How do you recover from a mistake at work?

14 Comments

1. Barb HansenJanuary 25,2024 at 4:58PM UTC

   Literally (and I'm using literally correctly here) everyone makes mistakes. No one has a mistake free life, and if anyone tells you that they haven't made thousands of small and a few major mistakes in their work career, they are not being truthful with you.

   Here is what I do when I make mistakes:

   -- own the mistake

   -- take steps to correct (if I can do this work then great, if someone else needs to step in, then I offer to help with the clean-up work)

   -- I try to figure out the root-cause of the mistake. Was I tired or distracted? Did I have all of the information that I needed to complete the work? Has the landscape changed? Did I check with the necessary people? Was it my fault, a business process problem or a systemic issue at the company?

   -- then I try to create processes to prevent me and others from making the same mistake.

   All we can do is learn from the mistake and give yourself grace.

2. Aubrey StrauseJanuary 25,2024 at 5:24PM UTC

   Also ask: "Why isn't the guideline official if it's (obviously) so important?"

3. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 5:29PM UTC

   Yes, the best thing to do is to own it. Call it unconscious incompetence and sit down with the person who can show you the way and the right way. Also, ask how you can find out about other rules which you may not be privy to that could in future be affected by similar situations. In other words, ask who you go to as SME (subject matter expert) should you face another - I don't know how to XXX? You cannot be expected to follow some ghost rules if they are not written down. I might also offer to write a guidebook for others so that it does not happen again or to others who also may be uninformed.

4. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 5:35PM UTC

   Admit it, learn, make necessary changes (check list?) And move on.

   You're human.

5. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 5:52PM UTC

   Own it, learn from it and move on. It's when people start saying 'but' or finger point, is where it will continue to be an issue. Pause on things that you may feel not clear and partner with leader to confirm. It happens.

6. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 6:17PM UTC

   All great advice here! I would add that you should document this issue and how you helped to resolve it for your own records. This incident may come up if you move to another department and you’ll want to be able to refresh your own memory on it and speak to your growth as an employee because of it.

7. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 7:17PM UTC

   I think that it’s a great idea to talk to your manager/s and, if necessary, HR about this matter.

   Your concern shows that you are a conscientious and ethical employee who wants to produce high quality work. Acknowledging and correcting errors is part of delivering high quality work, as is developing safeguards to prevent mistakes from happening.

   If management is using unwritten rules, the intent is likely to preserve flexibility in resolving varied situations. The use of unwritten rules, however, necessitates excellent communication between employees and managers to ensure that requirements are met. The use of unwritten rules also suggests that newer employees may need more training or that company procedures should be modified to provide more supervisory oversight before work product is finalized.

   Finally, you are part of the solution. If you are presented with a new situation, reach out to your manager/s for guidance.

8. AnonymousJanuary 25,2024 at 8:36PM UTC

   How detrimental is this mistake?

9. Cara GardnerJanuary 26,2024 at 2:05PM UTC

   Speak up. Ask questions. It's the You don't know what you don't know. I recommend setting up re-occurring meetings with your manager and do a run through of your plans on projects. Once you have the first few, they may just turn into quick 15 min morning touch bases.

   By showing where you are with certain items may help trigger reminders from the manager of the unofficial procedures.

   If the manager cant do every day, ask for at least 3 days a week. The benefit is that it really opens the door on communication.

10. Paulla Fetzek, MSEdJanuary 26,2024 at 2:13PM UTC

    Not even a year into my current job I made a $17K mistake.

    I was in Customer Service at the time, I had entered an order that was shipping to an international customer, and I entered it for the wrong location.

    To my defense, three other people looked at the order after I entered it, and none of them caught the mistake either. Nonetheless, it was my error and I worked with our shipping plant and the shipping company to have the product returned. Fortunately the product was still at the freight forwarder and hadn't left the US.

    I did get hammered by an account rep for the error. And I felt really bad about it too. For days. I mean, it was my first year - trying to make a good impression and all.

    It's been over 20 years since that happened. I've never made an error like that again. Mind you, I haven't been in Customer Service since 2015 ? - though I'm still with the company. Errors are going to happen - big and small. If anyone wants to berate you... I'd first like for them to show that they never made an error themselves.

    Don't beat yourself up. If you feel comfortable, find someone you can talk to who can guide you going forward.

11. AnonymousJanuary 26,2024 at 2:22PM UTC

    Good point! On a scale of 1 - 10, with 10 being a raging inferno, it was probably a 3. I took ownership of the mistake with all the stakeholders and am working through ways to solve it. These kinds of comments that put it into a grander perspective are exactly why I like this forum.

12. AnonymousJanuary 26,2024 at 3:07PM UTC

    I agree with those who ask, "How bad was the mistake?" Was someone's daily routine disrupted? Was someone's life put at risk or injured? These are two opposite ends of the scale. There are mistakes, and there are mistakes. "Unofficial but still adhered to" can have several connotations. Why is it unofficial? Is it part of a standard practice for the profession? Many places have "official" policies that refer to industry standards for the profession. The medical profession is one of these. Schools are another. Without knowing this information, figuring out how to help is hard.

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