Everybody makes mistakes.

Whether in our personal lives or in the office, we are all bound to make errors, and that’s okay!

Maybe you accidentally offended a co-worker, or you didn’t properly prepare for an important presentation. Whatever the reason, messing up happens and should serve as an opportunity to learn.

Types of mistakes at work

Mistakes come in all shapes and sizes, and might be first identified by you or by a co-worker. Common errors in the workplace include:

  • Being late to work
  • Forgetting a deadline
  • Missing a meeting
  • Losing something
  • Underperforming
  • Saying yes to too many projects
  • Acting unprofessional

What to do when you messed up

How you respond to a mistake depends on many factors, most notably the severity of the error and how time sensitive it is. Here are a few tips to address such mistakes:

  • Take a deep breath. This will help you to not react impulsively.
  • Be time sensitive. Evaluate the sensitivity of the error and determine what urgency is needed for addressing the issue.
  • Be honest. Acknowledge the error and update those affected, typically your supervisor.
  • If someone approached you to point out your mistake, show gratitude. For example, saying “thank you for bringing this to my attention” is a good response. After all, mistakes are an opportunity to learn, and the other person is most likely not trying to attack you.
  • Come up with possible solutions. When speaking to your supervisor, outline the steps you have taken so far, and offer a few solutions that can be used to rectify the error.
  • Solve the problem in a meaningful way.
  • Show willingness to grow and an understanding of what you can do next time.
  • Have empathy for yourself. Remember, we are humans, and humans make mistakes. So once the concern is acknowledged and solved, move forward.

What NOT to do when you make a mistake

As humans, when we make an error, often our first response is to be reactive as a means of self-preservation. While these emotions can sometimes be hard to control, be mindful and avoid the following:

  • Panicking
  • Being defensive
  • Taking offence
  • Overreacting
  • Beating yourself up
  • Over apologizing
  • Hiding the error
  • Blaming others

Solving a problem at work example

Let’s take a look at these steps in action. Suppose you have an important meeting at 3 pm with a big client. It’s 1 pm and you’re putting together the finishing touches on the PowerPoint presentation; however, you accidentally close the presentation without saving critical updates.

What could you do in this scenario?

First, you would double-check that the updates were indeed not saved. If the updates were indeed not captured, your next course of action should be to take a deep breath, consider some solutions, and update your supervisor. Let your supervisor know exactly what happened and that, while the situation was an accident, you are sorry. Outline the steps you’ve taken so far.

Then, offer a few next steps. For example, you might ask to prioritize this task and request support from your supervisor and/or colleagues to make a new presentation. Or, you could use a previous presentation as a base and create a new, updated one from it. You might recognize that the new presentation may not be to the same standard as your original, but it will still be good enough given the 2-hour deadline. Having a few solutions in mind will help you and your supervisor quickly determine the best course of action.

You can then leave that conversation by offering some reflection on the incident and suggesting ways to mitigate future errors. For example, next time you could ensure the original files are backed up.

After the 3pm meeting, touch base with your supervisor to see how they felt it went. This is an opportunity to offer some reflection on the incident and suggesting ways to minimize this from happening again. For example, next time you will be extra careful when saving documents. Or, for important files, you could also ensure the original files are backed up somewhere safe. This helps to communicate to your supervisor what you’ve learned from the error and is an opportunity to create better safeguards to ensure the same situation doesn’t happen to someone else.

Final thoughts

Making an error can feel very overwhelming, especially in the office and when we fear our job security could be impacted. However, if you acknowledge the mistake, create a plan, solve the issue, and move on, that is all anyone can ask for.

Afterall, nobody’s perfect.