Protecting Confidentiality in a Collaborative Environment
By Chris Utley, CPA, CA
T
Chris Utley is the director of
ethics at the ICABC. He thanks
Ted Tanaka, barrister &
solicitor, for his assistance with
the article. Tanaka is the
manager, regulatory practices,
at CGA-BC.
eamwork is an integral part of the learning and training process
for professional accountants. As university and accounting
students, we work in teams and study groups on many different
projects and assignments. As we start our professional lives, we’re
assigned to various teams to work together on different projects for
our employers.
Working in teams enables us to benefit from the sharing of ideas,
inputs, and efforts. It also fosters the development of professional relationships and friendships, many of which will endure long after our
career paths have diverged and we’ve moved on to new opportunities.
Where this collegial culture can lead to problems, however, is in the
sharing of confidential client information and proprietary employer information. Thankfully, some basic precautions can help you stay onside.
A sample “sharing” scenario
Let’s say you currently work in public practice and specialize in tax.
Providing tax advice and recommending tax strategies is an integral
part of your job. As part of this work for your clients, you most likely
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CPABC in Focus • Nov/Dec 2013
research past advice and strategies within your
own organization, which would include
similar advice provided to other clients. This
is all part of the process of doing the best job
for your clients and employer.
Let’s imagin H ] [