In coaching there are confidentiality implications with all the different technologies used.
Online meeting platforms: What is the confidentiality of the online meeting platform? Some of them have a very high level of confidentiality. Others, it’s non-existent. It does range across the board. How do you figure it out? Look at the information provided for the platform itself. What are they telling you in terms of confidentiality? Who has access to whatever is located in that platform. If you’re using a free platform, chances are you’re giving permission for them to access everything. If you have a paid subscription, the risk for that goes down. At the same time, whose paid subscription, is it? For example, sometimes you’ll have a client that works in an organization that uses Teams, and the company pays for a subscription to use the Teams program. Your client loves it. It’s convenient. It’s easy. What people are not realizing is that the company can access everything. Whether or not you know it, because it is the company who is paying for that platform. Your ideal, of course, is to have a platform that you are paying for, subscribed to, and that you can manage the settings on in terms of where the information goes and who has access.
Telephone: Oftentimes, workplace telephones are monitored randomly and even recorded. Which means you can be in a coaching conversation with a client and without you or the client knowing, somebody else may be monitoring or recording that conversation. You simply don’t know that’s happening. Which means when you take on a client, have a conversation with them about it. If you’re calling them in the workplace, is it on a company owned telephone line? Is it randomly recorded? Is it randomly monitored? Because then you have a risk. For example, one client said, “oh, yeah, the phone is randomly monitored and recorded. And even the cell phone is too.” In the end, we ended up using their personal cell phone even though they were at work. By going on their personal cell phone, they limited the access to the conversation.
Alexa and Siri: What happens when those are used? Essentially, you have a listening ear. You don’t really know who’s listening or how closely. At the same time, the risk is there. Which means as a coach, it’s important to be aware of that. Turn it off in your room. Turn it off in terms of anywhere it’s possible for it to hear. It can also mean having that conversation with the client about them turning it off where they are located too.
Email: If you’re emailing your client on a company email address, that email is owned by the company, and they have access to it. Have a conversation with a client and discuss the risk. Because if you email something to them, the company can access it which may impact them. Sometimes people will use their company email simply for scheduling and then use their personal email for any exchange of notes or other information.
Computers: If the computer you are using to take notes is owned or accessed by anyone else, then confidentiality has been violated. What does that mean to you?
It means if you are coaching somebody and you’re taking notes, it’s absolutely essential. That only be happening on your own personally owned and controlled computer. Personally owned and controlled can extend. What happens if you have company and you’re going to let them use your computer for a minute. Can they accidentally access something? How are you protecting it? What are you doing to make sure that confidentiality is protected.
As an example for you, there was an internal coach working with a client inside the organization.
The client’s manager came to the coach and said, well, tell me what you’re talking about in those coaching sessions, and the coach said, I can’t do that. It’s confidential. That manager went to the IT department and said get me the notes. Well, the manager had the level of authority to be able to do that. The IT department was compliant with the policies to provide those notes. It was the coach that violated confidentiality because they put the notes in a place that someone else was able to access.
It is important to know that generally speaking, free platforms have inherent risk. Big box platforms have inherent risk. Any device, email, telephone, computer, etc. that is accessed, owned, or controlled by someone else has risk. It is important that you take the time to consider that and to research what is available. Using your own personal device is helpful in protecting confidentiality. Using personal email for the client is helpful in protecting confidentiality. Be intentional and transparent with what technologies you use and how you use them.
As you grow a coaching business, do others have access to your email? Because they’re supporting you by managing your website, your domain, or doing other services for you? Do you have a virtual assistant that has access? How are you managing confidentiality? The Code of Ethics calls on us to ensure any support personnel that we have are abiding by the Code of Ethics and the ethical standards around confidentiality. As an example, at the Center for Coaching Certification,the website manager and programmer sign that they agree to abide by the code of ethics and to protect client confidentiality.
That means considering every technology that you’re using. The meeting platforms, the telephones, the emails, the computers, etc. Have a conversation with your client. Be very transparent about what you’re doing. Are these measures a fail-safe? Unfortunately, it’s unlikely there is a fail-safe. It is important to do everything you can to protect your client’s confidentiality.
Discuss how you’re working to protect confidentiality and the reasons you’re doing it that way with your client. As coach, it is your responsibility to protect your client’s confidentiality and to ensure you’re doing everything you can to make sure your client’s information is in a place that is secure and confidential. Be transparent!
