Symantec Corporation, the markers of Norton AntiVirus, has recently ventured into the data protection market by announcing the results of a survey regarding the use of and retention of sensitive proprietary information by departing employees.

The survey preformed by the Ponemon Institute, revealed that nearly 60% of workers retained some of the company’s private data after they left their job. This includes email lists, client records, and financial information to name a few. Click here for more on the results of the survey, as reported by the CBC.

Departing employees should always take caution with their previous employer’s proprietary and confidential information.  Even without an employment contract or confidentiality agreement expressly limiting and employee’s ability to use this information after his or her departure, the law implies obligations on employees not to do so.  

Daniel A. Lublin is an Employment Lawyer specializing in the law of Wrongful Dismissal and Constructive Dismissal. He can be reached at www.toronto-employmentlawyer.com or via email.