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Employee confidentiality agreement (Northern Ireland)
Northern Ireland · in English
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Made for use in Northern Ireland
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For an employer and an employee in Northern Ireland: an agreement that the employee keeps the employer's confidential information secret during and after the employment, keeps it secure and returns it on leaving. It states plainly what it does not stop — whistleblowing under the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, reporting a crime, speaking about harassment, discrimination or pay — and contains no non-compete or other restriction after the job ends. Governed by the law of Northern Ireland. Signed by both.
- Made for use in Northern Ireland
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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When to use this document
- You are hiring someone in Northern Ireland who will see your customer lists and prices.
- A member of staff is leaving and you want it clear they cannot take your information with them.
- You want a confidentiality agreement that does not try to stop whistleblowing.
- You want an employee to agree in writing to keep your business information private.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Date
- Employer
- Employer's company number at Companies House (if a company)
- Employer's registered address
- Town or city
- Employer's postcode
- Employee
- Employee's address
- Employee's postcode
- Particular information to name as confidential (optional)
- Person signing for the employer
Common questions
- Can a confidentiality agreement in Northern Ireland stop an employee from whistleblowing or reporting a crime?
- Not whistleblowing: under Part VA of the Employment Rights (Northern Ireland) Order 1996 a term is void so far as it stops a protected disclosure, such as one to the employer or to a prescribed regulator. This agreement also says plainly that it does not stop the employee reporting a suspected crime, speaking about harassment or discrimination, or discussing pay. The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 rule on agreements with victims of crime applies in England and Wales, not here, which is why the agreement states these freedoms itself.
- Does this Northern Ireland confidentiality agreement contain a non-compete or other restriction after the job ends?
- No, and it says so. Restrictions after employment — not working for a competitor, not approaching customers or staff — are enforceable only if they protect a legitimate business interest and go no further than reasonably necessary for the particular job. They need drafting for that job, so this agreement leaves them out; an employer who wants them should take advice.
- Is an employee in Northern Ireland bound by confidentiality even without a signed agreement?
- Yes, to a point. During employment every employee owes an implied duty of good faith that covers the employer's confidential information. After the employment ends, the implied duty protects only trade secrets and information of a similar degree of confidentiality (Faccenda Chicken v Fowler). A written agreement makes clear what the employer treats as confidential and what happens to its documents when the employee leaves.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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