OFFICE ADMINISTRATION

DEFAMATION & BREACH

OF CONFIDENCE
PREPARED BY MS. T. WYNTER 22/02/21
DEFAMATION
 DEFAMATION, CONT’D.

 Defamation is any false accusation or malicious misrepresentation of

the words or action of an individual, designed to damage the individual
fame, reputation or good name.
 Example of defamation
 If a customer accused, the restaurant owner of food poisoning even though
it was not actually the restaurant’s food that caused them to be ill. If the
customer shared the false information with other customers, the owner
could have grounds for a defamation lawsuit.
 DEFAMATION, CONT’D.

 There are two aspects of defamation:

 Slander: spoken words
 Libel: Written or broadcast
communication, including items
published electronically .
 DEFAMATION, CONT’D.

 Sometimes an employee who is fired may sue an organization for

defamation of character. The employer must prove that it has not
published false statements about the reasons for the termination of
employment.
 Therefore, the employer must maintain good personnel records and
ensure that there is a sound evidence for any adverse judgements that
are made.
BREACH OF CONFIDENCE
 BREACH OF
CONFIDENCE

 Breach of
confidence also
known as breach of
privacy
 It occurs when
confidential is
disclosed.
 BREACH OF CONFIDENCE, CONT’D.

 An employer collects personal information, such as

an employee’s medical history. If such information
is disclosed or used in an unauthorized way, then a
breach of confidence has occurred.
 In some countries, the victims are allowed to sue
the offender if such breach occurs .
 BREACH OF CONFIDENCE, CONT’D.
 Organizations collect and store a lot of personal
information about individuals for various purposes.
 An organization must ensure that personnel files
are kept secure, and that access is strictly
controlled.
 Persons who are authorized to view confidential
information may be required to sign a contract that
specifically prohibits disclosure of confidential
information.
SECRECY PROVISIONS
 SECRECY PROVISIONS, CONT’D.

 A trade secret is any valuable commercial information, such as

inventions, ideas and manufacturing processes, that provides a business
with an advantage over competitors who do not have that information.
 An example is KFC secret herbs and spices
 A business must take reasonable steps to safeguard its trade secret from
disclosure.
 SECRECY PROVISIONS, CONT’D.

 Employees who work with trade

secrets are usually required to sign a
contract that prohibits them from
ever revealing their employers trade
secrets to a competitor or the general
public.
 SUMMARY
 Defamation is any false accusation or malicious misrepresentation of the
words or action of an individual, designed to damage the individual fame,
reputation or good name.
 There are two types of defamation statements: Slander & Libel
 An organization must ensure that personnel files are kept secure, and that
access is strictly controlled.
 A trade secret is any valuable commercial information, such as inventions,
ideas and manufacturing processes, that provides a business with an
advantage over competitors who do not have that information.