UAE jobs: Up to Dh1m fine, imprisonment for revealing employer’s secrets

UAE jobs: Up to Dh1m fine, imprisonment for revealing employer’s secrets

Legal expert advises employers to include a provision in job contract that requires employees to return confidential information at the end of their service

Published: Sat 25 Mar 2023, 6:00 AM

Employees in the UAE can immediately be terminated without prior notice for revealing confidential information of the employer which leads to damage or loss of profit, or if the employee gains personal benefits from it, said Raka Roy, partner, Galadari Associates and Legal Consultants.

She said disclosure of workplace secrets can also attract at least one-year imprisonment along with a fine of a minimum of Dh20,000.

Disclosure of workplace secrets through IT systems is viewed strictly under the Cyber Crimes Law as the disclosure in such a way would result in detention for at least six months and/or a fine of at least Dh20,000 to Dh1 million.

Roy added that employees are prohibited from keeping any original or copied documents, or information belonging to their employer during their employment in their personal possession. Additionally, employees must return any work-related information and data to their employer at the end of their service.

“To further safeguard against the retention of confidential information, it is recommended that employers include a provision in their employment agreement which requires employees