How to Recover from an Office Blunder

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6 years ago

As a Type A, you’re usually so put together and on top of everything. You leave nothing to chance. However, mishaps are a fact of life. We are all human, not robots, after all. And, as such, office blunders are inevitable. Try as you may, but you’re bound to do something embarrassing or regrettable at work. So, it raises the question: how do you recover from an office blunder?

But, first, a very important clarifying — and entertaining question….

What do we mean by “office blunder?”

Well, let’s look at some examples. Here are a few of the funnier ones so we can have a few laughs and be glad we didn’t commit these mistakes. Here are some I’ve seen recently:

An employee put a post on Nextdoor saying that he would like to form a support group with local people who are searching for a new jobs. In his post, he proposed that the participants in this group could read each other’s resumes and practice interviews. Well, his boss lived in his city, and saw his post. As such, she knew he was planning to leave the company.
A CEO who forwarded an email he received from an employee requesting clarity on an HR policy to his HR lead. Apparently, this employee had brought this issue up previously and he was annoyed the employee is still following up. Instead of forwarding to the HR head, this CEO sent it to the employee himself with a note that said, “will he ever just let that go?” (see the best email blunders here)
A office mate who thought we was alone in her office and relieved herself (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7734551/Worker-thought-gets-caught-letting-enormous-fart-community-church-office.html)

(See this post if you want more cringe-worthy workplace stories: 5 Workplace Horror Stories That Will Spook You)

OK, so now that we’ve defined a bit what we are talking about in terms of office blunders, it raises the question: what should you do when you find yourself having committed one?

How to Recover from an Office Blunder

In general, I think there are 3 steps you should take when you commit an office blunder:

1. Apologize

Own what you did. Simply say you are sorry for what you said or did. You don’t need to make this lengthy; all you need to say is “I’m sorry for…what I said…hurting your feelings…for doing abc…for notdoing xyz.”

2. State what you learned

Let the person know that you are more than just sorry; you’ve reflected on the experience and internalized what drove you astray. Perhaps you’ve realized you need to be more sensitive to others’ opinions. Or, you need to improve how you talk about a topic. Make it clear that you’ve taken the experience to heart.

3. Share how you would handle it differently next time

Now that you’ve apologized and said what you learned, tell them how you would apply that learning to your choices in the future. Let them know that you are taking steps to avoid hurting someone feeling’s in the future.

OK, Mrs. Type A, those are nice 3 steps, but how would I actually use them?!

Great question. Let me share a real-life example….

I had an experience in which I was typing an email to myself in preparation for a meeting I had the next day to inform someone on my team that she would not be promoted. Wanting to make sure I was clear in my communication and connected it to her reviews, I typed up notes in an email….and sent it to HER (instead of myself).

Sigh.

Actually, when I realized my error, I said a different 4-letter work that begins with “S.”

Anyway, I knew she was frequently on email at night. I was worried she would open it and be confused, as if I was telling her on email (vs. preparing notes for myself). It was late in the evening, but I texted her proactively and said:

“I accidentally sent you an email meant for myself. My apologies, I would be happy to call now if you wanted to talk.” (Apologize)

“I should be more careful with such sensitive information” (What I learned)

“Going forward, I will be sure not to use email to document that type of information” (What I will do differently.)

I also told her that she was welcome to discuss it with my boss (and I personally told my boss the next day).

See how that works? It’s not very complicated.

Is there ever a time when you shouldn’t come clean on your office blunder?

In some rare situations, I think yes. I would advocate that there is one exception to coming clean; you can shrug off your office blunder if…it will only make the situation worse to come clean.

Let me share an example…

A few years ago, I had a boss who was leaving the company. Her assistant sent an email out to all 500 people in her organization asking us to sign a going away card. She concluded the note by saying that “the card and “p*nis” are on my desk.” Now, she meant “pens” but wrote…well, you can see it in the last sentence.

She wrote that…

To 500 people

Moments later, I ran into her in the bathroom crying. She was so upset. She had read it so many times and never caught that. Why did this happen? Then she asked me:

What should I do?

Honestly, I thought she should forget about it. Why? First, no one really would really read the email. Everyone got the information from the subject line. And, many people weren’t going to sign the card anyway (the person was leaving for a reason), so I didn’t think they’d bother even opening the email.

Also, by sending a follow up note to everyone clarifying that you meant “pens” and not a reference to male genitalia, you will only make it worse by drawing attention to something that may had gone largely unnoticed.

So, in this case, best to leave the office blunder alone; it will only create more issues.

In the end

Office blunders are bound to happen. I haven’t seen them ruin anyone’s career who wasn’t already struggling with performance. So, when they happen, take them in stride. And be kind to others when they commit an office blunder…they may return the favor back to you at some point!

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