Confidential Information - Optional Policy

You may copy and paste this sample employee handbook policy text to help create your own policy documents. A licensed attorney in your area should review final drafts.

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About this Employee Handbook Policy

If you choose to include a confidentiality policy, the one you select will depend on the needs of your organization. The sample policies in this handbook address confidentiality relating to business processes and are more appropriate for organizations, such as a ministry headquarters or a university, where strategic marketing might exist.

We’ve provided two sample policies for your organization. The first policy is more detailed than the other. Please choose the policy that best meets your needs.

SAMPLE POLICY 1:

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The protection of confidential information and trade secrets is vital to the interests and the success of this organization. Confidential information means information disclosed to or known by you as a consequence of your employment with this organization that is not generally known to people outside this organization about its business, marketing, and sales strategies and plans, finances, operations, employees, methods, processes, compositions, machines, computer software or programs, research projects, customers, customer accounts, customer information, customer reports and customer finances, product information and reports, suppliers, accounts, billing methods, pricing data, sources of supply, business methods, production or merchandising systems or plans, information entrusted to this organization in confidence by third parties, and information defined as “trade secrets” under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

Employees must maintain the confidentiality of this organization’s confidential information and use such confidential information only in the interests of this organization. An employee who improperly uses or discloses confidential information will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and legal action, even if the employee does not actually benefit from the disclosed or improperly used information.

Any questions regarding the confidential nature of information should be directed to your supervisor. If in doubt, you should err on the side of caution and avoid disclosure or improper use until you have spoken with your supervisor.

Guidelines

  • Confidential information may be contained in written manuals, verbal communications, the unwritten knowledge of employees, and/or any other tangible methods of expression, including hard disk and soft disk drive mechanisms.

  • Examples of confidential information include, but are not limited to, the following: financial information, marketing development information, pending projects and proposals, customer lists, research and development strategies, technological data and prototypes, sales meeting information, and pricing information.

SAMPLE POLICY 2:

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION

The protection of confidential information and trade secrets is vital to the interests and the success of this organization. Confidential information means information disclosed to or known by you as a consequence of your employment with this organization that is not generally known to people outside this organization, information entrusted to this organization in confidence by third parties, and information defined as “trade secrets” under the Uniform Trade Secrets Act.

Employees must maintain the confidentiality of this organization’s confidential information and use such confidential information only in the interests of this organization. An employee who improperly uses or discloses confidential information will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment and legal action, even if the employee does not actually benefit from the disclosed information. Any questions regarding the confidential nature of information should be directed to your supervisor.

If in doubt, you should err on the side of caution and avoid disclosure or improper use until you have spoken with your supervisor.

Guidelines

  • Confidential information may be contained in written manuals, verbal communications, the unwritten knowledge of employees, and/or any other tangible methods of expression, including hard disk and soft disk drive mechanisms.

  • Examples of confidential information include, but are not limited to, the following: financial information, student lists, counseling records, technological data and prototypes, and employment information.

This is a sample handbook policy only. Your organization is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. Accordingly, this document should not be used or adopted by your organization without first being reviewed and approved by a licensed attorney in your area. Brotherhood Mutual assumes no liability in preparation and distribution of this sample document.