Mistakes that are committed at work are the reality that few of us hide, whereas others accept it royally. So it is not a big deal that if a person is accepting or hiding the committed mistakes.
It is better to correct it next time even it is put under carpet for the first time. They will come in any shapes and form either as a boss or even as a client. The individual must be mainly focusing on certain circumstances that will help in correcting it.
Definition of Apology:
The apology can be defined as a heartfelt action that is carried due to past actions. This will usually end up with the word ‘sorry’. Even though the pain and the suffering created will never disappear but explores soft corner towards that particular person.
Everyone makes mistakes:
The real fact is that nobody leaves the house that he/she will slip over today at the workplace. Everyone thinks to be on the safer side but nobody thinks to take a shortcut that will cause injury either to co-worker or to themselves. Moreover nobody thinks to meet with accident at the workplace mistakenly.
Factors that Influence the Mistakes:
There are few factors that increase the occurrence of errors. They are:
- High or low workload
- Improper training and analysis done
- Lack of experience
- Lack of supervision
- Poor working environment
- Co-workers character traits
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Rules and procedures that are to be followed
- Demands of the job
- Lack of concentration
Ways to Recover From Making Mistakes at Work:
Mistakes at work place can be subdivided at various forms and in various scenarios to prove ourselves to the world. No matter what mistake you have committed, it is one’s responsibility to apologize someone for something.
In workplace it is common that everyone may commit mistakes either one or the other day. We should try to recover from the mistakes done and understand what has happened. Here are few cases that will help in apologizing for the mistake committed. They are:
1. When the mistakes are done and cannot be fixed by oneself.
2. When the deadline is not met as promised to the client.
3. When the employee is aggressive at the workplace.
4. If the individual becomes a victim of bad ideas.
5. Forgot to complete the task.
1. When the mistakes are done and cannot be fixed by oneself:
As humans even if we realize the mistakes, we hesitate to apologize for it. The employee must realize his/her weakness and ask for guidance from the experienced person. First the employee must be ready to explain the mistake that is committed and ask for apologies to his/her concerned higher authority.
In addition to this the employee must assure that this kind of mistake will not happen again. Instead of hiding the truth, one must apologize for the mistake committed so as to learn from mistakes.
2. When the deadline is not met as promised to the client:
Organization’s reputation should be maintained by each employee by guaranteeing clients and meeting their expectations. When something is to be achieved, it must focus mainly on the deadlines and the accuracy of the output. If the deadline is not met, the employee must get the advice from the boss for overcoming mistakes next time.
3. When the employee is aggressive at the workplace:
While working if there is a conversation with co-worker and the employee then in case if he/she has offended the other, then it is better to apologize to the concerned person as soon as the problem is settled. One must not focus on justifying things instead try to focus more on the things that he/she regrets. Moreover it is offensive and unprofessional manner to fight in the workplace.
4. If the individual becomes a victim of bad ideas:
The bad ideas and gossips always revolve around our head for which one must not become the victim. If something is really frustrating then it will not be able to control and it may spread faster. Instead of getting into trouble one must take quick and necessary action to stop.
5. Forgot to complete the task:
If he/she really forgets to complete the assigned task whatever the reason may be then finishing the task beyond the deadline does not pay any value to the work. Rather than making excuses, it will be better if one concentrates more on the work and complete it within the deadline.
The above discussed ideas help in creating a passion towards work and also remind us the purpose of being in corporate world.
Why is Apology important at Workplace?
People who might be hurt or overwhelmed due to frustration will often choose apology. Apology is something that comes to relocate trust, anxiety, peace and justice at workplace. If an employee caused harm and feels the pain then he/she will be thoughtless or embraced for the issue that has taken place. Having presence of mind is the best technique to overcome the mistakes at workplace.
What can an employee do?
Even though it is very hard for the people to apologize, it has to be done so as to make remarkable opinion about the individual in an organization. At workplace the employee may suffer from pain and suffering because of the conflict produced. If it is done once then it means that the mistake will not be repeated again. Instead for creating another revolt it is better to put more effort on the work that is assigned.
Common Mistakes at Work – Ways to Avoid them:
Making mistakes is a common thing from which one can learn something new. Employees usually work about missing deadlines, major issues and failing to achieve the targets etc. But the major thing that one must focus is to overcome the errors made and learn from the errors experienced. Few of the common mistakes that are committed at workplace are explained below. They are:
1. Using the internet at workplace for personal work
2. Stop chattering about the co-workers
3. Unhealthy wardrobe options
4. Unprofessional emails
5. Uttering words without thinking
1. Using the internet at workplace for personal work:
In the corporate world one will not be forgiven for the things such as writing personal emails from the company email, browsing on the favourite websites even surfing on social media and shopping online.
Anyways the common knowledge is that many of the employees were terminated from job for surfing on the internet in the unrelated websites of the job. Even if the apologies are accepted one is not allowed to surf in the business hours.
2. Stop chattering about the co-workers:
If he/she is gossiping too much about the other employees or create rumours then that will affect the career opportunity of the employee gossiped. It is easy for a commoner or an outsider to identify the difficulty of comments that are passed. One must transform as a trusted and spirited person so as to escape from chatters.
3. Unhealthy wardrobe options:
Dressing sense of the individual gives more interpretation to the viewer. It varies from one company to another. Even for a long term working employee, professional appearance is must.
Management sets rules for a standard wardrobe for the organization. Neatly stitched and perfectly ironed dress will give a professional appearance. It will be better if an employee will spend time the previous day in selecting the dress. Before leaving to office, one must have a glance at the mirror so as to gain confidence to meet a new person.
4. Unprofessional emails:
Emails that are written indicate an employee’s professionalism. The content in the email must be work appropriate. One should be aware of performing spell check and grammar check options. Before sending the email the employee should reread the content in the email.
Use the font “Times New Roman” with an appropriate background along with standard colour of the text style. One should remember that the emails that are sent and received can be printed because it will store in the same repository of the organization.
5. Uttering words without thinking:
People usually get into trouble because they forget to do self edit before speaking. It is advisable not to use the crass language. Choosing words carefully helps in overcoming the mistake. Never try to show-off or try to utter the unprofessional words in the office. Thus adopting good habits and proper manners will help one to show as polite and gentle.
Do all the mistakes fall under same category?
The fact is that not all the mistakes fall under same category. It happens due to different types of situation. It can be defined as error and violation. An error is an action that is not intended whereas an action may not to be intentionally sticking to certain rules or policies.
Different kinds of errors:
Errors can be broadly classified into two categories. They are:
a. Slips
b. Lapses
Slips can be defined as the failure in memory. It can be described as one must not forget to bring the safety shoes to the site. Lapses can be defined as the failure in attention. This means if the employees are prohibited from using mobile phones in red zone. Then he/she must pay attention of not using it.
Moving on from a Mistake at Work:
If breaking the rules at workplace is done often, then they may be prolonged due to certain reasons. Here are few factors regarding the reasons. They are:
1. Routine is something when the rules are unabided by the employee at workplace. If the rules are broken continuously then it appears to be more restrictive at the workplace.
2. Situational is in which the employees feels the pressure of the job. Due to the given time limit and the work pressure rules are made in the unsafe conditions.
3. Exceptional cases are when the person is forced to violate the rules and to overweigh the perceived risks.
4. Optimization helps in finishing the work by meeting the deadlines.
How to make a change?
Reducing errors and violating undergoes many disciplinary actions. More effective work comes from designing the site, regulating rules and procedures, taking training to make people understand the actual concept of what is to be done.
Improvement in the attitude of the people towards their work and the related procedure is required. Providing standard supervisions so as to check whether the work done is, stick to the rules and practices.
Management technique:
The management plays a vital role in the safety of employees. They agree with none of the employee comes to work to meet the accidents. None of them should be really injured. No employee should bother their colleagues personally. When the rule is violated to get the job done then the employee should act in a smart way. They should try learning from mistakes that are more important in career opportunity.
Just a Right Solution:
If the mistake is something that can be identified easily then it will require an action immediately. If the mistake is not retractable then try to devise possible solutions out of it. This approach helps in finding a right and possible solution. It will also help in quick fixing of the mistake. Unfortunately there is wide spectrum that possibly contracts the feelings at work. The mistake has to be focused if it runs through the choice of words. There are two other situations they are:
a. Too hot situation
b. Too cold situation
Hence, the mistakes are like hurdle that stops us from reaching the growth in career and it is bound to happen at the workplace. Sometimes one may be tempted to hide what happened and this action looks like defending oneself. Seeking for the co-workers help and maintaining self confidence are both common, which will help in owning the mistakes at work.
