Confidentiality in the Workplace

Keeping private information from getting into the wrong hands.

In today’s competitive market, confidentiality is considered highly essential to the success of any organization. Every employee is responsible for handling all company information with care and cautiousness. No information should be disclosed to a third party unless proper permissions were obtained. This is because if it gets into the wrong hands, it can be considered as a breach of confidentiality and you may even be terminated for it. Since your ability to maintain confidentiality can have a profound effect on the success of your career, Akhtaboot is here with a number of tips to help you master the art of keeping confidential information, confidential!

Sharing Information on a Need to Know Basis

While keeping employees informed of organizational plans and goals as well as actively involving them in the decision making process leads up to creating creative plans, some sensitive information should be shared on a need to know basis and only to authorized employees who need it to make decisions regarding a certain matter at work. Make sure that you maintain a smooth communication flow that increases employee productivity and innovation, while making sure you don’t disclose any private material.

Protect Sensitive Files

These days most files are stored electronically. To ensure its safety, sophisticated electronic procedures such as firewalls, password protection and encryption should be adopted. Employees should never leave confidential information visible on their computer screens when leaving their desks. All confidential documents should be kept in locked cabinets or rooms accessible only to those who need to know. All confidential computer files should be protected with passwords. Desks should be cleared of any confidential information before going home at the end of each day.

Initiate Confidentiality Trainings

In workplaces where confidentiality laws control how information can be handled, stored, and processed, confidentiality trainings are conducted to teach employees how to handle private information appropriately. These trainings are used to acquaint employees with the laws and procedures used in the company to comply with the law. Trained employees may also be responsible to familiarize new hires with the already established policies, procedures, and confidentiality guidelines.

Maintain Client Confidentiality

From file clerks, IT professionals to secretaries, all employees at your company must be well informed about the importance of maintaining client confidentiality in the workplace. Ensure that all staff members who have access to private client information understand the importance of protecting sensitive client information. It is not only a question of maintaining professionalism, but it is an important way to gain the client's trust and confidence in you.

Invest in a Paper Shredder

The top most effective way to prevent confidential documents from getting into the wrong hands is to make sure they are properly destroyed before disposal. Investing in a shredder is highly essential to guarantee that paper documents are destroyed internally, before they leave your office. Consider placing a shared paper shredder in service rooms near printers and copiers. Such machines can do the job quickly and have innovative features which can eliminate frustrating paper jams.

As you advance in your career you’ll be working more and more with confidential documents. Workplace data breaches continue to be a growing threat to companies all over the world, resulting in thousands, even millions of dollars in clean-up costs. Evaluating security loopholes in your workplace can definitely help you protect your company's confidential information and ensure that your organization does not become a victim.