Confidential Information

The majority of small businesses probably don't need a policy addressing employees' access to and dissemination of confidential information or trade secrets. However, if your business has spent a lot of time and effort developing its customer lists, highly specialized operating procedures, or some revolutionary technology or product and you want to protect your secrets from possible competitors, you may consider some kind of policy to address the matter.

If you're thinking about a confidentiality policy, consider the following:

• deciding if information is considered secret
• determining how to protect the information
• using noncompete agreements
• developing a confidentiality policy