Episode 83: Top Secret! Taking about NDAs

Published: June 28, 2022, 1 p.m.

Top secret! We\u2019re talking about NDAs, non-disclosure agreements. What\u2019s an NDA? It\u2019s an agreement between you and the company saying that you won\u2019t share information about the company outside of the company. These are shared whether you\u2019re an employee or a contractor.

\n\n

Sometimes you sign an NDA when you\u2019re interviewing, which means that whatever you learn during the process you can not take back to your current employer.

\n\n

If you\u2019re working on a secret project at work, your NDA says that you don\u2019t tell anyone about what you\u2019re working on. At least not the details of it.

\n\n

So, what do you do when someone asks what you\u2019re working on?? Kat advises you make a joke like, \u201cI\u2019d tell you, but then I\u2019d have to..\u201d. You can tell people that you can\u2019t wait until it becomes public and you can talk more openly about it.

\n\n

You can also say to people, \u201cThere\u2019s a lot going on at work, and maybe if you Google it you can figure it out.\u201d

\n\n

Internal Use Only means do not forward, and if you don\u2019t listen, you could find yourself in legal hot water. Sometimes, when talking about things that are top secret, we have to realize that not everyone has the same amount of knowledge, so fishing to see who knows what could get you into hot water. If you know about something that isn\u2019t public knowledge, you don\u2019t want to be asking about it in case you make people curious and they find out things they should not know about.

\n\n

On your first day, make sure to ask for a copy of everything you sign and make sure you take the time to read it. Always know what you\u2019re signing and make sure you can honor it.

\n\n

When you leave a company, it\u2019s ok to ask for your signed documents. You will want to review them for non-solicitation language (and time limits -- for example, you may not be able to refer someone from that company for 12 months without violating your agreement) before you refer someone from there. Be informed to make sure you honor everything you\u2019ve signed.

\n\n

If something is Googleable, it\u2019s in the public domain, but if it\u2019s not, it\u2019s probably under NDA and you don\u2019t want to be the leak -- so keep it to yourself!