Starting or creating a family office
How Should a New Office Set Expectations for Confidentiality With Employees?
Short answer. Put confidentiality expectations in writing before employees handle family information. Define what counts as confidential, who may access it, how it can be used or shared, and what staff must do when information is sent to the wrong person or a role ends. Have employees review and sign the policy, then train them on practical procedures.
Set confidentiality expectations in writing before employees handle family information. A policy gives staff a clear standard for protecting private records and helps the family explain what responsible handling looks like in daily work.
Define the Rules Before Access Is Granted
Start by identifying the types of information the office handles, such as financial records, family contact details, legal documents, household matters, and investment materials. State who may access each category and for what purpose. Make clear that access for a work task does not mean permission to discuss or reuse the information elsewhere.
Explain the practical rules: approved storage locations, permitted devices and communication channels, restrictions on forwarding or printing, and how to report a misdirected message or lost device. Include expectations for conversations in shared spaces and for requests from relatives or outside advisers. If a request falls outside an employee's authority, staff should know whom to consult before responding.
These rules belong alongside written governance and ethics policies. The family's broader operating documents can define who makes decisions and how personnel responsibilities are handled. See single family office governance for the related framework.
Make the Commitment Specific
Give each employee the policy before access begins, discuss it in plain language, and obtain a signed acknowledgment. Cover continuing obligations after employment ends, the process for returning or deleting records, and how access is removed when duties change. Talk with your attorney about wording and any employment requirements that apply to your office.
Confidentiality works best when it is part of a broader employee handbook and ethics policy, not a form that staff sign once and forget. My book, The Single Family Office, notes that a family office may want team members to sign an NDA or confidentiality agreement. That agreement should match the actual information and working practices of the office.
Train and Reinforce Through Routine Work
Use realistic examples during onboarding: a relative asks for a sibling's records, an adviser requests documents, or a sensitive attachment reaches the wrong recipient. Have the employee explain the next step. Make clear where to report mistakes promptly and who can decide whether information may be shared.
Revisit the policy when responsibilities, systems, or family arrangements change. Managers should model the same care they expect from staff. Training can be brief, but it should be practical and repeated when an employee takes on a role with different access. The operational processes page can help connect confidentiality rules to everyday procedures.
Set the standard consistently for employees, relatives working in the office, and outside providers who receive family information. Explain how questions and suspected breaches are escalated, and document the response. For related hiring safeguards, see appropriate background checks for employees and reducing reliance on one employee.
You may also want to have team members sign an NDA or confidentiality agreement.
Sources: The Single Family Office. Informational only, not financial, legal or tax advice.