertising is not going to be any better. Everything from whats going to be on sale for Black Friday, to customer financial data. Does that matter? Basically, one of the key ways that spies get information is by social engineering picking up seemingly minor information through friendly chat that they can then combine together to make more.

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