can you get fired for accidentally sending confidential information

But at the end of the day, Alison is right. Now I just leave and cry and deal with the long-term consequences, like never moving up. This is one of those very serious offenses for which there are no second chances in many organizations, even when the breach is accidental or through slop practices and not intentional. So, if you find out that company X is going to be reporting a surprising drop in profits next week, the person in the company who told you this is gone. No 2nd chance especially because you knew it was a no-no before you shared. In a job interview, how do I explain why I was fired? Am I likely to be rehired after being fired for misconduct? I just think it serves OP to choose a more benign explanation because it will help OP deal with the fall out of the situation going forward. 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. it doesnt count as they reported themselves if they later say they were ratted out by the person they reported it to. I think that speaks to exactly why this was such a breach, though. The fact that the LW just couldnt resist sharing this tidbit should have been a red flag that maybe her friend couldnt, either. I do not believe in using it for personal gain, even the minor personal gain of sharing juicy secrets with someone. If anyone required training to answer FALSE! 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. Sure but I think its highly unlikely that someone at OPs level would have access to that. Can an Employee Be Fired for Posting on Facebook? - The Balance 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. 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.. Ive had to fire someone in a one-strike situation for what I genuinely believe was an honest mistake because it was too big a risk to keep that person on staff going forward. Don't worry, you're not alone. It being Silicon Valley, not only was the phone found, it was immediately identified for what it was. Thank you it was getting boring to read everyones outrage. How to get feedback on application rejections sent from a noreply mailbox, Is it bad to answer "Why/how did you get into that job" with "Because I just wanted a job". You simply let the sender know you've received it by accident, then they can rectify their mistake and you can delete the email. I wont get into too many details, but where I work had a plan that was controversial and there was both opposition to it, internal and external. I felt as defensive and upset as you. It would have been better if she had told you first that she was going to tell someone I dont feel like we need that caveat though, there of course will be exceptions, but this is kinda derailing. (Even if its not an area she covers, she likely knows the person who does, and journalists share tips/info all the time.). Letting stuff out early could mean that goes off with a whimper instead of a bang and might be a financial difference in driving extra purchases for that initial season, and the implication of The Things staying power if it doesnt do well enough during that time. That being said, it doesnt change the fact that OP shouldnt have done it anyway, so harboring ill will towards this coworker is pointless. The penalty for breach of confidentiality isn't restricted to employees who have . Understandably, the agency had to let me go. Something to show that you didnt get caught you confessed. How do I tell potential future employers why I got fired and have them still want to hire me? Well, you certainly can do that, but its one hell of a risk, and a continuation of poor ethics. Funny story: My mom used to call the bank I worked at where she had an account. I would have ratted you out too. OP is in a pickle for sure. See Rule 1.2 (d). Things can be the way they are for understandable reasons and you can still feel like crap about it. Thank you for following up with Alison and here in the comments, and Im sorry for what youre going through. That was the profound breach of the OPs duty. That has an impact on real estate values and could make a government employee excited. Count your blessings that you just got fired. It also wasnt illegal to share it, because it was about a program or something that has now publicly been announced, so this doesnt even fall under the criminal aspect brought up in the original comment. So far that has not happened. 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. Bank Sends Sensitive E-mail to Wrong Gmail Address, Sues Google 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). If there were excetions, that would be explicitly stated. 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). LW, we are all human. Once its out, you have no control over it. Someone would then check into it to see if there was a valid reason for someone to be poking at it. We dont even know where the LW is; Alison has gotten letters from outside of the United States before. that one would be unable to resist texting a friend. Hard disagree. On the non-security side of things its fascinating to learn what the folks in the booth behind me are working on as Im quietly eating lunch, but its a serious security violation to discuss that kind of thing in public and it makes me cringe so hard when it happens. Lack of the maturity to keep exciting news to onesself. Yes, this was a fireable offence, but Im less interested in the nuances of violating confidentiality than in the bigger picture question I have done something where I really screwed up how do I move on? (Someone above mentioned someone bringing a gun to work (Dwight? Perhaps something like the announcement of the new Amazon HQ? "It is likely not private if the employee used the employer . The protected classes are race, age (40+), sex, national origin, religion, or disability. 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. Your feelings are wrong, in this context means,Your feelings arent *morally* wrong.. Yes, when I worked at a financial firm I believe that exact question was on a privacy training test: If I run across the name of a celebrity in the client management system while performing my duties, its okay to tell friends and family about it, True or False?. Regulation people have heard of is going to be changed/repealed and its a big deal This is not about a public records requestits about how information is released to the public before that information becomes public. Or if youd like to start a trial, get in touch and well be more than happy to arrange a free demo with your IT team. She IS a rat! 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. Moving on from that company is probably a mixed blessing. This includes understanding what you did wrong and explaining how you might have approached this in future (hint: ask boss, transfer via encrypted USB if necessary and allowed. Access rules are very, very strict, and there are reminders all the time. The details dont really matter. 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. I gossip too much, including at work. No checking out salary information permitted! This will suck for a long time writing this post has made me feel anxious thinking about my own lapses and consequences from years ago but it all works out in the end. Accidents or mistakes are bound to happen. While some employers will accept the I take personal accountability and heres how I address it path, this probably does remove some employers from consideration. 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. It may help in your next position to transpose your thinking around these things a bit. I was fired over the phone. (And thats before you tack on that LW thought it wasnt SO bad because he told Journalist Jason, who can keep a secret, as opposed to Reporter Robert, whos a real sieve.). It stinks but in this industry, thats a deal-breaker for many. Im also a public affairs officer for a government agency- one that almost exclusively deals with highly classified information. Can You Be Fired for Sending Personal E-Mails at Work? Not advising you to lie, but you can present the circumstances in as flattering manner as you like. Eh, if a waitress at a homey diner calls everyone honey, I wouldnt call it condescending. Resist the temptation to gossip about fellow employees and don't express your disdain for your. Other agencies will provide title and dates, and whether you are eligible for rehire. I will add that I consider neither my cats nor Jesus to be imaginary; the connection was someone you wouldnt get in trouble for sharing with. OP, Im sure in your excitement you truly didnt think there was anything wrong with telling your friend, someone you trust implicitly to remain discreet. The info is out, the tech used to spread it is irrelevant and a distraction from the problem. In this case you will get a second chance it will just be with another employer.