Scapegoat, Where would I stand if...

[kammalla]

After being on leave, I returned to work to taken in the managers office and told if I had been there the previous week I would have been suspended immediatley pending an investigation. The reason? I had a conversation.

The contracts where I work are up for renewal and, like a lot of places everyones on edge, when one of my friends (who works for a rival company) asked if I'd heard anything about their contract, I said I'd heard A RUMOUR but until something is stated officially, like most rumours, there was no point in worrying about it.
The problem was it got back to my manager (who had actually told us the truth but sworn us to secrecy as he shouldn't have told us) who freaked. Apparently if the rival company's manager had found out I'd made the remark that I had heard A RUMOUR and complained it could have looked bad for the company. I could have been charged with bringing our company into disrepute etc. Which would have effectivly terminated my employment.

But since I talk to more than two people, I had heard the RUMOUR from other people and that was all I commented on. I said nothing else, I thought I did the right thing but apparently the right thing was to lie! I should have said I knew nothing.

My manager even had my friend in the office to explain what I had said and he confirmed that I, like several other people had heard A RUMOUR.

I think that because my manager had told us the truth (that was the same as the rumour incidentally) and knew they shouldn't have they were going to use me as a scapegoat to save their own skin. Fortunately as I had been on leave by the time I returned the manager had calmed down enough to settle with giving me a bollocking! Oh and telling me they won't be telling me anything important again.

My question, and I apologise for the longwindedness is if I had been suspended where would I stand since as far as I can see I did nothing wrong?

[society]

Don't intend to be rude or harsh.

Use this experience as a lesson to keep quiet next time.

[Old_Geezer]

The right thing need not be to lie. It may be to say you are not at liberty to discuss it.

Taking your description at face value I can see why you might think they overreacted, but in the commercial world no one wants to take any chances. I'm not convinced this is a scapegoat situation. Others may have got away with it, that is their good fortune.

Let it go, and be relieved it wasn't worse.

[boxtops]

I think you were wrong, and if you were in my team there would be a risk of disciplinary proceedings. We grant a lot of contracts, we have to be seen to be squeaky clean, and if any of the people who are bidding ask us anything, we have to keep our mouths zipped, even if we know which way we think it's going. Commercial decisions are commercial decisions, you don't give anything away - let alone say anything about rumours - the idea behind a rumour is that people have been leaking information. We too know some of the people involved, quite well! It's not lying - it's confidentiality, a vital aspect in business life.
In our place it would be possible to be suspended on full pay whilst the circumstances were being investigated - it sounds like your manager had said too much as well, but only on the understanding that the people he told would keep their mouths shut.
I think you've been lucky to get away with a verbal warning - is a written warning going on your file?

[kammalla]

Perhaps I should clarify a little, my friend had already heard the RUMOUR and wanted to know if I had heard it. I confirmed I had heard the same RUMOUR he had and it was just that, I did not say anything else. I just advised him to ignore it until there was an official announcement as he was worrying himself about it and I wanted to try and ease his mind.

[atalanta]

Next time, say the same thing that Francis Urquhart so often said.
"You might think that, but I couldn't possibly comment"
No lie, no truth.

[Eve]

The point is that you shouldn't have said anything save that you couldn't say anything.

Rumours can be dangerous things in themselves. Confidential information is just that.

[sara3]

typing the word RUMOUR in capitals doesn't actually alter the facts here.

[andy-hughes]

I think this is a life lesson and i am sure you have learned it.

When you are told not to say anything, that is what it means.

It doesn't mean 'Talking about it using the word 'rumour' is OK ...' it means do not talk about it.

That's it.

OK - you had a lucky escape. Remember this for the future - you are privvy to commercially sensitive information, and you have shown yourself unable to comply with a simple instruction. Do it again, and they will remove the potential problem - which is you.