Cathy Liska As covered previously, coaching confidentiality is different than HR confidentiality. 
Specific points of awareness include:
- HR records are owned by the company
- Company owned records are accessible to different people
- Company records are more discoverable
- Coaching records are owned by the coach and coachee
- Only the coach and the coachee have access to the coaching notes
Additionally, company records are retained for a specific period of time. Coaching notes are handled differently. Currently there is no legislation directing how long coaching notes are retained.
Just as confidentiality impacts the level to which individuals are willing to go in a conversation, record retention is a factor. When an individual knows notes are retained for a long period of time, they are less likely to talk openly. Conversely, when the same individual knows about the level of confidentiality and how records are handled in coaching, they are more confident openly talking to explore their situation, options, obstacles, and possible strategies.
For a coaching program, in addition to establishing policies around the differentiation of HR and coaching roles along with confidentiality, define the application of ethics for each consideration including record retention.
