Signing agreements as a new employee: What about secrecy oaths?

There are lots of forms to sign when you're a new employee, like allowing drug testing, background checks, and so on. And many employers will make new employees sign "non-disclosure" agreements. Most people will sign things because it seems like accepting the job requires you to sign everything.

But secrecy oaths? That seems to be taking things a bit too far. But government employees might be expected to sign them.

Article here.

Donna Busche, employee at the Department of Energy, reluctantly signed the agreement.

“It was a gag order,” said Busche, 51, who served as the manager of environmental and nuclear safety at the Hanford waste treatment facility for a federal contractor until she was fired in February after raising safety concerns. “The message was pretty clear: ‘Don’t say anything to anyone, or else.’ ”