[privacymatters]

My place of work at one of my 3 part time jobs has become quite hostile. My manager talks about my personal affairs to other employees. He is very unprofessional and cannot be trusted with confidential information. Can I quit there and collect unemployment?

[smoothy]

My place of work at one of my 3 part time jobs has become quite hostile. My manager talks about my personal affairs to other employees. He is very unprofessional and cannot be trusted with confidential information. Can I quit there and collect unemployment?

No. #1 you quit the job on your own. #2. You are still employed by someone else and that disqualifies you from being eligible to collect unemployment

[privacymatters]

Thank you.

1 more question: Can he be fired for acting so unprofessional in regards to confidential information?

[smoothy]

Realistically... its foolish to expect it. You are going to HAVE to prove it.. it might require lawyers and a court, and even then it's a longshot if you can. You might have to PAY a lawyer out of pocket,( public defenders are only for people accused of something that will earn them prison time) Part time workers simply have little value to an employer as they are easily replaced. No so much for management. That's just how it is. Not to mention its going to require time off from other jobs to do this. Unpaid time.

Not to mention, you really don't want to be in a position of your reputation preceding you. In a lot of jobs people know others in competing businesses, or they contact the HR departments for them and if you have had the rep for causing problems... proven or not... it could come back to haunt you.

Speaking in the real world... you need to do what will impact you the least... and simply quietly leaving for another employer is your best option.

What you CAN do is not always the same as what is in your best interests. I've seen that happen in more than one situation.

Good rule of thumb, work is work, not a social club. Personal matters should not be discussed among those you work with. What they don't know, can't be discussed in your absence.

[privacymatters]

Can manager be fired if he relays confidential information about an employee to other employees?

Thank you again. I see you already answered my question.

In this case, do you think I should just leave without 2 weeks notice? I have never in my life left a job on bad terms.

[privacymatters]

In this case, do you think I should just leave without 2 weeks notice? I have never in my life left a job on bad terms.

So very true - work is work. Lesson learned!

[smoothy]

If you have another job lined up already... you could, though its always best to give a notice. Its less critical for the entry level jobs. There is always the risk they will ask you to leave right away. Which I have actually had happen putting in a notice at my last job. Gave a 2 weeks notice... I was given 20 minutes to vacate the building.

My opinion...ask the new employer if there is a chance they could move up your start date if your current employer terminates you upon giving the 2 weeks notice. If they can, thank them and put in the notice.

Its always best to make it a habit...and don't verbally express any bitterness to ANYONE, including your coworkers on the way out. You never know if you fell upon hard times in the future and needed to reapply at this place. You want to keep that door open.

I've made that mistake about burning bridges at one employer...one I won't ever repeat.


Like I mentioned...there are things that you CAN do. But sometimes they are not in your bet interests for a number of reasons. Sometimes it really is bad enough to follow through on. (Injury, assault or rape), for lesser things...its best to be the more mature person and quickly put it behind you. You don't want to dwell on bitterness. Its like fertilizer for bad work habits.

[Alty]

I have a question. How did your employer obtain the confidential information? If you told him then it's not confidential. If he found out because you posted it on Facebook, then it's not confidential. I'm just wondering if what you think is confidential information, is really as private as you think it is. Yes, it's extremely rude and unprofessional to tell others something someone told you in confidence, but if you told someone your personal business, and they told others, it's really on you. If you don't want something to get out in the open, the only way to guarantee it doesn't is to keep it to yourself.

[privacymatters]

Thanks so much, Smoothy! You offered wisdom when I needed it. I gave my 2 weeks notice via email yesterday. Now to find out if he wants me to work my remaining shifts. Can't believe you were shown the door 20 minutes after giving in your resignation from a previous place of employment. Take care.

Alty - I needed time off work for a couple of days. My manager asked me why and of course out of necessity I told him. The info I told him was confidential and should have remained that way!

[talaniman]

Unless you told him you expected it to be confidential then it never is in a workplace. Likewise he certainly didn't take it as such. I learned a long time ago that verbal agreements/instructions really mean nothing, and if it's not documented it doesn't count. A reason for a work schedule change that may or may not affect someone else while embarrassing sometimes, hardly falls under big secret except on a personal level. Could you just have ASSUMED it was confidential? The same way the manager assumed it wasn't? Just a thought.

You are a lucky guy to be able to walk away from a job for such a reason. Some of us never had that option nor had another job we could get immediately. I probably would have chalked it up and been aware next time it happened.Would you have made the same decision if this was your only job and you had a family to support? Not criticizing at all, just pointing out in the real working world with other humans with flaws and issues, stuff is bound to happen, but as Smoothy said don't burn the bridges to future income, and just learn from past experience, because likely this kind of thing will happen again. Heed Alty's warning though, and be careful what you tell your boss (Or co worker for that matter), because that can come back and bite you in the real world workplace.

Sometimes bosses do have to give a reason for scheduling someone else to cover your shift. I have seen people look at their schedule being changed because someone needed a day off and holy hell being raised. I won't even go into the water cooler gossip crowd. You learn about them to and they don't need facts since it sounds better to make it up anyway.

Good luck guy, I appreciate a hardworking fellow, and know it ain't as easy as you make it look. Just pick your battles and the way you fight them carefully.

[Tired_Yeti]

If your job is with a corporation of some sort, it should have a Human Resources department. First step is to file a complaint with them. Managers are supposed to maintain professionalism and there are laws regarding managerial conduct. You may have ground for a lawsuit. If you have been a good employee, it’s worth it to, at least, file a complaint. If the manager is doing this to you, he does it to others also. Time for him to be dealt with.


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