Relationships with Former Employees

Rockie

Have any of you had any issues with employees maintaining relationships with former employees who may have left under bad circumstances?

I know it's impossible to dictate what employees do on their off time or who they socialize with.

Some of our managers have issues with employees "feeding" information to former employees. I guess my question is: "what would be the liability in the case of an employment litigation where former employees were getting information via a "friendship" with a current employee.

What I have told individuals who work for me is: "I'm not telling you who to be friends with off the job, but be careful what you say - that you won't be on a witness stand in a court of law, having to defend it."

Don't know if any of you have ever had these type issues, but would be interested to know if you have and how you handled it.

Parabeagle

Only rarely has this come up at my company. In those cases where it did, and we became aware of it, we reminded the employee who was feeding information of our confidentiality and nondisclosure policies. If they are approached in a nonjudgmental, advisory way that doesn't give them the impression we disapprove of their relationship with a former employee, that seems to take care of it.

Gillian3

My conversation with a former HR staff person went something like this. I trust you but the fact that you maintain a relationship with "X" creates a concern everytime I share something with you. As you know, "X" seems to know everything before anyone else does no matter how private it is so it is natural for me to have this concern, which could damage the relationship between us, and neither of us needs that. While I hope it doesn't go there, I want you to understand that untimately this concern could jeopardize your position in HR, because we have to trust each other. I hope that you consider this as you determine how valuable this relationship is.

Ordinarily I don't think that there is much we can do other than talk about the trust issue. I probably wouldn't have had this conversation if it hadn't been for the seriousness of the problems that the former employee was creating.

Don D

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 06-14-04 AT 03:23PM (CST)[/font][br][br]And of course the inability to be trusted or treat information confidentially did not just begin when the other employee became an ex-employee. Those traits have always been there. It's just more readily apparent to you now.

If one or more people are hitting on this employee as the information chanel, Gillian3 suggests a great conversation. People stop shopping around for an information valve once they discover one. It's like one of Pork's piglets finding a tit. They'll use it till they wear it out or it goes dry.

Pork

AND THEY DO WEAR OUT AND RUN DRY! Be careful for written direction or verbal direction to ees on who or with whom, they may communicate for whatever reason. Their reason always shows up as hinderance of their right's under NLRB investigations and inquiries. It is a subject best left un pressed, if possible, unless the information is classified/confident business secrets which may require you to take a hard line to make sure the gaps are filled in to stop the flow of leaks.

Got to run to the capital to check on HR and the Law. Be back in touch on Thursday!

PORK