I have done something really bad at work. Meeting tomorrow to discuss it. So so ashamed and worried.

[daytimemom]

I am so ashamed. I have done something unforgivable at work. My stomach is churning. Just checked my work emails from home and saw one from my manager saying under no circumstances must I access a work database (will call it RED) and we will be having a meeting about it tomorrow.

RED is a new database I have just been given access to. It is an appointment booking database for work colleagues. Last week I was playing around on RED trying to work out how to use it as I needed to make an appointment for a colleague. I noticed I was down as a manager for a couple of colleagues on RED (I don’t manage anyone) so clicked on these colleagues names to see who they were. It brought up confidential info on them like address and date of birth. Accessing these colleagues details was my first mistake.

My second was clicking on my own name, I wanted to see what it said ie why I was down as a manager & in all honesty I was curious.

So by accessing my own record I have breached all our organisations information governance policies. I know it was wrong and I don’t know why I didn’t think about this at the time. So so stupid.

I now feel sick to my stomach. I am on probation so they could just sack me. How will I get another job with this on my record I know I have done something unforgivable but I don’t know how I will be able to cope with this

OP, I am so glad it wasn't as bad as you imagined. Sleep well tonight, you must feel very relieved.

Glad things are ok for the OP

For everyone who thinks that the system access level was the issue; it’s not always that simple:

I spent 11 years working for Police Intelligence with access to 1000s of individual crime reports and PNC criminal records, but just because my permission level allowed me to access the data didn’t mean I should. Data protection, and latterly GDPR, is about access for legitimate purposes, I accessed what I needed to for each case I worked on but would never have searched out of curiosity and doing so would have cost me my job. My point is that you whilst you may have access to info it doesn’t mean you have an automatic right to use it!

Write down what you are going to say, just as you've told us, and apologise profusely, promise it won't happen again and remind them that it was an honest mistake and that you weren't hacking or stealing data, which may have been seen as gross misconduct and a 'sack on the spot type offence'. Try to get some sleep tonight and be prepared to grovel, then after that go the extra mile to show what a star you are and have learned your lesson.

FFS, RTFT. She's already had the meeting this morning. She is in the clear, as she posted at lunchtime today.

I'm really pleased to see that this has had a good outcome, OP. I'm a worrier, and this would have had been in bits so I really sympathise.

Are there devices on which you can't see when a thread was started or do people just read the OP and assume their view is so important that they don't need to RTFT to find out where things are up to?

You can adjust your settings so that the OP's posts are in a different colour. You can then see what they have updated.

Only read the beginning and end...but am so pleased for you OP!

I was so relieved to read your updates, OP!

Enjoy tonight and sleep well. :)

Do not talk to anybody at work with out a union rep,you have a right to representation join a union if needs be. Honestly I think you are taking the fall for other people’s failings!!

I think the best thing you can do here is face this head on. Apologise tomorrow for an impulsive mistake and assure your manager it will never happen again and I’m sure they will appreciate you owning it and taking responsibility. You made an error, it’s not catastrophic. For me I just think defending it or trying to justify it by saying you shouldn’t have access or training ( even if true) may just get your managers back up. Just be genuine in your apology and I’m sure you'll Be ok. Good luck at your meeting.

Just seen the end thread that it worked out! Good stuff!

Phew! Yes, keep the emails - create a new folder in your Inbox marked Private, or RED!

Where I worked we handled patient data and had to complete a Data Protection e-course every year/3 years. If there was ever a breach we had numerous forms to fill in about how/why it happened and how could we prevent it in the future.

Ok genuine question as I know absolutely nothing about this, but how do they know that you did it? Couldn’t it just be that they have realised there is a problem with the programming and have emailed saying basically don’t go on it until it’s been sorted and the meeting is just to confirm this. No nasties please people, I truly don’t understand these things

Good outcome OP.
It was their mistake and not yours.
But you can chill out now and not worry anymore.
Hope you got a good nights sleep!

I've read the full thread and glad to see this turned out okay in the end. When I read the OP I thought you had done something truly horrendous and am pretty surprised that you would describe something like this as unforgivable. I'm going to ask out of interest why you are still on probation. You say that you've been there for 18 months and haven't really been in trouble at work before so you shouldn't be on probation still. I know that several people have asked and you've not acknowledged them @daytimemom that makes me feel that there is something you wanted to hide about your work record and that's why you were so panicked over this incident.

how do they know that you did it?

IT systems - be they databases or other applications - can log what commands are entered and which areas of the system you access, as which ID. Quite often, there will be requirements to log this, particularly if it's sensitive information or financial. We get externally audited on these things. Sys admins may set alerts which will raise some sort of alarm if someone accesses something they shouldn't - this isn't just to tell people off; it's also so any holes in security can be fixed.

They are breaching data protection by giving you access - their fault, not yours.