[Wisertime]

So has anyone ever made a mistake a work? I'm not talking about something minor but something huge? I feel horrible about this. I'm embarrassed to go into detail but it was someting that I should have brought to the attention of my bosses but tried to handle on my own. It dragged out way too long and I was going to sit down with them on Monday morning and tell them about it but I was called into the office by one of them on Thursday and he asked me about it.

I didn't get fired. I have over 20 years with them and up to now my work has been fine and they know I'm a loyal employee. But they are pissed. Really pissed.

The job can be hectic and it is a very busy office but I like working there, they are good bosses.

So how do I move forward from this? I am thinking I can only show up and do my job and hope that things eventually get back to normal. I'm worried that this will always be in the back of their minds, that some trust was lost. Does anyone have any advice? Were you able to recover after a big blunder?

The one good thing about all of this is I have totally lost my appetite. Food = Blah.

[TheWanderer]

Wisertime, you didn't get fired so go on and do your best. You have been a good employee up 'til now and evidently they recognize that. Don't continue to beat yourself up about it.

Good luck!!

[FiftyFive]

Hey there, I`m really really sorry for what happened to you, but I strongly believe that with time things with go back to normal.
I`ve been in both positions, yours and the bosses`side and when I screwed up I just tried to be extra careful and diligent and show my boss that I know that I did something wrong but I`m trying to rise from it and put and extra effort in my job.
When being a boss and others screw up what really made me trust them again is precisely see them work harder, maybe stay a bit later or get earlier, or whatever shows a diligent attitude. I know everyone can screw up but recognizing your error and trying extra hard is what makes the difference between good and bad employees!
Good luck!!!!

[punkrocksong]

Personally, I have never held a "grudge" with any of my employees that have made a mistake...I've only been frustrated when an employee continues to make the same error over and over again. If your boss has never had a reason to call your work into questions before it stands to reason that he or she understands that we are all human and make mistakes. I wouldn't dwell on it and move forward and try to learn something from your mistake. That's what I tell my employees.

I hope that helps and if you have been with this company for 20 years both you and your company must be doing something right.

[AnnRue]

Originally Posted by Wisertime

Were you able to recover after a big blunder?
The one good thing about all of this is I have totally lost my appetite. Food = Blah.

Well I got yelled on on Friday and although I don't think my blunder was that big, my boss was seriously pissed. And although when I asked her why she was so angry she denied being angry, she was angry.

I will just go to work tomorrow and do my best. That is all you can do.

But you know...a lot of times when I think I messed up beyond belief, I eventually find out that someone else did something 10 times as bad. If you are a diligent hard working employee -- chances are it couldn't be that bad. Also, if you were a boss and you had a long time diligent employee would you ever give that up for one mistake? No way. I hired someone to run my errands... she messes up from time to time.. it irks me for about 24 hours and then I think how awesome she is 99% of the time and it fades away.

Also, a lot of times when she messes up I realize it was MY mess up. I should have been more clear or I should have been more careful about watching her. So that helps some of the anger fade.

[IanG]

Yeah I have made some biggies at work before. But, hey, we spend most of our lives there. As long as I make more mistakes with my wife than at work then I assume I'm good. Funny logic perhaps.

[treasureBelle]

I messed up at work in my last job.
I was meant to send a letter (from a senior colleague) to someone external, and copy the address onto the envelope from the computer system. My job at the time was extremely "bitty", constantly chopping and changing from one task to another - multi-tasking, if you like. (Which I hate. I work best when I can concentrate on one task at a time.)
Anyway, I shared a computer with one of my colleagues. I got the address up on the system, and was about to copy it down, when my colleague needed to check something (using the same computer program). I let her, but as I was rushing to get the envelopes written on time for the postal service, forgot to check this one letter. I ended up writing the address my colleague had looked up on the envelope for the letter to someone else, and sending it.
We only found out when the person I'd accidentally addressed the letter to, sent it back to us, assuring us they didn't mind but they were just a little confused when they'd opened it.
Having some self-esteem problems to begin with, I was devastated. My boss was kind about it (though she did, gently, impress upon me and my colleague how serious it was), but I felt awful for the rest of the week. This was my first job, and I already felt that I wasn't great at it, so a mistake like that shook what little confidence I had.
In the end though, I got over it, my boss got over it, and I kept on working hard. Though I did make sure to double and triple-check letters before I sealed and sent them!

I'm sure your boss will be OK.
You've been a good employee for over 20 years, that surely counts for a lot. You've seen the boss, you've not been fired... just carry on working like you do. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes... I figure it's usually OK, so long as you learn from it.

[novangel]

Yeah, I made a $2,000 mistake once when I worked for an import company. I can't remember the exact details but I either sent the wrong thing or sent something to the wrong place. Sh*t happens. I was overworked and understaffed. Story of my life when it comes to jobs.

[NemesisClaws]

I recently made a big mistake at work too. It was one of those things where I totally had a DUH moment and couldn't believe what I had done later. Thankfully, it turned out alright but could have been very serious. All you can do is keep your head down and work as best as you can.

[ImImportant]

I had been at my job for about 12 years when I made a huge mistake. After the initial discovery, my strategy was to get ahead of any lingering doubts about my performance. I already knew where I went wrong so the day after the initial meeting I went back to my boss apologized again. I said that I had been thinking about the incident and I told her steps I would take to insure that nothing like this happens again. She added a few ideas too and the exchange of ideas became an opportunity to re-establish the strength of my knowledge of operations.

Stepping forward showed her that 1. I learned from the mistake. 2. I owned my responsibility. 3. I respect her authority and know that The buck stops with her and i should run things by her when in doubt.

[Wisertime]

Thank you everyone for your thoughtful replies. I am trying not to beat myself up too badly over this but it may be a while before I feel like my old self at work. I have learned a lesson though: Ask for help if needed (and don't wait, do it right away). I can't always handle everything all of the time. It's not a failure on my part. Thanks again.

[sacha]

Aw I'm sorry I'm glad you are feeling a little better - but it certainly takes time and tbh I have never forgotten MY mistake (if I recall was in 2006 lol) but I think part of that is just embarassment iykwim? Taking responsibility and owning up to it is most important, a lot of people deny and refuse until they are blue in the face. It is a sign of a good employee, nobody is perfect.

(My mistake almost ended up in the newspaper lol... I can laugh now. But I was sooo scared I was going to get fired, and I had just bought a house!)

[seabiscuit]

If it is any comfort, I, too have made some pretty significant mistakes at various workplaces. While it seemed like a huge deal at the time, life does move on and I have learned from those mistakes.

Life will move on, and at least you realize you made the mistake! That is a positive step in the right direction.

Take care!

[EagleRiverDee]

I've made some major mistakes at work. The one that comes instantly to mind was when I sold a whole load of structural steel and used the wrong costs and we ended up not making a dime on the order. We didn't lose money, but we didn't make any. On a whole truckload of steel! I went into my boss quite nearly in tears, figuring I was fired for sure, but she was cool about it. She whipped out her calculator, started banging out the numbers, and said- "We're not going to lose money, we'll break even. It'll be ok." She actually was such a cool boss that probably I wouldn't have been fired even if we lost money. The one thing I've learned over the years is if you screw up, fess up. Immediately. The only time I've ever seen people get fired for screwing up was when they tried to hide it.