Accidently leaked confidential information

Cat_Loving_Lady

I recently went for a promotion within my company.  I was offered the job and was told that I got the highest score of 80%.  After consideration I decided not to take the job.
My Manager also had a friend of hers who is in a confidential position within HR.  She was not offered the position after I declined it and she accessed the scores and found out that the company had offered it to someone who only scored 25

TELLIT01

From what you have described, you will not be the one with problems if there is any fallout from this.  It would seem the person who accessed the information had no right to do so - working in HR does not mean they can access confidential information without valid reason.  Your boss would be in an extremely weak position if they tried to discipline you for leaking confidential information when they had already done the same by telling you.

I would say nothing.

Thrugelmir

Cat_Loving_Lady said:

She was not offered the position after I declined it and she accessed the scores and found out that the company had offered it to someone who only scored 35% and she had in fact scored higher.  She told my boss that she believed the company had fiddled the scores to give the job to someone they wanted to.

Sounds like sour grapes on missing out. Her conduct itself speaks a thousand words as to why she wasn't suitable. 

TELLIT01

On the broader subject of passing on confidential information, I was waiting for a train back from London many years ago and our MD walked up, waiting for the same train.  After a bit of small talk he came out with "You know so-and-so, well he's got cancer.  He told me in confidence so don't say anything to anybody".  A couple of days later the news was all around our office so I wondered how many others he had told!

Brie

Truthfully scores for jobs are frequently ignored for the actual hiring particularly if people know the persons applying.  I've a friend who always scores high and interviews very well but while being knowledgeable and hard working is incredibly troublesome to manage.  One would only know that if they know him or one of his managers.  He's applied for numerous jobs within the company and never gets anything because no one wants the burden.  

oh_really

Keep you mouth shut for the time being.

Undervalued

Cat_Loving_Lady said:

I recently went for a promotion within my company.  I was offered the job and was told that I got the highest score of 80%.  After consideration I decided not to take the job.
My boss told me all of this in confidence.  She was not offered the position after I declined it and she accessed the scores and found out that the company had offered it to someone who only scored 35% and she had in fact scored higher.  She told my boss that she believed the company had fiddled the scores to give the job to someone they wanted to.  My bosses friend who works in HR could not make a complaint as she had accessed the information when she shouldn't have and this could be a sackable offence.  My boss told me all of this in confidence.  I was talking to another Manager about my scores last week and accidently slipped out that i had scored 80% and the person who got the job only 35%.  It was a slip of the mind moment.  Later on I realised my mistake.  
Do I fess up to my Manager my mistake or hope it goes away and the other Manager forgets my comment.  My Manager will knowit has come from me or even the other Manager could say I told her the scores.
I wish my Manager hadn't told me all of this as I just completely forgot at the time.

Well this company seems to employ people with zero integrity! "My boss told me all of this in confidence"! " She told my boss that she believed the company had fiddled the scores to give the job to someone they wanted to ..... she had accessed the information when she shouldn't have and this could be a sackable offence"!

Quite frankly the whole lot want sacking!

However they are under no obligation to give the job to the candidate that scores the highest in a particular test. Unless they are discriminating one one of the few grounds prohibited by law e.g. race, gender (with a few exceptions), sexual orientation, religion etc they can give the job to whoever they please! 

Dakta

Undervalued said:

Cat_Loving_Lady said:

I recently went for a promotion within my company.  I was offered the job and was told that I got the highest score of 80%.  After consideration I decided not to take the job.
My boss told me all of this in confidence.  She was not offered the position after I declined it and she accessed the scores and found out that the company had offered it to someone who only scored 35% and she had in fact scored higher.  She told my boss that she believed the company had fiddled the scores to give the job to someone they wanted to.  My bosses friend who works in HR could not make a complaint as she had accessed the information when she shouldn't have and this could be a sackable offence.  My boss told me all of this in confidence.  I was talking to another Manager about my scores last week and accidently slipped out that i had scored 80% and the person who got the job only 35%.  It was a slip of the mind moment.  Later on I realised my mistake.  
Do I fess up to my Manager my mistake or hope it goes away and the other Manager forgets my comment.  My Manager will knowit has come from me or even the other Manager could say I told her the scores.
I wish my Manager hadn't told me all of this as I just completely forgot at the time.

Well this company seems to employ people with zero integrity! "My boss told me all of this in confidence"! " She told my boss that she believed the company had fiddled the scores to give the job to someone they wanted to ..... she had accessed the information when she shouldn't have and this could be a sackable offence"!

Quite frankly the whole lot want sacking!

However they are under no obligation to give the job to the candidate that scores the highest in a particular test. Unless they are discriminating one one of the few grounds prohibited by law e.g. race, gender (with a few exceptions), sexual orientation, religion etc they can give the job to whoever they please! 

This. The test is a perhaps a useful metric but not arbiter on who should get the job. If someone gets 90% on a skills test but can't, just for example, handle customers or stakeholders then they might be as good as useless and someone with less knowledge may be genuinely more suited to the role.

As for the whole lot want sacking, it is a bit poor isn't it.

TELLIT01

The score in a test is only one element of the interview and decision making process.  Somebody may be great at hitting the numbers on a test but have a personality which would not fit the team they would be joining, or suited to the role.

getmore4less

If you want something spreading everyone knows who to tell in confidence to get the word out.

Even talking about your own scores is pretty sloppy behaviour unless in the correct context 

TELLIT01

If you don't know who is leaking information, but know the likely culprits, tell each one of them a different story 'in confidence' and see which get circulated.