Corporate Confidentiality: When The Boss Talks

In My Humble Opinion
1

[Forgive me if this is in the wrong forum, I’m still learning the ropes around here. Helpful hints welcome!]

Last Monday, I told my boss in confidence that I had applied to transfer to one of our sister companies so that I could be nearer to my boyfriend. [It is standard procedure for the divisions to contact each other when there is an internal candidate, and I had gone past the first stage with one opening and was kind of at the point where I either had to tell, or risk them finding out.]

I came to him as a professional courtesy, and because I respected him. I assured him I would keep him notified if anything got to a crucial point and promised to give ample notice once a job was secured. He was very gracious about it and I left the meeting feeling that I had an ally who would work with me.

He did ask me in the meeting who else knew, and I emphasized that I hadn’t told anyone else because there wasn’t anything to tell yet.

The next day, the head of one of the departments discreetly asked me if I was leaving. I was surprised that he knew, since I had only told HR and my boss. He confirmed it was my boss who told. I assumed that my boss had only told him out of necessity, because several of my long-range work projects affected him. I asked the department head not to say anything, and he assured me it was all hush-hush.

I had a pre-scheduled vacation on Thursday and Friday. Today I came in to the office and was told that my boss had announced in his Thursday sales meeting that I was leaving. Now I am being approached by co-workers who want to know when I’m leaving and where I’m going.

I’m shocked and dismayed because I feel like in my effort not to burn any bridges behind me, one is being burnt in front of me. I have no offer on the table, which I made clear to him, but I was applying internally. And he and I had discussed that it could be several months before I would leave.

I discussed the matter with HR, and they downplayed it. I realize she may have been covering for him. I tried to meet with him today about it, but he was unavailable for the remainder of the day. He did stop by and apologize for being unavailable as he was walking out the door to an appointment. I am sure we will meet tomorrow, but most likely after the manager’s meeting, where he may or may not announce it again.

There’s no way to undo what he did, but I just want to know for the record, am I off the mark to be upset?

2

No, not at all. This is the kind of thing that is very upsetting, but it’s hard to do anything because they are your bosses.

I have a similar story that still burns me up. I applied for another job (Job A) at our company, of course in confidence. One of the people on the search committee must have told her boss, because I get a call about a project (Job B) they want me to consider joining as a term position. Fine, I realize people working that closely talk and if it’s just between them and it’s for the good of the company to know I would entertain another position and they need someone on the project, OK.

But if I took the position, I was going to tell my current boss (who knows nothing about any of my searches) “I really like my job but they made me an offer I can’t refuse”, or some such, because I don’t want to burn the bridge. So the boss from above is talking to him (she’s all of our Big Boss) and he says, “I don’t think gigi would take Job B”. “Well, you know she interviewed for Job A.” Ummm…What part of “applied in confidence” wasn’t clear? And this was before she knew what I decided.
I understand that the direct bosses would talk, especially if that is how internal transfers work at your place. Telling the rest of the staff in a meeting is inexcusable, since it’s not clear you’re definitely going, and that kind of announcement changes things.

3

Thanks! I started off totally horrified and then I think I tried to talk myself out of it. But I really think it was kind of unethical, or at the very least in extremely poor taste.

I had thought about contacting about the VP of HR because she and I graduated HS together (many moons ago), just to ask her if this was kosher, but I didn’t want to raise any unneeded alarms - I just wanted someone a little more objective. However, I don’t see how I can do that without looking like I’m tattling. And she and I were not “friends” just friendly.

4

Yeah, it’s stinks but I’m not sure it’s worth going to HR – better to post here and get advice from truly neutral people, hopefully in addition to my lone voice!!

Do you think you have a good chance of getting the transfer? Maybe your boss got the inside scoop that you got the job??

5

I’d cast my vote with “extremely poor taste,” if only to help myself get over the hurt feelings. My girlfriend is in a situation amazingly similar to yours, and if I could have said anything to her today it would have been, “catch your breath, count to twenty, and remember that all of this is going to pass.”

6

very funny gooberhead.

7

:smiley:

8

That would be difficult, seeing as I haven’t had my interview yet. I emailed the hiring manager, she emailed me back confirming the position was still open and asking for my resume, I emailed it back, we talked about chatting but haven’t done it yet.

9

Oh, OK. I wasn’t sure what “I had gone past the first stage” meant and just how close you were to a decision.

10

well, to add to matters, I just found out that they are posting my position this Friday.

NO PRESSURE!

11

Not quite the same at all, a few years ago I took a long lunch to walk over to a job interview. The next day I came in my coworker was surprised at me being there. Apparently the boss assumed I got the job and ‘fired’ me, the dipshit.

12

:eek: :eek: :eek:
Definitely go talk to HR about this. Aside from the “tattling” aspect, just what do they expect to do if you don’t get the job but they’ve hired someone else?

13

I had a similar thing - I told my boss I was pregnant very early in my pregnancy as I wasn’t able to do a certain part of my job.

A week later HR approached him to downsize his department of two.

I can just see him thinking, “Hmm, which one? The one that is about to take a year off to be a Mom or the spinster who will never leave ever…?”

14

It seems to me that you learned a valuable lesson here. That is not to ever reveal information that you are looking for a job / transfer until it is a done deal.

There’s no such thing as “in confidence” when it comes to your manager or HR. If it affects the company or group they are obligated to act on it. Speaking as a manager, if one of my charges tells me they are thinking of leaving, what am I supposed to do? I don’t want to give them any new tasks because I’ll just have to reassign them. And now what happens if they don’t leave? I still know they are thinking of leaving the company. How much do I invest in them moving forward?

A year is a pretty long time for maternity leave.

15

I notice that Poysyn’s location is listed as Winnipeg. I’m also from Canada (Alberta), and a one year maternity leave is pretty standard in any decent job. Everyone I’ve ever worked with who went on maternity leave took a full year off.

The cost of this is covered by Employment Insurance (a national program where premiums are deducted from your paycheck). Most people on maternity leave get 50 weeks of leave (preceded by a 2 week waiting period). The basic benefit rate is 55% of your average insured earnings, up to a maximum payment of $435 per week.

http://www1.servicecanada.gc.ca/en/ei/types/special.shtml

16

That’s a pretty sweet deal. In the US we only get about 6 weeks IIRC.

17

12 weeks (for companies with at least 50 employees), unpaid.

18

Are you kidding me? You haven’t even interviewed and they’re posting your job?? Unless there’s some policy about an internal transfer automatically getting the job (but what if there is more than one internal transfer), this is nuts. So if you don’t get it, you’re dismissed?? :confused:

19

In places I’ve worked, generally the employees go to HR first to let them know they’re interviewing elsewhere - since HR will be the first to know if there’s a call or anything if it’s all within the same company/internal job moves, is your job critical to the department you’re in, how to maintain headcount etc.

However, my last job (and it coulda been like this at other places as well except my job was HRIS - HR manager was my boss, and my job was more IS than HR) for internal moves/job applications you had to go to your supervisor to get approval before you could apply for the position. In your situation, you still probably would have been stuck with others finding out.

Hope it works out in the end, keep us updated!

20

That’s a huge joke and makes me glad I’m not a woman. How the fuck are you supposed to support yourself when you are forced out of work and can’t be paid? Basically, they just say, “Oh, you can have your job back after the baby.” Hell, you might as well commit some crime at work and be put on “paid administrative leave” pending investigation and be better off.