Working World

I work in a small business where there’s a common printer in the production room. Most people, if they are printing something personal or too confidential for other people to see, have the sense to do it when other people are not around. Either that or they stand by the printer and make sure they rescue it before other people see. The other day I netted a confidential memo about a firing that’s going to happen next week. The unsuspecting victim is a guy I’ve worked with for a long time. I know he’s chronically late and occasionally snotty (= insubordinate) to his boss, but canning him seems sudden and a hefty price. Should I warn him or keep my mouth shut?

Assuming you value your own job, you should keep your mouth shut, at least in terms of talking to the imminently unemployed. If you’ve seen enough bad behavior to call him chronically late or insubordinate, whoever is making the decision to let him go has likely seen much more. Whatever you do, do not discuss this with office mates, even if you swear them to lifelong secrecy. Inevitably the truth will leak and you will be outed as the source. Gossiping will do you absolutely no good with anyone.

You could just shred the offending pages and leave the author wondering where his page went. That’s cowardly and mean, but gets you out of the loop. If you absolutely feel you must warn the victim, put the page in his inbox or on his chair. The best solution is to give the memo to the person who wrote it. Explain that though you’re uncomfortable, you’ll keep your mouth shut. If you’re braver, ask for an explanation that satisfies you. But simply handing it over with a “This got sent to my printer. I don't think you want it floating around” is the best course of action.