Everyone makes mistakes. You can either correct the error or forget it and move on. However, making a mistake at work is much more serious. Your employer could be seriously affected by your mistake. You could endanger your client’s relationship, create a legal problem or put people’s safety or health at risk. You will eventually be affected by the consequences. It may not be possible to simply correct your mistake and move on. Your career and your job may be affected if you make a mistake at work.
These are the steps to follow:
Admit Your Mistake
Notify your boss immediately if you find out that something is wrong. Only exceptions are if your error is not significant and will not have any impact on anyone. Don’t hide your error. You could end up looking worse and others may accuse you for a coverup. It will show professionalism which employers value greatly.
Give your boss a plan to correct the error
Your boss will require you to create a plan to correct your error and present it to him. You will hopefully be able to come up with something before you approach your boss. But don’t lose heart if you aren’t. You will assure her that you are working towards a solution.
Once you have a clear idea of what you should do, you can then present it. Make sure you are clear about the tasks you will be performing and the expected results. Your boss should know how long it will take and what the associated costs are. In case your boss rejects “Plan A”, make sure you have a backup plan. Making a mistake is not a good thing. However, you shouldn’t miss this opportunity to show your problem solving skills.
Don’t Point Fingers at Anyone Else
There is a high chance that other people are responsible for making the mistake in a team environment. People are often happy to take credit for success, but they don’t like to admit to making mistakes. To alert your boss if something is wrong, have everyone get together.
It might not be possible. Some people will say that it’s not their fault. You can’t point fingers at others even if you share the blame. Hopefully, everyone will ultimately be held responsible for their actions.
Accept your apologies, but don’t beat yourself up
There is a huge difference between accepting responsibility and beating yourself up. Accept your error, but don’t shame yourself for it. People will remember your mistake if you continue to draw attention to it.
Your boss should be able to see the consequences of your actions, and not the fact that the mistake was made. You should be careful not to toot your own horn. Brag about how you fixed it will not only draw attention to the original problem, but could also raise suspicions about whether you were able to intervene to correct it.
Make the mistake right away if you can
Exempt from receiving overtime payment, work early and stay late, but you can still spend your lunch hour at the desk until you correct your error. Your boss will need to pay overtime for every hour that you work more than 40 hours per week. This is not possible if your non-exempt worker. This is not something you want to do. If you need to work longer hours, get permission from your boss.
