My colleague Brent Haden recently posted an insightful article about non-competition covenants. As he noted, such covenants, when properly drafted, can be enforceable. 然而, 由于竞业禁止对竞争的影响和对工人就业能力的限制，许多法院对其进行严格审查. 一些州, such as California and Washington, have even gone as far as to refuse to enforce any non-competition agreement. 结果是, 许多雇主正在转向保密或不披露协议(“NDA”)作为保护其专有信息的一种方式. 随着数据变得更容易转移，这些保护变得尤为重要.
Like non-competition agreements, 保密协议是限制性契约，它们对雇员施加的限制不得超过保护雇主合法商业利益的必要程度. 换句话说, to be enforceable the NDA should only cover information that should be kept confidential, 比如商业秘密. Unlike non-competition agreements, 维吉尼亚最高法院还没有处理有关保密协议可执行性的具体问题, 是什么迫使律师和雇主从有时看似不一致的下级法院意见中收集信息.
在过去十年中, 弗吉尼亚州法院通过拒绝执行不包括执行时间限制或不将所涵盖的信息限制在某些类别的条款，收紧了对保密协议的要求. 然而, 费尔法克斯巡回法院最近发表了一项意见，似乎扭转了这一趋势. 在这种观点下, 法院裁定，保密协议是可执行的，该保密协议涵盖了“(公司)的任何和所有机密和/或专有信息”。,” even though it did not have any time limitation on enforcement. While this is a positive sign for employers, until the Virginia Supreme Court issues an opinion on the matter, 执行协议最安全的办法是尽可能缩小协议的范围，并包括合理的时间限制.
A properly drafted NDA is only part of an effective data protection plan. 许多雇主陷入了依赖保密协议本身作为其机密信息的唯一保护的陷阱. 保密协议只有在雇主采取行动维护和保护这些信息不被披露时才有用. In fact, it is the company’s duty to ensure that any trade secrets remain confidential. 以下是应遵循的额外步骤或政策，以确保保密协议在法庭上得到执行.
- 限制访问. 法院将只允许公司保护实际上属于机密的机密信息. 如果此类信息被视为普通商业信息，则可能失去《现金网官网》的保护. Companies do not have to resort to retinal scans or facial recognition programs, 但他们应该采取措施，确保机密信息只有那些需要执行工作并签署了保密协议的员工才能访问. Paper files should be locked up and kept on the premises. Workstations, digital files, and personal electronic devices should be password protected. The company should also periodically monitor who is accessing its confidential files.
- 给信息贴上标签. 要详细描述员工在工作中接触到的每一份机密文件是不可能的, so attorneys often draft non-disclosure agreements to cover broad ranges of documents, such as “financial information” or “business plans.” While this may be a practical necessity, courts look at such broad categories skeptically, 尤其是当雇主无法证明雇员知道某份文件是保密的时候. The simple solution is to make sure that the document is labeled as “confidential.” If you are sending confidential information in an email, then you should make sure the word is in the title. If the disclosure is verbal, 然后，应该以简短的说明开头，说明正在讨论的内容是保密的，不应该重复.
- Maintain handbook policies and training. 雇主不应假设其雇员了解他们在保密信息方面的责任. 雇主应该有详细的手册政策，清楚地解释他们的保密政策，并符合员工在保密协议下的职责. Policies are useless unless they are understood, so employers should regularly train employees on their policies.
- 进行离职面谈. Interviewing departing employees can provide a number of benefits. 其中包括向员工提供保密协议副本的机会，并共同审查员工在协议项下的职责. 这也是一个好时机，检查一下员工拥有的公司财产和机密信息的清单，以确认它们都已归还给公司. 如果可能的话, employers should have departing employees sign a form acknowledging any ongoing obligations.
- Check departing employee’s computer. 数字信息的一个缺点是，员工可以将大量文件下载到一个笔帽大小的硬盘上，然后就可以离开了. 最近, 一家爆米花生产商起诉了其前研发总监，称其挪用了5美元,000 confidential documents, including recipes and marketing surveys, when she learned she was going to be fired. The company identified the alleged theft after analyzing the departed employee’s computer. 如果雇主有理由相信离职雇员可能带走了资料, 它应该考虑聘请一家专门从事电子取证分析的公司来审查员工的电脑使用情况.
- 联系新雇主. If you know your former employee’s new employer, 你应该考虑给雇主写一封信，详细说明雇员有义务不泄露你的商业秘密和其他机密信息. 这将使该公司得到通知，并防止其声称未来任何违反义务的行为都是在不知情的情况下做出的. 在采取这一步之前, 雇主应与律师协商，因为如果新雇主终止雇佣关系, the former employee may sue for intentional interference with contractual relations.
By drafting and consistently following a confidential information policy, 雇主可以最大限度地保护其机密信息，并确保法院迅速有效地执行其保密协议.
杰夫•威尔逊 是一个现金网官网 & 现金网官网 attorney focusing his practice on employment law matters, including counseling and business litigation.