The coworkers all thought it was fun and games to send funny and provocative emails to each other until one day it got out of hand. One of them inadvertently included the CEO on the email and within no time, human resources was on top of the situation.
Saying something inappropriate to the wrong person or inadvertently stepping on someone’s toes does not have to be the end of a career. It’s a matter of recognizing the mistake and handling the situation immediately and appropriately. Depending on the situation, an employee’s job may still be salvaged.
Be Willing to Own and Handle a Workplace Error
This is not about an occasional typo or forgetting to do something for the boss. A workplace blunder that can sideline a career is one in which the error is one of poor judgment. Blurting out an inappropriate comment to a superior, sharing confidential information with a colleague or missing a ship date to a customer can have bigger ramifications to the individual who tripped up and the organization as a whole.
That’s why it is vitally important that when employees screw up, they own it and take responsibility for their actions. Easier said than done? This is true. In fact, experts say that most employees have a difficult time acknowledging their errors because people typically have a self-protection reaction; a need to continue to see themselves as competent and smart.
However, making a mistake is human. And the sooner a person owns up to it, apologizes when necessary, the better off they will be. Covering up one error can lead to others, and ultimately place a career into a downward spiral from which there is no recovery. By confronting the situation head on, a reputation can be saved. And be sure the boss knows what is going on, because bosses hate surprises.
Develop a Plan to Eliminate Future Workplace Blunders
While it’s important not to dwell on past mistakes, it is important to learn a lesson. And one of those lessons just may be that others don’t forget as quickly. Employees should be patient, put in some extra effort on the job and seek out the solace of those who are closest to them, as they may be able to provide guidance or warn against future workplace blunders.
Another lesson should be how to prevent something like this from happening in the future. Depending on the specific situation, it may mean rethinking the way a current process is handled, which may include working with those who felt the impact of the error to determine the best way to move forward or improve systems and methods. Or it may mean looking at individual behavior to determine if it is job appropriate.
The whole idea is to be willing to step back, take a deep breath and rethink what went wrong; then once a solution has been identified it is important to move forward.
Know when it’s Time to Leave a Job
Don’t automatically think that termination is the only outcome of every workplace blunder. It’s not. However, sometimes people make mistakes because their focus or interest is elsewhere. Or if the error was significant, it just may be that the wounds never quite heal. It is important that employees take stock of what’s going on with them and those around them to determine if it is time to leave their job.
Keep in mind that not all mistakes on the job are career ending. However, correcting workplace blunders means recognizing and accepting that a mistake was made and then understanding how to handle the situation going forward.
