Think you've had a bad day at the office?
Think you've had a bad day at the office? A new report from staffing firm OfficeTeam, part of Robert Half, asked senior managers to recount their most embarrassing moment at work.
From wayward arachnids to nervous vomiting, the report was as cringeworthy as it was embarrassing. And whilst it’s not necessarily malicious to laugh at colleagues when they make an office faux pas, HR should set out clear guideline to help the embarrassed party.
We spoke to Koula Vasilopoulos, District President - Western Canada at Robert Half, who explained how to save your blushes after a blunder.
“Realise you’re not alone,” she explained. “Everyone has an embarrassing moment at work, it’s all about how you handle the recovery. Remain claim, don’t panic, take a deep breath. Own up – if you’ve made a blunder, acknowledge it before somebody else can. This will help to alleviate any awkwardness that could arise.
“Secondly, make amends if what you’ve done impacted another person. Immediately apologise and take steps to ensure its not an error that could be repeated in the future.
“Finally, don’t forget to move on. Don’t dwell on it, focus on getting back on track. The more gracefully you recover, the less memorable the incident will be. Having said that, there are always incidents that keep being brought up. With these, it’s important to be able to laugh along.”
The report listed a plethora of admissions from managers, from which we selected our favourite 10 and have listed them below.
“Many years ago, I have a rather challenging name at best, and someone who, in an attempt to recognise me for an achievement, was saying my name. However, they kept pronouncing it wrong. People were standing there feeling awkward for me, and I immediately started to make fun of myself, which eased the situation.”
Tell us your embarrassing office blunder in the comments.
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From wayward arachnids to nervous vomiting, the report was as cringeworthy as it was embarrassing. And whilst it’s not necessarily malicious to laugh at colleagues when they make an office faux pas, HR should set out clear guideline to help the embarrassed party.
We spoke to Koula Vasilopoulos, District President - Western Canada at Robert Half, who explained how to save your blushes after a blunder.
“Realise you’re not alone,” she explained. “Everyone has an embarrassing moment at work, it’s all about how you handle the recovery. Remain claim, don’t panic, take a deep breath. Own up – if you’ve made a blunder, acknowledge it before somebody else can. This will help to alleviate any awkwardness that could arise.
“Secondly, make amends if what you’ve done impacted another person. Immediately apologise and take steps to ensure its not an error that could be repeated in the future.
“Finally, don’t forget to move on. Don’t dwell on it, focus on getting back on track. The more gracefully you recover, the less memorable the incident will be. Having said that, there are always incidents that keep being brought up. With these, it’s important to be able to laugh along.”
The report listed a plethora of admissions from managers, from which we selected our favourite 10 and have listed them below.
- “I screamed because a co-worker put a spider on me.”
- "I vomited onstage while receiving an award."
- "I swore after a phone call without realizing the person was still on the line."
- "I couldn't find my car after happy hour."
- "Everyone showed up for a meeting on the wrong day because I had incorrectly scheduled it."
- "I broke the coffee machine, and it started spraying nonstop."
- "I made a cake to celebrate an employee's birthday and found out she was allergic to it."
- "I spilled food on my outfit during lunch with a client."
- "I showed up for work on a Saturday because I thought it was Friday."
- "I sent an email badmouthing a person to that individual."
“Many years ago, I have a rather challenging name at best, and someone who, in an attempt to recognise me for an achievement, was saying my name. However, they kept pronouncing it wrong. People were standing there feeling awkward for me, and I immediately started to make fun of myself, which eased the situation.”
Tell us your embarrassing office blunder in the comments.
Related stories:
Film company pleads guilty to Star Wars safety blunder
Employees leave leaders – not organizations
