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Send this letter if a former employee is alleged to be sharing confidential information, reminding them that their confidentiality obligations continue after employment.
[Sender name]
[Sender address]
[date]
[Recipient name]
[Recipient address]
Dear [Recipient first name],
Reminder Of Confidentiality Agreement
We hope this letter finds you well. As a former employee of our company, we wanted to remind you of your obligations under the Confidentiality Agreement that you signed during your employment with us.
As you may recall, the Confidentiality Agreement prohibits you from disclosing any confidential information of our company to third parties, including but not
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A reminder of confidentiality agreement letter is used to remind a former employee of the confidentiality obligations that applied during their employment and may continue after their employment has ended. It provides a clear written record of the organisation's expectations and can be particularly useful where the individual had access to commercially sensitive, personal or other confidential information.
The letter should refer to the relevant confidentiality provisions that applied to the employee rather than attempting to create new obligations after employment has ended. It can also remind the former employee of the importance of continuing to protect confidential information and, where appropriate, returning or deleting company information and property.
A reminder of confidentiality agreement letter will typically cover:
A reminder may be appropriate as part of the employee's offboarding process, particularly where they held a senior position or had access to commercially sensitive information, customer data, intellectual property, pricing information, business plans or other confidential material. It may also be appropriate where there is a specific reason to remind the former employee of their continuing obligations.
Before sending the letter, the employer should review the former employee's contract and any separate confidentiality, intellectual property or other relevant agreements. The wording should accurately reflect the obligations that apply and should not attempt to impose restrictions that were not agreed or that cannot lawfully be enforced.
A written reminder provides a clear record that the organisation has communicated its expectations following the end of employment. It can also help avoid misunderstandings by identifying the relevant contractual obligations and reminding the former employee that confidentiality may continue beyond their final day of employment.
Tip: Keep the reminder focused on obligations that genuinely apply to the former employee. Avoid using broad or threatening language that suggests every piece of information obtained during employment remains confidential indefinitely; the scope and duration of confidentiality obligations will depend on the agreement and the nature of the information concerned.
Related HR resources and workflow
Explore the HR resources that may be relevant before and / or after using the Reminder of confidentiality agreement letter, helping you understand the wider process, maintain appropriate documentation and follow a consistent approach.
Use this model standalone confidentiality agreement prior to discussion of a role / project / consultancy in detail.
If you wish to notify a former employee's new employer that the employee is obliged to not share confidential information with them, send this model letter.
Use these best practice actions, recommended timescales and process stages to understand when and how the Reminder of confidentiality agreement letter should be used, helping ensure each step is handled consistently and appropriately documented.
Confidentiality obligations can continue after employment ends, but their scope will depend on the employee's contract, any separate confidentiality agreement and the nature of the information involved. Employers should therefore check the specific terms that apply before issuing a reminder and ensure that the letter accurately reflects those obligations.
Employment contracts and separate confidentiality agreements may contain provisions requiring employees to protect confidential information during and after employment. Employers should check the wording carefully, including any definitions of confidential information and any stated duration or continuing obligations.
Some information may receive protection under the Trade Secrets (Enforcement, etc.) Regulations 2018 and other applicable legal principles. This can be particularly relevant where a former employee had access to commercially valuable information such as product development, pricing, customer information, business plans or technical know-how.
Former employees may have retained access to personal data belonging to the organisation, its employees, customers or other individuals. Employers should consider their obligations under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 and should have appropriate processes for removing access and recovering or securely deleting company information when employment ends.
Where the employee's contract or other agreement requires company documents, equipment or information to be returned or deleted, the offboarding process should address this explicitly. A confidentiality reminder can reinforce those requirements where appropriate, but it should reflect the actual obligations that apply.
Confidentiality provisions should be distinguished from other post-termination restrictions, such as non-compete, non-solicitation or non-dealing clauses. These restrictions are subject to different considerations and should not be assumed to be enforceable simply because they appear in an employment contract.
A reminder should reinforce existing obligations rather than attempt to introduce new contractual restrictions after employment has ended. Where there is a specific concern about potential misuse or disclosure of confidential information, or where enforcement action is being considered, employers should obtain appropriate legal advice based on the individual circumstances.
That could cover removing system access, recovering devices/documents, transferring passwords or accounts where appropriate, confirming return/deletion of information and reminding the employee of continuing obligations. That would make the page much more practically useful and link naturally to your offboarding resources.
Important: A confidentiality reminder letter does not itself create or guarantee enforceability of a confidentiality obligation. The underlying contract or agreement, the nature of the information and the circumstances of any alleged disclosure will all be relevant.
Yes. This template has been designed for organisations of all sizes, including small businesses, charities and growing employers. It follows UK employment law best practice and can be adapted to suit your organisation.
Our templates are developed with UK employment legislation, Acas guidance and HR best practice in mind and are reviewed and updated as relevant requirements change. However, every employment situation is different, so the template should be adapted to the circumstances and checked against the employee's contract and your organisation's procedures before use.
Yes, we highlight the areas of the document that you need to update with your own details, and where you need to make decisions to suit your situation. This saves you time and ensures that you meet best practice.
Yes. Once purchased, you'll be able to download it instantly. Templates are provided in editable format (such as .doc or .xls) so you can customise them easily, and in PDF format for easy sharing.
If you're looking for broader support, we also offer toolkits and library bundles that include the Reminder of confidentiality agreement letter template, along with other HR templates and policies for fully managing your situation. These may be more cost-effective if you need deeper advice.
AI can produce a document quickly, but effective HR documentation needs to be more than well-written words. It needs to reflect relevant UK employment law, HR best practice, practical considerations and the circumstances in which it will be used. These resources have been professionally developed around that wider HR context, drawing on extensive practical experience, rather than simply generating a generic document from a prompt.
Darryl Horn, Chartered HR Director
Darryl is a Chartered HR professional with over 25 years' experience in senior HR and employee relations roles.
He has extensive practical experience of managing confidentiality processes and founded hrdocbox to provide businesses with practical, professionally developed HR resources grounded in UK employment law and best practice.
"Darryl provides support and advice with excellent judgement, and has a strong understanding of people, policies and UK employment legislation."
"He is someone I trust; consistent, dependable, and committed to doing things properly."
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