Privacy and non disclosure agreement

Hi there everyone!

So this is going to be my last post. It seems surreal now that I am almost at the end of my internship which inevitably means I am almost at the end of my degree. Just a few short years ago I was looking forward to this very moment and now that it is here I feel a sense of dream like disbelief.

But this day has to come for everyone and the internship process is crucial to your preparation for what is to come next after your degree is done.

The topic I want to conclude my blogging experience with is that of  Privacy and Non Disclosure Agreements. This is a very important topic because most of us are now in the process of writing and completing our final reports for the internship unit and the assignment requires that we include some very in-depth information not just about the industry of Public Relations but also the activities of the firms we interned at.

I do not know about many of you but I had to sign a non disclosure agreement at the start of my internship at Integrated Public Relations. Most companies that deal with clients and client accounts expect their employees to agree with a privacy agreement and observe it like the law that it is.

This is because clients trust us with information that is very intimate to their businesses. They are giving you the key into their policies and their well guarded secret strategies. To maintain this level of trust and a secure future working relationship, many marketing and public relations companies demand the utmost discretion from their employees.

Divulging secrets of your clients, other than being shady and unethical obviously, can also put them at risk against their competitors and cost the client a lot of money. Not only does this mar your reputation as a reliable PR consultant but also damages the reputation of your firm.

Keep in mind that when you sign one of these agreements you are bound as would be in any other contract, violation of which can result in legal repercussions.

So as my final piece of advice I would like to remind you to pay attention to the privacy agreements or non disclosure agreements when writing your final reports. You can approach your internship supervisor for help about what goes and what doesn't and maybe together you can come up with a report that meets all the requirements of the unit. That is what I did with my employers and they were were very generous and helpful.

I wish you all best of luck and hope this internship experience has been as enlightening for all of you as it has been for me.

Signing off for the last time,

Ramsha Zia Siddiqi

Curtin University, Sarawak Campus
Student ID: 7e2b1164