Breach in Confidentiality: What Happens After Trust Is Broken in the Workplace

A piece of information might leak out in a conversation, which may be casual or deliberate. The change in the room is palpable even if the information may not seem very significant at first. People start to reevaluate the information they can or cannot share, but more so, with whom they can or cannot share it. Breaches in confidentiality in any workplace setting are not typically isolated. Breaches in confidentiality are typically associated with patterns based on interpersonal relationships, where employees have leaked information due to conflict or attempts to navigate social hierarchies, according to research published in PubMed Central. There may be underlying gaps in communication or conflict in the team, even if the breach in information may seem to be an isolated incident.

In most cases, the employee may be attempting to forge an alliance or rise in the organizational grapevine. However, it may be a matter of poor judgment or frustration in other situations. The underlying reason for such behavior may be a matter of attempting to manage the relationship, even though the end result may be the same, according to organizational behavior studies. The emotional impact of the experience is immediate and highly personal in nature for the employee in question. The experience of a breach of confidentiality is strongly correlated with feelings of betrayal and job dissatisfaction, according to studies in Human Resources for Health. The employee in question may be forced to wonder whether the work environment provides a safe setting for free expression when it comes to disclosing personal or sensitive information related to one’s profession.

This reaction is closely associated with the idea of a “psychological contract”, since the employee has an unspoken understanding that certain limits will be respected. Confidentiality is not respected when it is breached. Research indicates that such an act results in anger and disillusionment not only with the employee but also with the company. The effects do not only trickle down to the employee; they begin to alter team behavior. The team members become cautious in sharing information, which is not conducive to team performance. The research indicates that trust is an essential component in team performance, and once it is impaired, it affects performance.

More distrust can cause employees to disengage and quit their jobs, as they want to work in a place where they feel secure. Studies have also shown that this can cause problems in the long run. Confidentiality is about trust, and it can quickly spread throughout an organization when it is violated, which changes the way people interact with one another. It is easy to see how violating confidentiality once can have lasting implications throughout an entire organization when we understand this pattern.