See below for details: What do I do if I violated ethical standards concerning trade secrets?

Question

I have worked for six months with an organization providing services to a target population. I worked as a program analyst and was doing work to devise better means of implementing the program. In addition, I have experience in writing grants and personnel management, and wanted to try to expand the organization to a different service area, so I contacted the primary service delivery agent in that area to tell them that I was interested in going through the process of setting up the nonprofit. A few days later, I got a call asking if I gave out proprietary information (which I didn't, because everything I mentioned in the e-mail was all ready known to everyone of importance in that service area). Clearly, I said no, because I hadn't, but I was fired a few afterward because I had "lied" about it. I pointed out that there was no proprietary information in what I had released, and was slammed by the HR person because that was a "technicality". I screwed up, but what can I do?

Answer 1

Law and the what falls into the realm of confidential is technical. How can you have screwed up if there was no proprietary information revealed?

Tell them to give you better training/guidelines on what material is to be kept confidential.

Answer 2

At this point the only things you can do is start looking for a new job and apply for unemployment. They can fire you with or without cause. It is pretty much a fallacy that you can get reinstated because you were wrongfully terminated unless the termination involves violation of discrimination laws.