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Many people work in positions where they have access to their clients’ private information and maintaining their clients’ confidentiality is essential.

If you’re a manager or owner/operator of a business, you can ensure confidentiality is maintained by ensuring you and your staff or subcontractors:

• conduct all your work either in a secure, private office or in the client’s office
• permanently delete files – including emails attaching those files – and shred any hardcopy documents after completing the booking
• if you receive or send files via forwarding or file-sharing sites (e.g. Dropbox, WeTransfer), once you’ve completed the task, delete them from those sites
• require everyone who works for your business to sign a Confidentiality Agreement and make sure they understand that maintaining confidentiality is part of their role as contractors or employees
• if you’re a small business (including sole traders or freelancers), opt in to be covered by Australia’s Privacy Laws
• only employ or hire staff or subcontractors who live within Australia
• ensure your staff or subcontractors have extensive experience working with confidential material, and that referees have verified they are experienced in working with sensitive information and maintaining confidentiality
• treat all information in regard to bookings and clients as confidential. Do not disclose any information in relation to those bookings or clients to anyone.

Links to related articles

• Debriefing and confidentiality
• On Time Typing’s guarantee of confidentiality
• Confidentiality and the Australian Privacy Act.

Image: Creative Commons licence – thanks to WOCInTechChat