Is public information covered by a confidentiality agreement?

Publicly available information is usually not confidential, unless it becomes public because of the employee’s unauthorised disclosure.

Can intellectual property be confidential information?

Yes. Employers can protect inventions, designs, source code, product roadmaps, research, and other technical materials that are not publicly known.

How should confidential information be described in an employee NDA?

A good NDA should define confidential information clearly, often by listing categories and giving examples relevant to the employee’s role and the employer’s business.

Should an employee NDA distinguish between confidential and non-confidential information?

Yes. The definition should be specific enough to be enforceable and not so broad that it tries to cover information that is not genuinely confidential.

Can an NDA cover information shared before the employee signs it?

An employee NDA can cover information disclosed before, during, and sometimes after employment, if the wording is clear and legally reasonable.

How long should confidential information remain protected in an employee NDA?

A reasonable period depends on the information. Trade secrets may need protection indefinitely, while other business information may only need protection for a limited time.

Can supplier information be included in an employee confidentiality agreement?

Yes. Information about suppliers, contracts, pricing, contacts, and supply chain arrangements can be confidential if it is not publicly available.

Can software and technical information be protected by an employee NDA?

Yes. Software code, databases, system architecture, credentials, technical documentation, and security procedures are often protected as confidential information.

Can marketing and business plans be confidential information?

Yes. Strategic plans, launch dates, advertising ideas, market research, and campaign materials can be protected if they are commercially sensitive.

Is an employee NDA different from a general non-disclosure agreement?

A general NDA may cover many situations, but an employee confidentiality agreement is usually tailored to employment duties, workplace information, and post-employment obligations.

EN-GB>Employment>Non-Disclosure Agreement>UK Employee NDAs: Confidential Information Types

Types Of Confidential Information In Employee NDAs In The UK

Created: 8 Jun 2026

Understanding the types of confidential information covered in employee NDAs helps UK employers and staff protect sensitive business data. This guide supports better drafting alongside an AI Generated British Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA).

Information category	Description	Typical confidentiality status	Disclosure impact	Common handlers
Client or supplier information
Customer lists	Names, contact details, buying history and account notes for customers.	Usually confidential	High	Sales, account managers, customer success, marketing
Commercial information, Client or supplier information
Customer contracts	Negotiated terms, service levels, discounts, renewal dates and liabilities.	Usually confidential	High	Legal, sales, account managers, finance
Commercial information, Strategic information
Sales pipeline data	Prospects, deal stages, expected values, close dates and sales notes.	Usually confidential	High	Sales, business development, leadership
Commercial information, Financial information
Pricing strategy	Rate cards, discount rules, margins and planned price changes.	Usually confidential	High	Sales, finance, commercial, leadership
Commercial information, Operational information
Discounting policies	Internal approval thresholds, promotional limits and negotiation guidance.	Usually confidential	Medium	Sales, finance, commercial operations
Client or supplier information, Operational information
Supplier lists	Approved suppliers, contacts, specialisms and relationship history.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Procurement, operations, finance, legal
Client or supplier information, Commercial information
Supplier contract terms	Prices, rebates, exclusivity, credit terms and performance obligations.	Usually confidential	High	Procurement, legal, finance, operations
Commercial information, Strategic information
Tender and bid documents	Bid pricing, solution design, win themes and evaluation assumptions.	Usually confidential	High	Bid teams, sales, legal, finance, technical leads
Marketing plans	Campaign calendars, target audiences, budgets and launch messaging.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Marketing, product, sales, agencies
Brand launch plans	Unannounced brand assets, launch dates, positioning and media plans.	Usually confidential	Medium	Marketing, leadership, product, external agencies
Market research	Survey results, competitor analysis, customer insights and demand data.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Marketing, strategy, product, leadership
Competitor intelligence	Lawfully gathered competitor pricing, positioning and sales tactics.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Strategy, sales, marketing, leadership
Strategic information, Financial information
Business plans	Growth targets, budgets, risks, hiring plans and execution priorities.	Usually confidential	High	Directors, leadership, finance, strategy
Strategic information, Financial information, Operational information
Board papers	Board packs, minutes, resolutions, risk papers and management reports.	Usually confidential	High	Directors, company secretariat, leadership, legal
Strategic information, Financial information
Merger and acquisition plans	Potential targets, valuation work, due diligence and negotiation status.	Usually confidential	High	Directors, corporate development, finance, legal
Strategic information, Operational information
Restructuring plans	Proposed redundancies, reorganisations, site closures and consultation plans.	Usually confidential	High	HR, leadership, legal, finance
Financial information
Draft financial statements	Unaudited accounts, adjustments, notes and supporting schedules.	Usually confidential	High	Finance, auditors, directors, company secretariat
Management accounts	Monthly performance reports, KPIs, variance analysis and cash position.	Usually confidential	High	Finance, leadership, department heads
Financial information, Strategic information
Budgets and forecasts	Revenue forecasts, cost plans, headcount budgets and cash projections.	Usually confidential	High	Finance, leadership, department heads
Financial information, Commercial information
Profit margins	Gross margins, contribution margins and product or client profitability.	Usually confidential	High	Finance, commercial, sales leadership, directors
Financial information, Operational information
Payroll data	Salaries, tax codes, bank details, deductions and pay records.	Usually confidential	High	Payroll, HR, finance
Operational information
Employee personal data	Addresses, contact details, HR records, appraisals and absence records.	Usually confidential	High	HR, line managers, payroll, legal
Special category employee data	Health, disability, ethnicity, biometric, union or similar sensitive data.	Usually confidential	High	HR, occupational health, legal, managers
Client or supplier information, Operational information
Customer personal data	Identifiable customer information held in CRM, support or billing systems.	Usually confidential	High	Customer service, sales, marketing, IT, finance
Technical information
Source code	Human-readable software code, scripts, libraries and configuration files.	Usually confidential	High	Developers, DevOps, QA, technical leads
Software architecture	System diagrams, data flows, components, APIs and integration designs.	Usually confidential	High	Engineering, architecture, security, product
Algorithms and models	Proprietary logic, models, scoring methods and optimisation rules.	Usually confidential	High	Data science, engineering, research, product
Technical information, Operational information
AI training data	Datasets, labels, prompts, evaluation sets and model tuning records.	May be confidential depending on context	High	Data science, engineering, product, compliance
Technical information, Strategic information, Commercial information
Product roadmaps	Planned features, release dates, priorities and product strategy.	Usually confidential	High	Product, engineering, sales, leadership
Technical information, Strategic information
Research and development plans	Experimental work, prototypes, test results and future technical concepts.	Usually confidential	High	R&D, engineering, product, leadership
Inventions and patent plans	Unfiled inventions, patent drafts, claims, prototypes and filing strategy.	Usually confidential	High	R&D, engineering, legal, patent attorneys
Technical information
Technical specifications	Design documents, tolerances, materials, performance criteria and schemas.	Usually confidential	High	Engineering, product, manufacturing, QA
Technical information, Operational information
Manufacturing processes	Recipes, production steps, tooling settings and quality controls.	Usually confidential	High	Manufacturing, operations, QA, engineering
Technical information
Recipes and formulas	Ingredient ratios, chemical formulas, blends and preparation methods.	Usually confidential	High	R&D, production, quality, technical teams
Operational information, Technical information
Quality assurance procedures	Testing methods, defect thresholds, audit findings and corrective actions.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Quality, operations, engineering, compliance
Technical information, Operational information
Security credentials	Passwords, access tokens, API keys, certificates and recovery codes.	Usually confidential	High	IT, security, DevOps, system administrators
Cybersecurity plans	Security controls, incident plans, vulnerabilities and threat assessments.	Usually confidential	High	Security, IT, legal, leadership
Network diagrams	Infrastructure maps, IP ranges, firewalls, servers and data routes.	Usually confidential	High	IT, security, DevOps, infrastructure teams
Operational information, Technical information
Incident reports	Security, safety or data incidents, root causes and remediation actions.	Usually confidential	High	Security, compliance, legal, HR, operations
Operational information
Internal policies	Non-public procedures, approvals, controls and staff guidance.	May be confidential depending on context	Low	HR, compliance, operations, managers
Standard operating procedures	Step-by-step methods for internal workflows and service delivery.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Operations, managers, training, quality teams
Training materials	Internal manuals, playbooks, scripts, examples and assessment materials.	May be confidential depending on context	Low	HR, learning, managers, operations
Employee handbooks	Staff rules, benefits, procedures and workplace standards.	Usually not confidential unless specifically protected	Low	HR, managers, all employees
HR disciplinary records	Investigation notes, allegations, warnings, outcomes and appeal records.	Usually confidential	High	HR, line managers, legal, investigators
Grievance records	Complaints, witness evidence, findings, outcomes and appeal documents.	Usually confidential	High	HR, managers, legal, investigators
Operational information, Strategic information
Recruitment plans	Vacancy pipelines, candidate lists, salaries and hiring priorities.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	HR, recruiters, managers, leadership
Financial information, Strategic information, Operational information
Remuneration strategy	Pay bands, bonus criteria, equity plans and salary review models.	Usually confidential	Medium	HR, payroll, finance, leadership
Operational information, Strategic information
Legal advice and privileged material	Solicitor advice, litigation strategy, privileged emails and legal risk analysis.	Usually confidential	High	Legal, directors, HR, compliance, external lawyers
Strategic information, Operational information
Litigation strategy	Claims analysis, settlement positions, evidence plans and witness strategy.	Usually confidential	High	Legal, directors, claims teams, external lawyers
Operational information, Strategic information
Compliance investigation materials	Internal reports, allegations, evidence, findings and remediation plans.	Usually confidential	High	Compliance, legal, HR, internal audit
Operational information, Financial information
Audit reports	Internal or external audit findings, control gaps and recommendations.	Usually confidential	Medium	Internal audit, finance, compliance, leadership
Operational information, Strategic information
Risk registers	Key risks, ratings, controls, owners and mitigation plans.	Usually confidential	Medium	Risk, compliance, leadership, internal audit
Financial information, Operational information
Insurance information	Policy terms, claim history, limits, premiums and broker advice.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Finance, legal, risk, operations
Commercial information, Financial information, Operational information
Property and lease terms	Rent, break clauses, incentives, negotiations and site plans.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Facilities, finance, legal, leadership
Operational information, Client or supplier information
Logistics and supply chain data	Routes, volumes, inventory levels, lead times and warehouse processes.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Operations, procurement, logistics, warehouse teams
Operational information, Financial information
Inventory data	Stock levels, shortages, reorder points and warehouse locations.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Operations, warehouse, finance, procurement
Operational information, Strategic information
Business continuity plans	Recovery priorities, contact trees, backup sites and continuity procedures.	Usually confidential	High	Operations, IT, security, leadership, facilities
Technical information, Operational information
Disaster recovery information	Backup schedules, recovery procedures, RTOs, RPOs and failover details.	Usually confidential	High	IT, DevOps, security, operations
Operational information, Strategic information
Environmental compliance data	Emissions data, audits, permits, incident logs and remediation plans.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Compliance, operations, facilities, legal
Strategic information, Operational information
ESG strategy	Sustainability targets, governance plans, reporting drafts and supplier actions.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	ESG, compliance, leadership, procurement
Financial information, Strategic information
Unannounced financial results	Pre-release revenue, profit, trading updates and market-sensitive figures.	Usually confidential	High	Finance, directors, investor relations, legal
Inside information	Precise non-public information likely to significantly affect securities prices.	Usually confidential	High	Directors, finance, investor relations, legal
Commercial information, Technical information, Strategic information
Trade secrets	Secret commercially valuable information protected by reasonable secrecy steps.	Usually confidential	High	R&D, leadership, engineering, commercial teams
Operational information
Whistleblowing reports	Protected disclosures about wrongdoing, regulatory breaches or public interest risks.	May be confidential depending on context	High	HR, compliance, legal, senior managers
Operational information, Technical information
Data protection breach data	Breach facts, affected data, risk assessment and notification decisions.	Usually confidential	High	DPO, legal, IT, security, compliance
CCTV and monitoring data	Workplace recordings, access logs, monitoring alerts and audit trails.	Usually confidential	Medium	Security, HR, facilities, IT, managers
Technical information, Operational information
Access logs	System, building or application logs showing user access and activity.	Usually confidential	Medium	IT, security, facilities, compliance
Technical information
API documentation	Endpoints, parameters, schemas, authentication details and usage limits.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Developers, product, support, partners
Databases and schemas	Database structures, tables, fields, relationships and stored procedures.	Usually confidential	High	Data engineers, developers, DBAs, analysts
Commercial information, Operational information, Strategic information
Analytics reports	Usage trends, conversion data, customer segments and performance dashboards.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Data, marketing, product, leadership
Client or supplier information, Operational information
Customer support records	Tickets, complaints, call notes, chat logs and resolution history.	Usually confidential	Medium	Customer support, account managers, QA, product
Complaints data	Customer complaints, investigation notes, outcomes and compensation decisions.	Usually confidential	Medium	Customer service, compliance, legal, managers
Commercial information, Client or supplier information
Partner information	Channel partner terms, joint plans, lead sharing and performance data.	Usually confidential	Medium	Partnerships, sales, legal, finance
Commercial information, Operational information
Franchise information	Franchise manuals, performance data, territory plans and operational standards.	Usually confidential	High	Franchise managers, operations, legal, finance
Client or supplier information, Financial information
Donor data	Donor identities, giving history, contact preferences and campaign notes.	Usually confidential	High	Fundraising, finance, CRM administrators, marketing
Client or supplier information, Operational information
Patient or service-user information	Health, care, treatment, safeguarding or case management information.	Usually confidential	High	Healthcare staff, care teams, case workers, administrators
Operational information
Safeguarding records	Concerns, referrals, risk assessments and protective action records.	Usually confidential	High	Designated safeguarding leads, HR, managers, legal
Operational information, Client or supplier information
Pupil or student records	Education records, attendance, assessments, wellbeing and contact details.	Usually confidential	High	Teachers, administrators, safeguarding leads, IT
Commercial information, Technical information
Designs and creative assets	Unreleased artwork, CAD files, packaging, copy and campaign assets.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	Design, marketing, product, agencies
Commercial information, Strategic information
Unpublished manuscripts or media	Draft books, scripts, recordings, edits and release schedules.	Usually confidential	High	Publishing, production, marketing, legal
Client or supplier information, Operational information
Client-provided source materials	Documents, datasets, credentials or assets supplied by clients for work.	Usually confidential	High	Project teams, account managers, consultants, legal
Client or supplier information, Commercial information
Draft consultancy deliverables	Draft reports, findings, models, recommendations and client presentations.	Usually confidential	Medium	Consultants, analysts, project managers, partners
Strategic information, Operational information
PR crisis plans	Holding statements, media lines, escalation lists and response strategy.	Usually confidential	Medium	PR, communications, legal, leadership
Commercial information, Strategic information
Press embargo information	Unpublished announcements, embargo dates, media briefings and quotes.	Usually confidential	Medium	Communications, PR agencies, leadership, legal
Financial information, Strategic information
Investor relations materials	Draft announcements, investor decks, analyst notes and fundraising updates.	Usually confidential	High	Directors, finance, investor relations, legal
Fundraising plans	Investor targets, valuation, pitch decks, term sheets and cash runway.	Usually confidential	High	Founders, directors, finance, legal, advisers
Capitalisation table	Shareholdings, options, investment rounds, dilution and investor rights.	Usually confidential	Medium	Founders, finance, legal, company secretariat
Tax strategy and records	Tax filings, advice, computations, disputes and planning assumptions.	Usually confidential	Medium	Finance, tax, directors, external accountants
Financial information
Banking information	Account numbers, mandates, facilities, covenants and treasury arrangements.	Usually confidential	High	Finance, treasury, directors, payroll
Financial information, Client or supplier information
Payment card data	Cardholder data, payment references, merchant records and transaction logs.	Usually confidential	High	Finance, payments, IT, customer service
Commercial information, Operational information
Procurement strategy	Sourcing plans, negotiation tactics, supplier scoring and savings targets.	Usually confidential	Medium	Procurement, finance, legal, operations
Supplier selection criteria	Evaluation weightings, scoring models, shortlists and approval notes.	Usually confidential	Medium	Procurement, operations, legal, finance
Operational information
Occupational health records	Fitness reports, adjustments, medical advice and health assessment notes.	Usually confidential	High	HR, occupational health, managers, legal
Health and safety incident data	Accident reports, witness accounts, investigations and corrective actions.	May be confidential depending on context	Medium	H&S, HR, operations, legal, managers
Operational information, Strategic information
Regulatory correspondence	Letters, notices, enquiries and responses involving regulators.	Usually confidential	High	Compliance, legal, leadership, operations
Client or supplier information, Financial information, Operational information
Regulated financial services information	Client files, suitability records, compliance reviews and conduct reports.	Usually confidential	High	Advisers, compliance, operations, legal
Client or supplier information, Operational information
Anti-money laundering records	CDD checks, risk assessments, monitoring records and suspicious activity notes.	Usually confidential	High	Compliance, MLRO, legal, finance, client teams
Sanctions screening data	Screening matches, risk decisions, licences and reporting records.	Usually confidential	High	Compliance, finance, legal, client onboarding
Technical information, Operational information
Export control information	Controlled technology, licence applications, end users and shipment details.	Usually confidential	High	Export control, legal, logistics, engineering
Operational information, Technical information, Strategic information
Government security-classified information	Official, secret or top secret information handled under UK classifications.	Usually confidential	High	Cleared staff, project teams, security, legal
Technical information, Operational information, Strategic information
Defence project information	Defence designs, requirements, security controls and project deliverables.	Usually confidential	High	Engineering, programme teams, security, legal
Operational information
General skill and know-how	Employee experience, memory, general methods and professional judgement.	Usually not confidential unless specifically protected	Low	All employees
Commercial information
Publicly available information	Information already public through websites, filings, releases or media.	Usually not confidential unless specifically protected	Low	Marketing, sales, leadership, all employees
Operational information, Commercial information
Anonymised aggregated data	Summarised data that no longer identifies individuals or specific clients.	May be confidential depending on context	Low	Data, analytics, marketing, product
Operational information, Technical information
Pseudonymised data	Personal data processed so identifiers are kept separately.	Usually confidential	Medium	Data, IT, compliance, research teams
Technical information
Encryption keys	Private keys, key stores, seed phrases and cryptographic secrets.	Usually confidential	High	Security, DevOps, IT, platform engineers
Technical information, Operational information
Cloud infrastructure configuration	Cloud architecture, IAM settings, storage rules and deployment scripts.	Usually confidential	High	DevOps, security, IT, platform teams

What Types Of Information Should A UK Employee NDA Protect?

A well-drafted UK employee confidentiality agreement should identify the business information that would realistically cause harm if disclosed, such as customer lists, pricing models, product roadmaps, source code, financial forecasts, trade secrets, tender strategy, and internal security information. Categories that are already public, obvious, or too broad are less reliable unless the agreement explains why they are confidential in the employment context.

Which Confidential Information Needs Extra Care Under UK Law?

Personal data should be handled consistently with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018, especially where employee records, customer databases, health data, or payroll details are involved.
Trade secrets should be limited to information that is secret, has commercial value because it is secret, and is subject to reasonable steps to keep it secret under the Trade Secrets Regulations 2018.
Inside information for listed companies requires particular control because market-sensitive disclosure may trigger UK market abuse issues.
Whistleblowing disclosures cannot lawfully be prevented by an NDA where they are protected disclosures under the Employment Rights Act 1996.

How Specific Should An Employee Confidentiality Agreement Be?

The dataset shows that the strongest NDA categories are concrete and role-specific: for example, sales staff may handle customer pipelines and pricing, developers may handle source code and architecture diagrams, and finance staff may handle forecasts and margins. A UK employee NDA is usually more useful when it gives examples by department instead of relying only on a wide phrase such as all company information.

What Should Employers Avoid Treating As Confidential?

Employers should avoid using confidentiality wording to cover information that is public, already known to the employee outside work, or part of the employee’s general skill and experience. NDAs should also preserve statutory rights, regulatory reporting, legal advice disclosures, and protected whistleblowing.

Types of confidential information in employee NDAs

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FAQs

What types of confidential information can be included in an employee NDA in the UK?

Common types include trade secrets, client lists, pricing, financial data, product plans, software code, processes, marketing strategies, supplier details, and personal data handled during employment.

Can trade secrets be protected in an employee confidentiality agreement?

Are customer lists confidential information in an employee NDA?

Can financial information be covered by an employee NDA?

Can an employee NDA protect personal data?

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