An Apple employee recently leaked an internal memo in which Apple warns employees to stop leaking information. (Read the memo here.)

While it is hard not to enjoy the irony of a leaked memo warning against leaked information, the incident has highlighted a sensitive issue that reaches far beyond Silicon Valley. Here are three reasons every organization should care about leaks.

Hiring

Whether you run a medial office, law firm or restaurant, information about the inner workings of your organization is valuable. Regardless of whether you have trade secrets or proprietary methods, information about your workplace culture can have a huge impact on your ability to keep or attract people.

Understanding the external view current and ex-employees are painting about your internal environment is critical. Jaded ex-employees can easily reach current staff and potential candidates via social media or word of mouth.

Do not disregard negative comments. Instead, use them to filter out the truth about internal issues and find an open, fair way to begin discussing possible solutions. Doing so can mean the difference between sorting through a few bad applicants or having good candidates line up to apply regardless of whether you are hiring.

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