Many businesses hire contractors to perform specific services after business hours, such as an office-cleaning services. If you have concerns about the confidentiality of your business or client information that the contractors may come across in the performance of their services, any agreement with the contractor should include confidentiality provisions.

The agreement can prohibit such actions as the transfer, use, and copying of information, but it can also include additional protective terms, such as:

1. a requirement to apprise any of its personnel assigned to your site of the confidentiality requirements.
2. the confidentiality of any proprietary information that you receive from other parties, such as clients.
3. an obligation to provide a list of the names of any personnel that are assigned to your site and an ongoing responsibility to update the list immediately with any changes.
4. prohibiting the contractor and its personnel from disturbing or touching anything on desktops, in file drawers (whether open or closed) or any other places where papers are found.
5. barring any use of your business’s personal property, such as copiers, fax machines, telephones, and computers.
6. banning the contractor’s personnel from bringing visitors with them when working at your site.

You may expect a contractor to abide by many of these stipulations without a written agreement. However, having a signed contract provides clear instructions and imposes proactive obligations on the contractor and its personnel that have been expressly agreed upon.

If you have any questions about putting a confidentiality agreement in place, do not hesitate to contact our office at (248) 477-6300.