Made a BIG mistake at work? Here’s how to redeem yourself

There may come a time in your career where you make a huge mistake at work. Or maybe you make a collection of small mistakes. Either way, you’ve got your reputation to think about. And you need to set things right. If you don’t, you might miss out on progression opportunities or even lose your job.

But don’t worry. You’re not the first employee to fail at work. And you won’t be the last.

What’s important is that you get yourself on the right path to redeem yourself.

• Hold yourself accountable
• Apologise to your manager
• Come up with solutions
• Don’t dwell on it
• Show that you’ve learnt from it

What to do when you make a mistake at work

Hold yourself accountable

Accepting responsibility is the first step in redeeming yourself from your mistake. The last thing you want to do is pass the buck or serve your manager with a load of excuses. The most respectable thing to do is to be accountable.

Your manager will respect you more for taking responsibility. But when you try to pass the blame, you’ll only dig yourself a deeper hole!

Apologise to your manager

After you make a mistake at work, make sure you have a conversation with your manager. Don’t wait for your manager to call you into a meeting. Set one up yourself. During this meeting, apologise for the situation. You don’t need to overdo it with a huge speech. All you need is a sincere moment just to say ‘I’m sorry this happened’. A short apology goes a long way!

Come up with solutions

So you created a problem. But you can create a solution too. Don’t just leave it to your manager to rectify your situation. Show them you genuinely care by finding a way to put it right. This will help you to get back into your manager’s good books!

Don’t dwell on it

Yes, you made a mistake. But don’t beat yourself up. If you obsess over your mistakes, you’ll only hold yourself back. You need to rise back stronger and show everything you have to offer.

Everyone makes mistakes. You can’t live in the past. Accept that it happened. Realise everyone slips up from time to time. And move on.

Show that you’ve learnt from it

Accepting responsibility is good. Apologising to your manager is good. But what’s great are the changes you make moving forwards. Actions speak louder than words. And actions will rebuild the trust between you and your manager. So make sure you show up to your role in a whole new way and don’t make the same mistakes again!

Can you recover from all mistakes at work?

Sometimes, your mistake might be so big that it results in a dismissal. Unfortunately, if you break the terms of your employment contract or compromise the company, you could lose your job. If you think your boss is going to sack you, ask them if you’re able to leave the company instead. This way, it won’t reflect poorly when prospective employers ask for a job reference.

No regrets, just lessons learned

Mistakes have the power to make us… or break us. We can use each mistake to create a better version of ourselves. Or we can let a mistake send us on a downward spiral. Just remember that mistakes are a part of life. And even your manager has made mistakes. So don’t beat yourself up. Find the willpower to grow from your mistakes.

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