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. Oof this is so condescending! 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. As I said below, that may be why you werent given a second chance. Im excited about the project I started today or Something cool is happening at work would be fine to say in most situations. I screwed up in grad school and had to go in front of an IRB board for being sent information that I hadnt gotten full clearance for. ugh, no if you cant tell them the actual news, dont tease it. I think thats a ridiculous overreach but whatever). 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. Alisons words are great to have prepared, and be super clear that you understand it was a problem, it was bad, and you take it very seriously. Even if the coworker had malicious intentions, they were following privacy laws and regulations. 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. I got defensive and young from OPs response. But would the government do that? Yet, the subordinates were not pleased! This is why you never ever confidentially share work-related things with colleagues. (the confessional? Build sneaky protections into your life so you get away with violating important rules is NOT what LW needs to learn. 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. I guess you just say I inadvertently let an important piece of information get out and I will take extraordinary safeguards to never let that happen again. Ive only had a very general idea of what my husband does since 2002, because he cant tell me. I think in both cases, part of the concern is this retroactive removal of risk. Same here (investing). That, and I never slapped another plucky again. Theres no mitigating circumstance here. This is 100% on you. The thing is though, you dont get credit for leaking to a trustworthy person who decides not to hang you out to dry. If we think about this, not only did she trust her journalist friend, she trusted her coworker not to tell anyone either. I think it helps that you told your coworker. We were interviewing someone who had broken the #1 cardinal ethical rule in our industry (a branch of health care). I would have ratted you out too. The heads on spikes of the modern workplace. Some offenses are so serious that you immediately get fired. Quite recently, a client of my firm contacted us to say they had heard staff in a bar gossiping about another client. 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 very possible that LW could think what happened to me wasnt totally fair and still accept full responsibility for it during interviews (which is obviously the smart thing to do). And Im happy to report that I have never shared that news (still remember it bcs this was so hard that first time!). Until the boys parents threw the uncle out. 1964 is what I remember. Back in the dinosaur era (early 80s) the directors secretary was the only one tasked with typing up yearly evaluations on high-level staff. Within hours, there were writeups on tech blogs about the new iPhone before its official release. You arent entitled to a second chance to screw this up. I used to work at a government agency and it was super hard to get fired so I can understand your consternation. You are allowed to feel your feels about things, so long as you understand the reality. Ive been in the position of having the relevant information, and even if its hard, you just cant tell your journalist friends unless youre okay with them using it: its what they do, and its not fair to ask them not to. Oh my. Its also totally understandable that youre disappointed about losing your job, but they might have just considered that kind of confidentiality breach too much of a risk going forward. You might add to Alisons script, I knew immediately that I needed to report my indiscretion, and I did so right away. This is a very astute comment, especially your last paragraph. If someone used the words ratted me out or told on me in an interview, that would be pretty much an immediate DQ for me as it shows a total lack of personal responsibility and maturity. Gov employee here and I would be in trouble as well for not reporting what LW told coworker. "Compose the email, and only then go back and enter the address (es)," he says. Second coworker only was put on an improvement plan. 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. Yup! 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. Don't be me, is what I'm saying I guess! Noooooo. Your contract can still be terminated if you violate a lawful . That said, is there any reason you need to answer these questions? As the other commenter noted, this could have been a very serious offence considering you were working for the government. the coworker probably was obligated to report it But that was the right response to what you did. The mistake may not have been trusting the friend with that information, but it was definitely telling her. If anything went down, you could say But Older Coworker knew! Yeah, Im wondering that too. I DEFinitely sometimes shared those tidbits with friends and family who were big tiger/hippo/etc fans. She was fired for the leak to the single friend, the slack channel thing was a brief misunderstanding but shes annoyed it ever happened. They must always assume the worst case anyway. This is mostly a matter of describing your motivation appropriately, and in this respect "At that time, I did not realize" does a better job of conveying that your basis of judgment has changed in the course of that experience than a mere "I did not realize" would. If you had the same role in a public company, you could have have been fired because of regulations preventing insider trading. Contact the unintended recipient It's a good idea to contact the unintended recipient as soon as you realize the error. A recent Harvard Business Review article indicated widespread use in the workplace, with over one third of the US . If you open a phishing email and it results in your company's confidential information being compromised, your employer may fire you. That was not an enjoyable situation at all. 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. The awareness that anything sent in your work email is subject to FOIA and open records requests really varies. OP, take a deep breath. If you talk about sensitive stuff in public you best be sure youre actually anonymizing what you have to say. Libel or slander or posting comments about individuals that are not related to your work environment are not protected. I would absolutely be fired for checking out things for curiosity, I only have access in the first place so I can see whether people are currently clocked in (if you change their access to something while they are actively using it, odd things happen, so I need to check to see if they clocked in that day before I begin). Check out this article on that HERE. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. As someone who works in PR/comms, my recommendation is to tell future employers the truth and emphasize what youve learned: For me, that was it. If its the government, theyd be defending Area 51 unless its a false flag operation, and the point is for the invasion to occur, but show nothing suspicious, because the government already relocated all the aliens! A senior UK diplomat has resigned over the matter. 2007-2023. So, are you clear about the severity of your action and the significance of this rule? As in I am so, so sorry! Is it FOUO though? Its not an obligation to confront. Youre not in a gang or on a schoolyard playground or fighting with your sibling in the backseat of the family station wagon. Heres what to do. And calling this victimless isnt a helpful framing; if you do something thats clearly forbidden and could result in real harm, thats a problem even if no harm resulted this time. Normally it can be resolved by contacting the person you wrote to by mistake, and get in writing that they have deleted it without doing anything with it. However, placing the blame on the coworker for the entire situation, even just in her own head, is likely to come though when she talks about why she was fired. I thought it was over. I can remember almost exactly what I said: It was wrong of me to put that information out. It made it seem like some part of OP still feels hard done by, rather than really getting it. Second, OP should never have told their friend, trusted or notthe problem is that OP should not ave disclosed it to anyone. Leaking to the press can come with criminal penalties and you need to be very careful with how you report illegal/dangerous information for your own protection. I am replying under Engineer Girl for a reason. Yup, landline. For the other 2 questions, I would simply urge you to remove the phrase ratted out from your professional vocabulary. Hard disagree. I was dismissed for a breach of confidentiality. Extremely good advice! one last post-script: this person wasnt super good at their job, but was a teammate i worked closely with, and doubt they had been put on a PIP prior to this. If you are still defensive or dismissive about this, it will come through in an interview. Maybe a different (and appropriately mortified) approach from the OP in those meetings would of had a different result or maybe not! but the approach in the letter definitely would have convinced me to let her go if I was on the fence. Yeah it totally sucks but now you at least have a chance to start fresh. 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. And even more so in ballistic missile submarines! Just *looking* at the account would get you noticed and your hand slapped (if you were lucky). Is anyone else dying to know what the information was? And then that coworker did tell someone, and she was fired. All the meanwhile you're still trying to run a successful business and handling other things that are coming up. As someone who practices public relations, calling this victimless gives me a lot of anxiety. And they also need to have an acute understanding that the timing of disclosure makes a HUGE, TREMENDOUS difference. 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. In some cases, there can even be criminal charges for knowingly releasing certain information. OP, specifically following up with Alisons advice above, you were fired because you showed your employer that your first reaction when learning about confidential information was to text (1) someone outside of your company who was not authorized to know that information and (2) someone who was a journalist, who by profession is at risk for leaking said confidential information EVEN IF you only know them as a friend and EVEN IF you promise pinky swear that they would never ever do that. I want to caveat that when I originally wrote this, it had just happened and I was still extremely emotional about it, which is probably why I chose to leave out important information in my initial question. Understand the true risk of accidentally hitting send to the wrong person. Judgement errors tend to repeat themselves. It still sucks, but its not really personal per se, and perhaps it will help a little bit to think of it that way. Loved your opening act for Insolent Children, btw. I agree that you can learn how to share without breaching confidentiality. You really think a lawyer would publicly (extremely publicly) admit to doing something he hadnt done, for which he was sanctioned and fined by regulators, and permanently ruin his own reputation in the process? There are people who would refuse to acknowledge their error and go about their lives being bitter and blaming others. Ill add one point: You dont know that she didnt leak it. I stopped when my boss had a stern talk with me about it, but also because I noticed that I was getting the bad news later, too (other people at my level were told about layoffs the night before, I was told shortly before the companywide announcement) and I realized I was getting a reputation as someone who could not be trusted to keep my mouth shut. If you had stayed they would have never trusted you again.. The embargoes I deal with are not earth-shaking (or even quivering), but the people involved are dead serious about not publicizing the information before a specific time. Unfortunately there are certain positions where you dont get a second chance when the error knowingly breaking a rule. Its not possible to catch every mistake or typo over the course of a whole career. OOPS! Thank you it was getting boring to read everyones outrage. What probably really hurt the OPs case was that the friend is a journalist. The person you wronged is not obligated to give you that second chance with them. This was more or less what I was thinking. In that case its not so relevant that there was a misunderstanding. You added nuance that I hadnt thought about. I think if the OP had framed the situation as, how can I get another job after being fired for being a whistleblower after I shared important but unfortunately confidential information with a journalist because the public has a right to know, these comments would be very different. (Im not from the US, and not in government) If I were in OPs place, I would also be upset and feel betrayed. I thoughtlessly mentioned an embargoed announcement to a longtime friend in journalism before it was public. Like I said, very strange but its worked for me. After all, nobody wants to tell their manager that they might (however accidentally) be responsible for a data breach. And that wasnt even technically confidential. Specifics dont matter, but to me, being able to explain you told your friend your employer was about to buy this farm to build a park so they bought the farm so they could raise the price and make a profit would make a huge difference in terms of making the OP aware of the consequences of their actions. Your first step should be to contact your old HR department and ask about their policies for reference checks. Understandably, the agency had to let me go. Something to show that you didnt get caught you confessed. But I cant talk about the specifics of that scene. Employees who violate their companies' email policies can face penalties ranging from disciplinary action to termination. Take full responsibility. Eh, if a waitress at a homey diner calls everyone honey, I wouldnt call it condescending. 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. PRSA is an excellent suggestion! Also, she wasnt a journalist I ever interacted with professionally shes a friend Ive had for years. If there were excetions, that would be explicitly stated. The issue of whether HIPAA information can be emailed is complicated. Also, Im so done with people using the phrase ratted me out. Im not trying to beat up on the OP; goodness, Ive done similar things and felt the same way she does! We are not in kindergarten. 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. Letter writer: If youre still dealing with this emotionally, focus on the facts. YOU know you wouldnt do it again, but nobody else can really know that. (Most companies that use these kinds of scanners dont let employees know. Yeah. I previously worked as a journalist. I had the same thoughtthat was very unwise. I empathize, having both been in government service where the people can let the boundaries get too loose and, separately, had a career-breaking moment in a toxic workplace. Whats not fine is trying to take somebody elses, or dramatically moping about it until someone gives me theirs. Im very aware of that reality, so I confine my work email to work stuff only. If you cant keep your mouth shut then you need a new line of work. Share information about the new roller coaster being put in at a theme park? One colleague really didnt like the plan, and he was communicating with people who were organizing opposition to it using his work email. This is so well said. And while you felt mad at coworker, really youre mad at yourself. Lack of integrity. If something like this would help, maybe try it. Excitedly texting confidential, FOUO information to a friend who happens to be a journalist, unconscious of the optics and real potential harm? Including their reputation being damaged. Oh, so LW cant keep a secret from her reporter friend or her coworker, but were ragging on the coworker for not keeping LWs secret? I personally just try to forget that I know until the information becomes public. Lack of rigor. And depending on the circumstances, if the co-worker knew you broke the rules and didnt report it, then THEY could be in trouble also. If you break certain unspoken rules, you can lose your job or ruin your career. 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. Thats a horrendously burdensome thing to ask! OP notes that she is a government employee. 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. I know there are cases where someone might fear retaliation etc, but with a higher up getting a subordinate into (deserved sorry OP!) I would have been fired if I did any one of the things OP did when I worked for the feds (e.g., using Slack, speaking to a journalist without authorization even if they were a long-time friend, disclosing soon-to-be-public information before it was publicly available). 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 . The best case scenario is former company only verifies employment. Please keep reflecting on this. about your coworker reporting you, betrayed and hard done by, is the way your employer feels about you. Because they turned out to not be trustworthy. So Id do what Alison says here, and save your OMG I cant keep this in confessions for your pets. I want to encourage you to drill deeper on something you said in your letter: I did feel guilty. It's a good idea to own it and let your management know. That functions differently from confidential information in government sectors and sounds closer to your examples in your original comments, but it would still be a really bad idea to share that information. Not me. Received someone elses confidential email? You're fired for violation but convince the Dept of Labor that no one without an IT degree could ever understand your policy. Even innocuous-sounding information, like the name of a database, can be a huge security risk. How to handle a hobby that makes income in US. When you accidentally receive a confidential from someone within your own organisation, things are pretty simple. Communications professionals are privy to so many deals and information that cant be divulged to even spouses until they become public. Later when I moved on, it became my absolute best interview topic when asked about a mistake and how I handled it. how do I get out of an active-shooter drill at my office? When I was a journalist I did not appreciate people giving me tips I couldnt use! This disclosure was not inadvertent, and trying to frame it that way could backfire pretty hard. this is one of the reasons why its best to have a mentor who is NOT at the same company as you. There isnt really such thing as a rat in the workplace.
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