|
|
Y&R Discussion Group
What would you do? Or what DID you do if you have been in this position before?
I spent a lot of years as the back office nurse/manager for a doctor's office. I was privvy to all the confidential information. Occasionally, when we had a high profile patient, IE: a local news celebrity or someone like that, the doctor would keep those charts in his office. He would leave charts open on his desk if he was busy........Never read them. Felt like I was violating someone's privacy and didn't want that kind of karma! Also never "brought home" information that I was privvy to myself. It is a moral code in the medical business, as well as being law. Anyway, it wasn't always easy! Curiosity is natural!
My workplace is full of confidential information and it has always been the corporate culture that confidentiality is sacred - you violate that and you will not only be fired, you'll likely be charged. I have a very healthy respect for the privacy of the individual so I've not ever looked at anything I'm not supposed to see ... I do see some confidential info if required for my work, but only if absolutely necessary and I would never dare tell anyone anything about it.
Actually, I do recall a few months ago that a colleague left his paycheque sitting in the communal kitchen (in an envelope, but it was opened). I picked it up and brought it right to him, and didn't look inside - I'd feel terrible if someone violated my privacy.
I worked in HR for many years, so have a healthy respect for confidential information in the workplace and won't talk about salaries or other privatel information with colleaques. If I found something like that lying around, I'd just quickly glance at it so I could figure out who best to take it to for safekeeping. And I'd let them know where I found it, so that they could perhaps speak to the staff member who left it in the open.
However this post does make me think of one time I snooped. I was staying for a few days at a niece's home, sleeping over in her spare room. For some reason her bank account passbook was in the top bureau drawer, and I found it as I was putting a few odds and ends in the drawer. And.... (sorry)... I took a look. She'd managed to save quite a healthy amount. As I've never been particularly good at saving money, I was really proud of her. But I never told her I'd looked. :)
Once when I was in the office on a Saturday by myself, when I arrived I noticed something laying in the middle of the floor. I picked it up to see what it was. It was a binder with everyone in the department's salaries in it.
I just put the binder back on the secretary's desk. I didn't look, more out of respect for my blood pressure.
Yes, and I admit my sin and repent for it...lol.
One time I was at my friends house spending the weekend with her (her husband was away and she didn't want to be alone).
Well for some reason she always bragged about money, how much her husband made, what his bonus was, money seemed to be the topic of her discussion ALL the time.
I hadn't spoken to her in 10 years and last Christmas I sent her a card and she called me and told me that a lady gave her husband a check for $40,000 to do a web-site for her.
I'll get to my point in a minute, but if you hadn't spoken to a long lost friend in 10 years, would money be the topic of your conversation? OKay sooo.....
I wanted to see if she was telling the truth about stocks her husband's grandmother was raking in and the checks were sitting on a desk in their living room.....I didn't have to touch or move anything except glance down and I saw a stock check for $12,000.
So I guess all the bragging she did was true. That's the only time I had an opportunity to look at something confidential. If I saw something marked confidential here at my company, and it was sitting out in the open and the envelope was opened, I think I might be tempted to look at it, otherwise, I'm not that curious of a person.
I always said I don't care what happens in the work place unless it pertains to me and that is what has kept me out of the gossip link in the business world.
Yes, I looked at it. Not a good idea. In quality and quantity, she wasn't as productive as I was. And she made more than I did. Not a whole lot more, but more. We were roughly the same age and experience, so that wasn't the issue.
It was both a good thing and bad thing I did it. Bad because it was none of my business and bad because that made me feel negatively toward a co-worker that I essentially liked before I looked.
But it was good because that was a hard but valuable lesson -- the workplace ain't fair. It taught me I can't take for granted that an employer will be fair and I had to be aggressive in looking out for my interests.
Eventually, I got over my feelings toward her and we became even better friends. None of this was her fault; it was management's for giving me easily a workload that was 50% heavier than hers for less money.
As for the confidential envelope, I wouldn't look at it today.