How To Deal With Making A Huge Mistake In The Workplace
Have you ever screwed up badly in the workplace with devastating consequences? Do you become transparent and throw your hands in the air and confess to your huge mistake or is there another alternative?
Disclaimer: Any advice in this blog that could get you fired should only be attempted if you're 100% sure you can pull it off. If in doubt, just own up and hope for the best (or update your CV). 😄
No one wants to make a huge mistake at work that results in devastating consequences. Think what this can do to your reputation and your career. The embarrassment, and what it could also do to your mental health. First Things First: Panic (Briefly) Then Strategize
No one plans to make a career-altering mistake, but here we are. Before you start mentally composing your farewell email, take a breath. A massive mistake doesn’t have to be career-ending—unless it’s, like, really bad. (In which case, I hear freelancing is nice?)
Think of it this way:
- Will anyone actually die from your mistake? No? Great start.
- Can it be fixed before anyone notices? Even better.
- Is there a way to make it look like a group mistake? Now we’re talking.
- Have worse things happened out at sea? (Probably).
Damage Control
If you can fix it before anyone notices—DO IT. No one needs to know. But if the mistake is already out in the wild, brace yourself for some damage control.
🚨 The “Honest and Responsible” Approach (a.k.a. The Adulting Option)
This one’s pretty straightforward. Own up, apologize, and present a solution. Managers love it when you bring a fix instead of just a problem. Bonus points if you throw in some corporate jargon like “learning opportunity” or “process improvement.”
James Mason
💨 The “Distract and Redirect” Approach
Timing is everything. If someone else has just made a bigger mistake, conveniently bring up yours in comparison—suddenly, yours won’t seem so bad. If that’s not an option, well, do you have any office gossip to share? No one can focus on your mess-up if they're too busy whispering about Karen from Accounts and her suspiciously long lunch breaks in the shopping mall.
🙃 The “Blame the System” Approach
Ah yes, the classic “Well, if the process were better, this wouldn’t have happened.” Works best if the mistake technically wasn’t your fault. Even if it was—play the long game. Suggest improvements. Look like the hero and blame the organization's processes.
Surviving the Aftermath
No matter which route you take, one thing is key: act unbothered. If you make a mistake but carry yourself like a person who learns and moves on, people will forget about it faster. If you act like you’ve ruined everything forever… well, they might start to believe you.
At the end of the day, everyone screws up. The best thing you can do is own it, fix it, and make sure the next big workplace disaster isn’t yours.
Now, go forth and (hopefully) don’t mess up again. 😜
