• Employees often must keep emails and other business correspondence confidential.at work image by sasha from Fotolia.com
  
  Confidentiality agreements are used frequently between employers and employees to protect sensitive corporate information. Employers can require employees to keep information related to the business to themselves both during employment and afterward. Confidentiality agreements should be specific about what information may not be shared, exceptions to confidentiality, and the time period the agreement is in effect.
  
  

Confidentiality Agreements Must Be Specific

• If an employer wants any information, including the existence of the employment contract itself, to be confidential, he must specifically list it in the employment agreement. If the employment agreement does not mention a type of information and the employee discloses it, the employer cannot claim the contract was breached or take action against the employee.
  
  

Exceptions to Confidentiality Requirements

• Most employment agreements make exceptions to confidentiality requirements in certain cases. Common exceptions are business-related information the employee can prove he had prior to employment and information leaked to the public through no fault of the employee. These exceptions must also be spelled out in the employment contract.
  
  

Establish Time Period for Confidentiality

• It is important to specify dates during which information may not be disclosed. Employees are generally free to disclose information after the time period has elapsed, so employers should specify the type of information that may be disclosed after this period. The agreement should also specify whether the employee is allowed to disclose any information during the course of employment or after termination of employment.