The document discusses privacy and confidentiality in the workplace. It provides information on the types of information that should be protected, including employee information, management information, and business information. It also outlines some strategies companies can take to maintain privacy and confidentiality, such as using employment contracts with confidentiality clauses, developing confidentiality training and policies, and creating a response plan and employee exit procedure.

1. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
PRIVACY ANDCONFIDENTIALITYIN THE
WORK PLACE
Surya Priya

2. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
INTRODUCTION
Confidentiality refers to not discussing internal goings-on with co-
workers. In other instances, it refers to not sharing trade secrets
and other company information with competitors, the press or
anyone outside of your company.

3. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
WHATTYPEOF INFORMATIONSHOULDBE
PROTECTED?
Confidential workplace information can generally be broken down into three
categories:
Employee Information:
Many states have laws which govern the confidentiality and disposal of “personal
identifying information” (e.g., an employee’s Social Security number, home
address or telephone number, e-mail address, Internet identification name or
password, parent’s surname prior to marriage or driver’s license number).
Management Information:
Confidential management information includes discussions about employee
relations issues, disciplinary actions, impending layoffs/reductions-in-force,
terminations, workplace investigations of employee misconduct, etc. While
disclosure of this information isn’t necessarily “illegal,” it is almost always
counterproductive and can seriously damage the collective “psyche” of a
workplace.

4. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
Contd..
Business Information:
We oftentimes refer to confidential business information as “proprietary
information” or “trade secrets.” This refers to information that’s not generally
known to the public and would not ordinarily be available to competitors except
via illegal or improper means. Common examples of “trade secrets” include
manufacturing processes and methods, business plans, financial data, budgets and
forecasts, computer programs and data compilation, client/customer lists,
ingredient formulas and recipes, membership or employee lists, supplier lists, etc.
“Trade secrets” does not include information that a company voluntarily gives to
potential customers, posts on its website, or otherwise freely provides to others
outside of the company.

5. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
With more companies adapting digital efficiencies, the challenge in
preserving trade secrets, client lists and business operations becomes greater.
In other words, there are higher confidential risks with storing sensitive
material online or in a company database, especially if a company’s greatest
asset is their intellectual property.

6. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
1. Use Employment Contracts with Confidentiality Clauses
By having new employees sign an employment contract with a confidentiality clause,
they legally agree to keep confidential company information private. It also ensures
employees will not compete with your business by partaking in similar business (referred
to as “non-compete”), solicit other employees (“non-solicitation”) or reveal any sensitive
information during or after their employment.
In the agreement, it’s important to define what is and what isn’t considered confidential
information to eliminate any misunderstanding of the terms. Another consideration
involves the ownership of newly created material, known as “work made for hire”. This
is the material an employee creates while working for a company. The agreement should
specify whether the company (owner) retains rights to the material after the employee has
left the business.
It is considered a breach of contract when an employee discloses sensitive information
after signing the employment agreement. In this case, the employer would terminate the
employee or remedy the situation as specified in the agreement. Note that confidential
clauses are only as effective as the employer’s ability to enforce them.

7. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
2. DEVELOP CONFIDENTIALITYTRAINING &
POLICIES
In addition to teaching employees how to handle and dispose of sensitive material,
include information about confidentiality laws and the legal repercussions of violating
company privacy policies. As your company grows, keeping this material up-to-date
becomes more important to maintain legal protection.
There are two policies employers should try to implement as part of their confidentiality
training:
Social Media Policy
The social web can have harmful effects on a company’s reputation and confidentiality.
Yet only 29% of companies have social media policies.
The first risk is reputation. Take the case of Domino’s Pizza in 2009. Two of its
employees recorded a video of making pizza while performing crude and unsanitary
behavior. They uploaded the video to YouTube and soon it had 1 million views. As a
result the employees were terminated, but Domino’s reputation was already damaged.
Simply put, you don’t want employees airing their grievances on Facebook, Twitter or
any other social network.
The second risk is employees sharing private information in cyberspace, such as
coworker personal information, potential business deals, client information, or current
projects. What might seem like a harmless status update could result in severe liability
for the company.

8. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
Establish a social media policy as part of your company’s efforts to preserve reputation
and confidentiality. Clearly indicate the ethical guidelines for social media usage, if and
how employees can speak about the company online, use of privacy settings, respecting
copyright, what constitutes as confidential information, how to exercise proper judgment
and the consequences of divulging information online.
If social media is part of your company’s marketing plan, designate trusted individuals to
manage this space and ensure they also understand the policies inside and out.
Mobile Phone Policy
Personal mobile phone use in the workplace allows employees to instantly communicate
with friends, family or competitors, and compromise data in ways that don’t seem
obvious, such as taking photos, dispelling private information and uploading sensitive
material to their device.
A mobile phone policy should cover permitted and prohibited uses of communication
devices in the workplace, as well as the consequences for violation of the policy.

9. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
3. Create a Response Plan & Employee Exit Procedure
Devise a response or contingency plan in the event confidential information becomes
revealed. Plan for specific situations, such as published trade secrets or an employee divulging
information to competitors. The more circumstances you cover, the more prepared you will be
should confidentiality violations occur.
Assemble a team for the process and address how to assess the damage or risk. Include steps
to secure the information or remedy the situation. Such examples may include removing
information from the source, locating copies of sensitive material, taking legal action, as well
as carrying out the consequences you noted in your agreement if the compromise was a result
of employee negligence.
In addition to a solidified response plan, create a standardized exit process for employees.
Again, this is to ensure they don’t take any confidential material with them. Standard exit
processes include an exit interview in which employees are required to submit all prior work
and return company property. The exit process should also disable all employee accounts,
emails, and remote cloud access to business records.

10. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
WORKPLACE PRIVACY
Workers are often accustomed to personal privacy in their private lives, but employers
aren't necessarily obligated to give workers privacy while they're on the job. Employers
hire workers to perform specific tasks --- time that employees spend taking care of
private matters may seem wasteful in the eyes of the employer, so employers may
monitor employee activities to determine which workers are wasting time or are
engaged in activities that may raise legal issues or security concerns. Different
employers have different workplace privacy policies and employee expectations. For
instance, a certain employer might not allow workers to use social networking websites
at work and may monitor Web activity to ensure that workers adhere to the rules, while
another company might encourage social networking.

11. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
Monitoring Methods
Employers may monitor employee activities in a variety of ways,
many of which are related to the use of computers. According to
Bankrate, possible methods of employee monitoring include tracking
Internet usage, archiving computer files, storing employee emails and
instant messages, logging keystrokes, recording phone conversations,
testing for drugs and maintaining video surveillance. Businesses may
also track the use of key cards or use satellite technology that keeps
track of the use of company property such as cars and phones.

12. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
Content Blocking
Employers that are worried about employees wasting time visiting
inappropriate websites or making personal phone calls may attempt
to block content. For example, a business might block all social
networking sites or websites with adult content from its network, or
it may block employees from calling certain phone numbers from
their work phones. Content blocking may reduce unproductive
behavior without an employer actually monitoring workers and
impinging on their privacy.

13. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
Considerations
Employees should be aware of an employer's policies regarding
personal activities at work and the use of technology for activities that
aren't related to work. If you aren't sure whether a certain activity or
website is sanctioned by your employer, avoid it.

14. CHENNAI
III Floor, ‘Creative Enclave’,
148-150, Luz Church Road,
Mylapore,
Chennai - 600 004.
Tel: +91 - 44 - 24984821
BANGALORE
Suite 920, Level 9,
Raheja Towers,
26-27, M G Road,
Bangalore - 560 001.
Tel: +91 - 80 - 65462400
COIMBATORE
#1533, Trichy Road,
Coimbatore – 641018.
Tel: +91 - 422 - 6552921
HYDERABAD
Flat No. A-701,
Brindavan Apartments,
Niloufer Hospital Road,
Redhills, Hyderabad - 500034.
Tel: +91 - 40 - 60506009
COCHIN
Suite 49, 8th Floor, Centre A,
Alapatt Heritage Building,
MG Road, Cochin – 682035
Tel: +91 - 484 - 6506216
EMAIL
info@altacit.com
WEBSITE
www.altacit.com
Thank you