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“People Who Are No Longer Bound By NDAs, What Are Some Secrets That You Can Expose?” (30 Answers)
Interview
If you’ve been in the job industry for a while, you’ve likely had to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and/or a non-compete agreement (NCA) at some point. They are incredibly common. Usually, they are a mere formality. In some rare cases, though, all of that confidentiality is very useful because it protects companies’ interests and helps them avoid potential backlash.
Some professionals whose NDAs have expired by now took to the r/AskReddit online community to spill the tea about some of the biggest corporate secrets they knew about. Scroll down for their stories and a deep dive into what goes on behind the scenes at some workplaces.
Bored Panda reached out to the person who sparked the entire online discussion, redditor u/iam_saikat. Scroll down for our interview with them!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Was never bound to an NDA somehow, but sat in to oversee the technical aspects of Herbalife meetings. We’re talking meetings with the highest level sellers and their board. They spoke about how to manipulate low income and “unintelligent” people to make them millions of dollars. How to teach others to scam others to make them more money. .
RELATED:
#2
Walmart corporate office puts a screensaver on all their workers' computers with a message urging them to donate to an emergency fund for their FT or near-FT warehouse and retail workers. Instead of giving them healthcare or PTO.
Walmart retail nd warehouse workers are kept just below FT so they can't get benefits, and the vast majority receive government benefits. Your taxes are subsidizing millions in benefits for the richest company in America so the richest CEO in america is richer.
Everything in the second paragraph of this post is public knowledge.
Lauren Carpenter 2 months ago
Where do the Walmart employees spend their foodstamps? I'll letcha guess...
#3
I once got hurt at work, a concussion specifically, on Camera. I have a history with concussion-like symptoms. I was 99% sure I hit my head but I lost all memory of the accident. I ended up missing a few weeks of work due to the severity. I wasn't 100% sure if I had some sort of mental breakdown so asked to see the video so that I could confirm my injury.
They flat our refused to let me see the video and told me there was no evidence that I hit my head. I offered to sign away any rights to sue and I wasn't even asking them for hospital bills or paid time off. Long story short, I sued them, I won, and had to sign an NDA. I got my wages and hospital bills paid that I wasn't even asking for, and was finally able to get the video. It was a 100% no-doubt head injury complete with a loud bonking sound effect and me falling down and leaving a dent in the bulkhead that I hit.
After the fact the office staff told me that they were under orders from upper management to lie and saw they didn't see anything on the tape. They said this was standard for anyone who gets hurt... to just lie about it and let it play out in court. I obviously quit soon after.
According to the author of the viral thread, it's important to remember that NDAs are not bulletproof, nor are they completely binding if they go against what's legal.
"From what I understand, NDAs are not above the law," u/iam_saikat told Bored Panda, explaining what employees should keep in mind when signing these documents.
"For instance, if an employer wants an employee to keep shut about something illegal going on in there, the employee can and should report it accordingly in spite of any binding NDA."
#4
The private school I worked for was for students identified with giftedness... The owner of the school administered the giftedness test...
Can you pay the tuition? You're gifted!
Can your sibling pay? Them too!
Your cousin? Neighbour? Kid you know across town? You're all gifted!
Rose the Cook 2 months ago
This is a massive problem in private schools in China. Not about being "gifted" but about gaining addmission.
#5
The lady who owns Columbia sportswear neglects her animals to the point of death. And then she just buys more. I was supposed to be a caretaker for them but there weren't even basic med supplies like Bute and swat or vet wrap. She wouldn't call the vet for almost anything. Two goats died of malnutrition, another its entire hoof fell off, 12 chickens died, two mini donkeys died, the Guinea pig was keep alone in a hamster cage, and she kept her late husband's dog Monty locked in a dog run. Her dogs were permitted out but not Monty, even on leash. Initially he was allowed out and I got with him great shape taking walks everyday. But one day she stopped allowing even that. I quit when she started talking about getting 30+ sheep and pigs. It was a miserable place, her mansion. I only worked there a year and brought in my own supplies to treat what I could but it'll always break my heart I couldn't do more. I called animal control multiple times and they never helped, even with the goats who looked like walking skeletons. Rich people can do whatever they want to living things. .
Barbara Burns 2 months ago
Well, if you're referring to Gert Boyle, the good news is she died five years ago.
#6
In a tech support role, one manager used to boast his team's average call-times were the lowest in the company.
While average call times were in the 12-17 minute range, his team was constantly under 10 minutes. His team was awarded multiple times and his "strategy" was adopted company-wide to all customer service and technical support teams, including our internal IT teams.
That strategy was under a strict NDA, as we did not want to allow competitors to emulate it. When our call center would go bid on contracts, it became an awesome metric. "Our Customer Satisfaction Scores are on-par but we have call times 20-30% lower than our competitors!"
The dirty secret of the NDA that I was not allowed to disclose? Their "big method?"
Just hang up on people.
Straight up.
Find a way to say "Okay go ahead and do that and call back if it doesn't fix it."
Then hang up. Don't wait for confirmation.
"Okay so reboot your PC and your problem should be solved! Thanks for calling!" *click*
Eventually they came out with more useful metrics that tracked things like First Call Resolution which absolutely *shredded* this company and they went out of business a year or two later.
Ripley 2 months ago
I worked somewhere many years ago as an incoming call centre operator. Then they got a software package that allowed them to review stats. I got hauled over the calls for having a "longer than average" call time. All that achieved was that I was infuriated every time a customer took time to provide the required information. Not helpful in any way at all - just focuses on quantity rather than quality.
Meanwhile, the OP shared a few thoughts on how to have the biggest impact on Reddit with any interesting threads or posts that users might have. For them, timing is absolutely everything.
"Normally, if these curious questions are posted when users are most likely to use social media throughout the day, they get good response and engagement," u/iam_saikat said.
"And since almost half of Reddit users are from the States, if the posting can be timed correctly, it clicks more often."
You aren’t completely powerless when it comes to (not) signing NDAs, but you’re not exactly in the driver’s seat either. You could, for example, ask your future employer why they feel that you need to sign the contract. You can also ask them to potentially amend the document if there are any parts that are overly vague or uncommonly restrictive.
However, this approach requires two things. For one, you have to have a bit of legal knowledge to understand what exactly your NDA entails. And secondly, it takes a lot of guts to start questioning your future employer. You don’t know how your employer will react if you refuse to sign documents that have become part and parcel of corporate life. That said, it’s still better to clarify things before you sign anything rather than after the fact.
#7
I worked for a website creation company back in 1999, managing the website for a big brand / large bank that was sponsoring a round-trip paid ticket to the Superbowl. I worked on the website that collected all the entries, and I posted the rules that the company's legal department wrote to describe the rules of the contest.
A random winner was to be selected for the prize, and I wrote a software tool to randomly pick the winner to be used when the contest was over.
When the contest ended, I was told to forget my tool, forget the rules, just look in the database and find someone in South Florida (where the Superbowl was in 1999) so the company wouldn't have to pay for airfare.
#8
Early 2000s I worked in the clothing department at Walmart, and one night I was handed a memo that I was to secretly cut out all the tags on a list of product that said "Made in Myanmar" because the brand was suddenly trying to hide that they were doing business there. I believe it was Hanes.
#9
I worked at a cancer charity and half the people would order things for themselves and charge it to the charity. An eye-opening job for a 16 year old.
NDAs are, by design, meant to protect someone’s interests by restricting the type of information that can be shared at work or outside of it. They formalize the (lack of) trust between the employer and the employees.
On the one hand, these documents ensure that the business gets at least some level of protection from potentially malicious actors. On the other hand, if someone feels like the NDAs and NCAs are too restrictive, they might decide to take their numerous highly demanded skills someplace more trusting.
#10
At my old job, Pam helped me reallocate my client’s ad scheduling so I can invoice out a little extra for the last month of December 2014, helping me hit my yearly budget.
I got let go two weeks after that and I believe the original plan was to fire me under the justification of missing my yearly budget. Instead I got a severance of $15,000. I believe Pam knew or heard what the lay of the land was and helped me out.
Appreciate you, Pam!
#11
Tesla and Rivian electrical components are made in the same facility by a large electronic manufacturer and even share personnel.
This once caused Elon to throw a fit and threatened to take the contract somewhere else.
The solution?
For the next visit the company separated the lines by a wall and told Elon they had ended the Rivian contract.
They still produce both and also the components for the new Ford electric models.
#12
Intel Corporation used to go around to colleges and hold programming contests, and to the winner they'd give a mid-grade laptop and a gaudy trophy. back at Corporate, some of these winning code bases would get tens of millions of dollars poured into them in attempts to get them to product release.
kath morgan 2 months ago
Always be wary of these “contests” run by companies that could certainly afford to pay someone the going rate to do the job.
Breaking an NDA doesn’t incur criminal penalties, as it’s a civil contract. However, if you go against the terms of the agreement, your workplace can sue you to make you pay for all the potential damage you may have done to the company’s business interests or reputation.
You can always ask for some time to mull over the documents. If you have anyone with legal expertise in your social circle, they might give you a few pointers. Otherwise, if you’re particularly worried about the NDA, hire a lawyer who specializes in them, so they can give you their professional advice.
#13
I worked for a healthcare facility that started collecting private patient information to share with insurance companies in order to secure better contracts. This wasn’t diagnosis data; it was lifestyle data, including spending transactions (they were trying to find ways to obtain that information when I was leaving). When I asked if patients were aware, they always gave a vague answer, which essentially meant no.
#14
I did SEO for Leapforce.
Google is always listening. Always. Listening.
I had to listen to a ton of recordings and identify if they were “accidental” and if what I heard was a command.
I’ve heard everything you can imagine.
#15
I worked at Verizon and we were told we had to use special offers to try and “save” customers. And elderly man called to have his wife’s phone disconnected after her death and I didn’t do any of the “saves”. Got called in for QA overview and got written up.
Damned_Cat 2 months ago
When I divorced, my ex took me off the Friends and Family plan so T-Mobile started charging me a ridiculous monthly rate. When I asked them for a better deal, they said that the expensive rate it was the best they could do. When I called them to get some information I needed to switch carriers, they suddenly had an amazing deal that would match the rate the new company was giving me.
Alternatively, if it’s a pretty standard NDA, sign it, and enjoy your new job. It’s not like you should be spilling work-related secrets in the first place. However, if your workplace is doing something that is outright illegal, you can and should get in touch with the authorities ASAP.
Have you ever signed any NDAs, dear Pandas? How restrictive were they? If any of your NDAs have already expired, are there any corporate secrets that you want to get off your chest? Feel free to vent in the comments!
#16
I worked at a grocery store, we had lots of prepackaged produce and other baked goods. I was told to pull off all the expiration date stickers and replace them with new dates because "they still looked good". There were so many things they did that probably could have gotten them fined heavily if I had known better and reported them. They were a local chain that had like 10 stores, apparently they only have one store left now and are very close to going out of business for good according to my parents.
Janissary35680 2 months ago
Not a lawyer here but if you are aware of illegal activity and don't report it, doesn't that make you an accessory?
#17
I know of at least three major (and I mean MAJOR, superfund level pollution of very toxic materials) environmental disasters that are completely unknown because they took place on private property and the companies that did it are covering it up. Often, this means that the company owns a tract of land that they keep fenced off and empty. As long as they don't sell it, nobody needs to test the soil.
Having a good understanding of what happens to whistleblowers, regardless of NDA, I won't name the companies. I don't need to get forcibly suicided.
#18
I worked for a company the overseas and enforces (self) regulation for one of the power grids in the United States. My job was to help secure it against cyber attacks and to help write the regulations that enforce those protections...
I had panic attacks on Sunday nights because I knew at work the next morning we'd go over the list of everything not compliant and the lawyers would argue they were, and nothing would get done. Many times the lawyers would tell me that I wasn't "interpreting what was written correctly.", then I'd remind them that I WROTE IT with a committee and if they didn't believe me they could go look at the minutes taken in the meetings. Instead, they would just document their "justifications" for being compliant and not actually secure anything...
The US power system is now so vulnerable to cyber attacks that it is only a matter of time before millions of people have their lives thrown into complete disaster and potentially hundreds of thousands that will die. I just can't even think about how bad things are now.
#19
I was never under an NDA but the hotel is under new ownership so I guess I can say it now.
The hotel had no internet connection starting around 1 am to 6 am. Like clockwork, every night. Idk if it was just a system fault or if it was cost cutting. But without internet, the security cameras didnt work or record anything. The fire alarm system doesnt work either (the alarms go off but it doesnt call for help). So if we had a fire that started at 3 am for example, then unless someone else thats driving by calls it in, I have no idea whats happening.
One night we had an assault happen in the parking lot. The police needed camera evidence and our cameras didnt record anything because the internet was out. So that was fun explaining to the detectives.
#20
I worked at a startup that tracked employee happiness, supposedly so they can make employees happier, but in practice it seemed they were preemptively getting rid of unhappy employees. No need to wait for them to quit...
#21
Fortune 500, Real Estate, long time ago:
We know about the black mould problem. We always knew. We do not disclose it. We intentionally do not look into. We don't want to know exactly what kind it is, because if it's dangerous then we legally have to spend money to fix it. The only department that is allowed to talk about the black mould problem is Press and PR because only they know how to bury it correctly.
That was not a great work culture.
FoxEcoLimaIndiaCharlieIndiAlfa 2 months ago
Please forgive my ignorance but isn't all black mold "dangerous" or at the very least not ideal for someone to be breathing in the spores?
#22
My wife used to be an "associate" in a well known multilevel marketing company. I won't say which one.
She dragged me along to one of their "how to get rich in this business" seminars where someone way up in the pyramid was speaking. The speaker at one point was advising the audience on how to commit tax fraud by deducting everything imaginable and then some on your taxes as "business expenses." Some of it was borderline, but a lot of it was just straight up tax evasion.
My wife was still in her true believer phase at that point and thought the secrets of the universe had been revealed to her. We argued about it for a couple weeks afterwards, until she finally agreed to ask our tax guy about it, and he basically said "LOL that's totally fraud. I hope you like the color orange."
Worst part was the reason the speaker was advising everyone to commit tax fraud was "so you can invest more back into your business," which translated from MLM-speak means "Keep pumping money into the pyramid and making us rich, suckers!".
Captain Grump 2 months ago
I believe that with only 5 people below each individual in an MLM scheme, you hit the ENTIRE earth's population after only 15 levels.
#23
One surprising secret is how many products marketed as "handmade" or "artisanal" are actually mass-produced in factories overseas. Brands rely on clever wording to sell the image of small-batch craftsmanship, but behind the scenes, it's often a far cry from what’s advertised.
PeepPeep the duck 2 months ago
Yes, the aboriginal art gallery I worked in at Perth, the boomerangs, art trinkets etc are made in China. So I asked the owner how that works as an ‘Australian made art/souvenir?’, and he said the design is sold to China from the artists to mass produce. Even the kool rock painting ones in frames.
#24
Not really exposing a secret here but I am disgusted by it. My job requires me to look into the minutes of meetings. One of my clients was a school. During one of the meetings with the board of directors and the parents, they addressed the bullying in the school, one of the parents said "Just leave it, let the weak ones fall out." and that was the end of it.
#25
Danny Devito has a long time agent/manager who unbeknownest to him is a racist. She apparently doesn't realize all the calls are recorded, so there's *years* of her saying some f****d up s**t to people in a certain office.
He, on the other hand, is a really decent chap....
#26
I worked for a company that made DJ equipment, turntables etc. They put a metal plate in their cheaply made turntables so they were the same weight as Technics when in reality they were plastic garbage.
#27
I've seen an early cut of John Wick 2 where all of the animal handlers were running around on screen in green spandex bodysuits. Running alongside the horses, carrying leads for the dogs, etc. Just all of these people who are invisible to the actors and the rest of their world.
Absolutely surreal.
Nicola Roberts 2 months ago
I'm not sure this is a surprise to anyone, but it's nice to read something less bothersome.
#28
The Victoria Secret Fashion show in Shanghai in 2017 was an absolute s**t show of corruption, kickbacks, and f**k ups. The Chinese government took VS for an absolute ride for so much stuff, and that's not including all of the middlemen who wanted to get their beaks wet as well. The amount of money that VS spent to have their fashion show in China was astronomical and got them, at a minimum, investigated by the US government for the amount of bribes they were paying.
#29
Call centre employees share bad experiences with each other in a "secret" log by the customer info. They know exactly who the a******s are.
Šimon Špaček 2 months ago
Important lesson. Most ticketing systems have two sections, one is visible to the affected person, the other is visible only to techs. First of all, if you want to write something about the user, use the "tech only" field. Second of all, make sure that this person is not in fact member of another tech team, they can see it. And they get email notification.
#30
I don't know if I was ever bound by an NDA for this, but I used to work for a contractor for a major US plane manufacturer.
They will literally hire anyone. I'm an ancient historian. I do Roman stuff. My experience in flight is limited to sims and being a passenger.
They have no standard for aeronautics for their teachers. Their techs; I don't know.
What do you think ?
kansasmagic 2 months ago
It's not just me, right? Like two of these stories are *actually* about NDAs. The rest are "secrets" that anyone who cares to could look up, or run of the mill shady business practices.
Rodney McKay 2 months ago
BP could just title all of their articles "This is Clickbait".
Load More Replies...
Brandie Litchfield 2 months ago (edited)
I was told that a malpractice lawsuit in a hair salon, was cheaper than a discrimination lawsuit. So if a client came in with hair that you had not been trained to provide services for (specifically BIPOC), you could not admit that you had never received training for that hair type and advise the client to a more appropriate stylist or salon. Instead, you were supposed to do your be to figure it out, and risk damaging their hair!! I was told this while job shadowing in the mid 90s at a well-known salon chain, within a big name brand store. I did not agree with this at all,, and attempted to find any training options for hair types that I hadn't been trained on in cosmetology. Unless a POC was in your class and willing to teach everyone, you just weren't taught those skills! There was nothing in my state that offered such training, and I was so disgusted by the idea of working in a salon without knowledge of how to properly care for ALL customers hair, that I let my cosmetology license lapse and have never returned.
kansasmagic 2 months ago
It's not just me, right? Like two of these stories are *actually* about NDAs. The rest are "secrets" that anyone who cares to could look up, or run of the mill shady business practices.
Rodney McKay 2 months ago
BP could just title all of their articles "This is Clickbait".
Load More Replies... Brandie Litchfield 2 months ago (edited)
I was told that a malpractice lawsuit in a hair salon, was cheaper than a discrimination lawsuit. So if a client came in with hair that you had not been trained to provide services for (specifically BIPOC), you could not admit that you had never received training for that hair type and advise the client to a more appropriate stylist or salon. Instead, you were supposed to do your be to figure it out, and risk damaging their hair!! I was told this while job shadowing in the mid 90s at a well-known salon chain, within a big name brand store. I did not agree with this at all,, and attempted to find any training options for hair types that I hadn't been trained on in cosmetology. Unless a POC was in your class and willing to teach everyone, you just weren't taught those skills! There was nothing in my state that offered such training, and I was so disgusted by the idea of working in a salon without knowledge of how to properly care for ALL customers hair, that I let my cosmetology license lapse and have never returned.
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