Nobody’s perfect. We all make mistakes at work. Unless you’re a pilot, surgeon or lion tamer, it’s rarely a matter of life and death but mistakes – whatever their size – can send us straight to the naughty step.
Automation and digital technology have drastically reduced opportunities for human error but they do still exist.
Failing to carry out a visual inspection, misreading a digital display or forgetting to confirm details are the silly little things that make big bad impressions.
So, how do you bounce back from a workplace blunder?
Come clean
Ditch all the excuses running through your head – there really wasn’t an escaped tiger in the factory – and simply acknowledge your mistake.
By owning up to an error, you’re accepting responsibility and can work on fixing it, rather than using all your energy to cover it up.
We all know what happens when a little fib turns into a massive lie.
Apologise now
Say sorry and do it as quickly as possible rather than putting off the inevitable until after lunch, tomorrow, maybe next week.
Keep it brief and professional – no sulks or sniffles please, as that’ll only draw more attention to yourself.
Learn from your mistake
Take some time out after work to consider why and how the mistake happened. Were you juggling too much? Were you tired or not paying attention?
Only by doing this can you take steps to ensure a similar mistake doesn’t happen again.
Let it go
Once you’ve apologised don’t continue to beat yourself up. It’s important your emotional response is proportional to the blunder.
Yes, you’re embarrassed, annoyed and disappointed but move past this.
If you find you can’t get it out of your head, take a walk round the block at lunchtime, or get some exercise after work and release some pent-up emotions.
Suggest a fix
If there’s something to be done to correct the error, such as working late or getting extra training, be the first to suggest this. If there isn’t, put all your energies into being a first-rate employee . . . that way the mistake will very soon become a distant memory.
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