Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Please i need legal opinion on this issue. So at work we do a yearly self appraisal which you send to your boss and your boss then forwards same to HR. A few weeks after i sent my self appraisal to my boss, i saw it opened up in my coworkers email. I was really shocked about that because my self appraisal should be a confidential information that should only be seen by my boss and HR. Before reporting the incident to anyone, I tried to access my coworkers email with a generic password (IT gives this password to everyone when you have log in issues but your suppose to change it to a personalized one immediately after) to my surprise the generic password worked and i was able to confirm that the appraisal was indeed mine and it was my boss who shared it with her. If i report the issue to HR would i be in trouble for accessing a coworkers email with a generic password? Plus what would happen to my boss for sharing my confidential information with a fellow coworker? If i can prove none malicious intent, am i justified for doing what i did?
Please i need legal opinion on this issue. So at work we do a yearly self appraisal which you send to your boss and your boss then forwards same to HR. A few weeks after i sent my self appraisal to my boss, i saw it opened up in my coworkers email. I was really shocked about that because my self appraisal should be a confidential information that should only be seen by my boss and HR. Before reporting the incident to anyone, I tried to access my coworkers email with a generic password (IT gives this password to everyone when you have log in issues but your suppose to change it to a personalized one immediately after) to my surprise the generic password worked and i was able to confirm that the appraisal was indeed mine and it was my boss who shared it with her. If i report the issue to HR would i be in trouble for accessing a coworkers email with a generic password? Plus what would happen to my boss for sharing my confidential information with a fellow coworker? If i can prove none malicious intent, am i justified for doing what i did?
No legal advice can be given on this forum, if you need legal advice regarding your place of employment it is best to contact an attorney who is knowledgeable in that field.
Please i need legal opinion on this issue. So at work we do a yearly self appraisal which you send to your boss and your boss then forwards same to HR. A few weeks after i sent my self appraisal to my boss, i saw it opened up in my coworkers email. I was really shocked about that because my self appraisal should be a confidential information that should only be seen by my boss and HR. Before reporting the incident to anyone, I tried to access my coworkers email with a generic password (IT gives this password to everyone when you have log in issues but your suppose to change it to a personalized one immediately after) to my surprise the generic password worked and i was able to confirm that the appraisal was indeed mine and it was my boss who shared it with her. If i report the issue to HR would i be in trouble for accessing a coworkers email with a generic password? Plus what would happen to my boss for sharing my confidential information with a fellow coworker? If i can prove none malicious intent, am i justified for doing what i did?
Yes, you will most likely get in trouble for that. Maybe he just wanted to personally verify some of the information in your self appraisal through your coworker. As long as you were thoughtful and honest about your performance, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Something in there must have really stood out to him and he wanted to personally verify it with a person who would know best, or just wanted this person opinion on something in there. This is probably something he does with others as well and not just you, and this is probably not the first he has done this with your appraisal. You just happened to see the email this time.
Most people who are bosses can't really do their job and ask the wrong people for help. It happens at all employers. There are many bad bosses, really bad out there. Just be aware now that the one you have is over their head and has to ask another employee for help doing his/her job. So when something else comes up chances are the boss will be incapable too. It won't be the first or last boss that shouldn't be in the job.
Yes, you will most likely get in trouble for that. Maybe he just wanted to personally verify some of the information in your self appraisal through your coworker. As long as you were thoughtful and honest about your performance, then I wouldn't worry too much about it. Something in there must have really stood out to him and he wanted to personally verify it with a person who would know best, or just wanted this person opinion on something in there. This is probably something he does with others as well and not just you, and this is probably not the first he has done this with your appraisal. You just happened to see the email this time.
Company policy states that appraisals are confidential and should only be shared with the boss and HR. He shared my appraisal with my junior coworker for her to use in doing her own appraisal. Also saw evidence that he helps her do her work so she can pass off looking better than the rest of the coworkers
What kind of screwed up email system do you have that allows people with generic passwords to access others email?
What kind of screwed up IT department solves login issues with shared generic passwords that work more than once in this century?
What kind of screwed up company allows this?
This kind of stuff is a big cause of data breaches. OP should be concerned about hackers accessing the personnel files and grabbing up enough data to steal the identity of everyone in the company!
Company policy states that appraisals are confidential and should only be shared with the boss and HR. He shared my appraisal with my junior coworker for her to use in doing her own appraisal. Also saw evidence that he helps her do her work so she can pass off looking better than the rest of the coworkers
Ok, so he was basically showing her an example of what a good appraisal should look like. I guess he was really impressed by yours over all the others. That doesn't make it right, but since you gain unauthorized access to somebody's else email, then you could be shooting yourself in the foot also. I wouldn't read too much into or worry about his relationship with the junior coworker, best to stay clear of that.
Company policy states that appraisals are confidential and should only be shared with the boss and HR. He shared my appraisal with my junior coworker for her to use in doing her own appraisal. Also saw evidence that he helps her do her work so she can pass off looking better than the rest of the coworkers
This comment should have been in your FIRST post. You're adding something, if true, that critically changes the story. You're right about personal privacy, but bad habits abound with digital tech.
I had to write an analysis on a Supervisor's incident in the workplace and a written copy only went to the VP in charge of personnel, and my Safety Officer supervisor at head office. NO one else, and no digital copy existed unless there was a repeat of this guys behavior. We have insurance issues to consider.
Your brief is your own in your words, but I'd still respect it doesn't get forwarded to anyone.
Legally there isn't much going on here, but if this guy is "helping" your junior coworker keep an eye for other things going on.
No matter what color of lipstick you put on this pig, it's still a pig and you violated someone's privacy. Seriously, are you going to claim one crime justifies another? IF you really saw your appraisal on your coworker's screen, you should have gone directly to HR. Just your actions make me suspect anything else you say. Grow up, do your job and stop with the drama at work.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's interesting, but...
