Work. It’s where we spend the majority of our waking hours. Without a doubt, there will be times when embarrassing moments occur. It happens to us all. Even the most polished and together girl in the office can have the occasional mishap. The important thing to bear in mind is the recovery. Deal with it and move on ASAP! Here is our advice on how to recover from those mini disasters!
#1 The boss catches you procrastinating.
We are all guilty of it. Perhaps it’s a sneaky scroll through your Instagram feed or a quick catch up on some celebrity gossip. If you are working exceptionally hard then a break is well deserved. It will also increase your productivity levels. Why are we always caught when we’re having the break and not when we’re engrossed in a difficult report? It can be super embarrassing. The best way to deal with it is to be honest. Explain that you were desperate for a quick break as you have been smashing your to-do list all morning. Hopefully, your boss understands. If not, let your work speak for itself and be more discrete next time!
#2 Having too much to drink at the office party.
This is a pretty common mistake. It may be a combination of drinking too much to mask nerves, or perhaps not eating enough to ensure you fit into that little black dress. Whatever the reason being drunk and acting silly can be seriously awkward. It’s certainly not awkward at the time, you probably feel like the life and soul of the party. Monday morning will be a different story. Laughing it off and making sure not to give a repeat performance is an ideal way to move on.
#3 Sending an email to the wrong person.
Perhaps you have hit reply all when it was really inappropriate. Maybe you sent a confidential email to the wrong person. This can be terribly awkward when it occurs. Our advice is to act quickly. If possible recall that email. Alternatively send a professional and prompt follow up asking for the previous email to be disregarded. This moment can go from awkward to unprofessional pretty quickly. It can easily be done, just be mindful with email in future.
#4 Forgetting about a meeting.
If your mind is burdened and you have one hundred things to think about, it can feel impossible to remember everything. Missing a meeting can feel like the worst thing ever, especially if your boss is unhappy. Be brave, apologise and make it clear it won’t happen again.
#5 Failing to hit the mute button.
Oops. Being caught gossiping about someone can be mortifying. If you failed to hit the mute button and the person on the other end heard it all, this is a tough one to recover from. It’s best to attempt to laugh it off as a joke. Take a hard lesson from this. Gossip rarely ends well. As a professional career girl, don’t be foolish enough to repeat the mistake.
#6 Having food in your teeth etc.
These minor little mishaps can happen pretty regularly. It may be toilet paper stuck to your shoe, zip on your pants down low or spilling coffee down a white top. These little awkward moments can be commonplace. Don’t worry and try not to be too hard on yourself. We are all human. Tidy yourself up, have a little giggle, cringe inwardly and forget all about it. Your co-worker will do something similar before Friday.
Awkward moments are all to frequent in the workplace. The key in how you recover. Take these potential disasters in your stride and move on quickly. Don’t forget people are generally too pre-occupied with their own lives to be overly concerned about minor mess ups!
