What have you done! You have just made a terrible, terrible error at work, and there’s nothing you can do that can mend or change it.

Or is there?

Making mistakes at work is common-normal, in fact. Many companies even tolerate them and have a good laugh about the blips you make in the work place, as long as you learn from them and they are not repeated. However, sometimes mistakes and errors are made so big that they can damage your reputation, get you demoted-or worse, cost you your job! When you find yourself in this situation, take a deep breath and realise that although the clouds look black and heavy, there is a way around every terrible situation, and you don’t have to hand in your notice before they sack you first!

Carlyn Hindy worked for a well-known Independent Television station in London England. She had been in her job as an advertising sales assistant for one year and was well on her way to getting promoted to the next level. Within her portfolio of television advertisers, she had to take care of a particular beer brand, slotting it in television breaks that she thought would be good for the brand, such as football programmes and male interest programmes.

Every Tuesday evening on this station, a documentary featuring different subjects was put on. One day Carlyn was distracted, and without checking the content of the document, she put the alcoholic brand in the centre break of this weekly programme. That week the documentary concentrated on the horrors of drinking and driving with an emphasis on the lives lost! An hour before the programme went on air, there was a final programme security check, which thankfully revealed her mistake. The advert was quickly taken off air and replaced with another, causing unnecessary work and a lot of red faces! Had the beer been aired in the programme, the Television Company would’ve been sued for millions! And there would’ve been tabloid frenzy in the British media.

The next morning a letter was sent throughout the company detailing the event that had happened the night before and the negligence of the employee involved. At that time, no one knew it was Carlyn, but she immediately realised that unless she rectified her error she would probably lose her job. She wrote a letter highlighting that she had made the error and was deeply sorry about the problem caused, that it was nobody else’s fault but her own, and she sent it throughout the intranet system to everyone in the company. She also arranged to see the Board of Directors personally and deeply apologised for her stupidity. The Board of Directors were initially angry but respected her honesty and decided to put her back on a probationary period of six months, allowing her to keep her job. Five years later, Carlyn is a Director of Advertising Sales and has learnt that honesty and speed can rectify any difficult situation: “I made the mistake, I accepted it and I took my punishment, people laughed at me at first but I soon gained my respect again.”

John See was a financial analyst for a bank in London. He enjoyed his job and had a promising future with the company. His (so-called) best friend worked for a rival company and asked John if he could possibly send him some information over of their latest financial statistics for an international financial report. It was something was doing for all the banks in the country, he said, and all were participating. Having known his friend for twelve years and grown up with him, John faxed the information through without thinking that there was anything wrong about it. Two hours later his direct boss and a security guard from the bank asked him to step into a private room to find out why he had sent the rival bank confidential information. They had the receipt of the fax slip in hand.

John wanted to explain there and then but did not want to get his friend in trouble and remained quiet. He was suspended immediately while they investigated. In his own time John visited his friend to confront him about what had happened. To his astonishment his friend denied all knowledge of the incident and their conversation and even went as far as saying they were barely friends! His friend had done it for self-gain and career progress at the expense of a twelve-year friendship. “I was absolutely dumb-struck! Here was a guy who I had spent most of my childhood with and he was blatantly trying to ruin me. I had to do something about it.”

John let the dust settle and while still on suspension re-visited his so called friend, but this time with a dictaphone in his shirt pocket hidden under his jacket. The two men got into a heavy and loud argument and his “friend” started shouting at the top of his voice how he had set John up and how he didn’t care, saying it was worth it for the pay rise he had received. (Sounds like something from an American movie).

John had the evidence he needed. He went straight to a lawyer and together they met with his bosses. After a few more weeks, John was taken back and his friend was sacked from his job. Due to this John and all new staff were placed on training to be aware of threats from outside and to be more vigilant. John’s bosses respected him for proving his innocence. They realised he was a good worker and would never make the same mistake again.

These cases are extreme, but it goes without saying that you have to be vigilant and honest at all times in the workplace. If something goes wrong and it’s your fault, admit to it and make sure it never happens again. If you get caught in a tricky situation when you are innocent, do what you can in the right way to prove you are a moral and good worker. Whatever the situation, it can be resolved with a little time and sincerity.