A non-disclosure agreement protects information that can give a company a competitive edge. Employees are often asked to sign non-disclosure agreements whenever they come in contact with this type of information.
How does signing a NDA affect you?
Employees who witness corruption within the organization might sometimes wonder how agreements that they’ve signed affect their ability to blow the whistle. Speaking to a whistleblower attorney about your concerns is usually a good idea in this case.
Usually, an employer can’t refer to a non-disclosure agreement and use the fact that you’ve broken that agreement to penalize you, if that employer has been breaking the law. The lawyers at Employeerightsattorneygroup.com can help you to learn more about the steps that you can take if you are being penalized for being a whistleblower.
NDAs Can’t Be Used To Prevent Whistleblowing
Non-disclosure agreements cannot be used to limit whistleblowers from doing the right thing. In fact, a non-disclosure agreement can become void if illegal acts are taking place.
If you’re within an organization and you know that a crime is taking place, you can’t count on using a non-disclosure agreement as your defense for not reporting it. It’s possible that another employee may decide to report the crime and that is a factor that you should also take into consideration.
What does a non-disclosure agreement really do?
A non-disclosure agreement is a contract between you and your employer. It limits you from sharing information that is deemed to be confidential or proprietary. For example if you work at a company that develops smartphones and there is a specific process that they use in the design of the phones, you may be asked to sign an agreement that prevents you from sharing information on that technical process with anyone else..
If you know that your firm is stealing millions from clients, can that information really be considered confidential or proprietary? There are certain situations that make it clear that an illegal action that’s taking place could never be covered by a non-disclosure agreement.
Some Restrictive NDAs Are Illegal
Some non disclosure agreements actually state that you’re not to tell the government that this type of contract exists. Such agreements are often legal but because you’re not familiar with the law, you may not be able to prove it.
If you’ve signed an agreement that makes you feel uncomfortable, you should talk to a whistleblower attorney about it. If your non-disclosure agreement is clearly designed to limit your exposure of employer misconduct, it may be time to talk to an attorney.