Swift Staffing HR Files allows potential candidates to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is:
QUESTION: How do I keep company information confidential without lying to my co-workers? I am an assistant for both the managers and the HR department. This means that I am often privy to things going in within the office before my co-workers because it is my job to make the announcements, stand in as witness during corrective actions, etc. Often my co-workers will ask me about things like, “Did you know he was going to leave?” or “What happened to cause them to step down?” I usually know the answers but it is against my confidentiality agreement to discuss it. I just say I don’t know, but they know I’m lying. I’m not really sure how to handle it when they ask about information I am not able to talk about.
ANSWER: I know it can be easier to say you don’t know, but clearly this isn’t working for you as you are feeling guilty and not fooling your co-workers anyway. You can tell them the truth in a respectful way without divulging into confidential information. If your position requires confidentiality, I’m sure your co-workers already know that. That is why they are coming to you in the first place. They have heard the gossip and are coming to confirm what they have heard.
You can start with “I really can’t say” or “I’m sure there will be an announcement coming out shortly with all of the information”. If you are not comfortable with that, or they keep pressing you, then you can tell them that there is a confidentiality agreement that you have all signed and you are not allowed to discuss company information with anyone. They should be able to respect that. Even if they don’t, you have communicated enough for them to know that you are not going to tell them so they can move onto someone else.
If you have a question you want answered, please CONTACT US HERE. We will feature one frequently asked question a month.
Swift Staffing HR Files allows potential candidates to ask questions that will be answered directly by our CEO, Darcy Swift. This month’s question is:
QUESTION: How do I keep company information confidential without lying to my co-workers? I am an assistant for both the managers and the HR department. This means that I am often privy to things going in within the office before my co-workers because it is my job to make the announcements, stand in as witness during corrective actions, etc. Often my co-workers will ask me about things like, “Did you know he was going to leave?” or “What happened to cause them to step down?” I usually know the answers but it is against my confidentiality agreement to discuss it. I just say I don’t know, but they know I’m lying. I’m not really sure how to handle it when they ask about information I am not able to talk about.
ANSWER: I know it can be easier to say you don’t know, but clearly this isn’t working for you as you are feeling guilty and not fooling your co-workers anyway. You can tell them the truth in a respectful way without divulging into confidential information. If your position requires confidentiality, I’m sure your co-workers already know that. That is why they are coming to you in the first place. They have heard the gossip and are coming to confirm what they have heard.
You can start with “I really can’t say” or “I’m sure there will be an announcement coming out shortly with all of the information”. If you are not comfortable with that, or they keep pressing you, then you can tell them that there is a confidentiality agreement that you have all signed and you are not allowed to discuss company information with anyone. They should be able to respect that. Even if they don’t, you have communicated enough for them to know that you are not going to tell them so they can move onto someone else.
If you have a question you want answered, please CONTACT US HERE. We will feature one frequently asked question a month.