F*cked up massively - work related. Perspective needed

[Stupidworkgirl]

I have an important business trip abroad tomorrow which myself and several other colleagues are going on. It is a major event in our industry and we have been planning it for a while. I have done the majority of the planning and have enjoyed it and was excited to attend. Our company director is going along with my boss and several coworkers, one of which reports to me.

I have lost my passport. I only realised this at 4pm today when packing. I am meant to fly out on an early morning flight. We have a very tidy minimalist home and have searched everywhere, it is definitely not here. I last travelled a few months ago and can only think I dropped it somewhere between security and my car.

I have called my boss who has told the MD. My boss was understanding and kind about it, I don’t know what the MDs reaction was. I’m absolutely gutted. Missing out on the event is a horrible feeling but is actually the least of it, that will wear off once it is over at the end of this week. It is more the damage to my reputation and how people might think of me going forward. I’m honestly considering leaving and finding a new job, as I don’t know how I will mentally bounce back from it.

Looking for reassurance or perhaps any similar tales or fucking up at work.

I see you've now cancelled it but I'm going to predict that you won't be able to stop looking and you'll find it at home

I’m know the lost passport feeling. I discovered mine was missing at midnight the day before flying. You just end up in a spiral of looking and “I can’t believe it” kicking yourself don’t you. Luckily I’m my case it was a while back and I was living abroad and had a v late flight and the consulate was able to issue a new one in under 12 hours.

I also know that horrible fucked up at work feeling. The good thing is that too passes.

I do already feel calmer now there is nothing more I can do.

One of my favourite lines from the film Clockwise was 'it's not the despair. I can stand the despair. It's the hope'.

Imagine being Liz Truss?! Though bizarrely she thinks she did great!

OP, if it makes you feel better I had my bag with passport in it stolen on the way to the airport (while being stupidly inattentive) for a week-long work trip involving two countries and a dozen meetings that had taken several months to organise. Well done me!

I don't live in the UK, so forgive me for my rubbish suggestion of catching 'a' ferry to the EU without a passport.

Thank you so much everyone, it has really helped reading all the replies. Logic is definitely returning as I start to calm down. I admit I did actually start looking at jobs earlier, it seems a bit bonkers now.

I think the under-reaction of people in the office has helped put it into perspective, they have all just been like 'ah shit that's annoying' rather than open mouthed 'omggg that's awful, bloody hell' etc.

I'm definitely going to feel a bit off this week, and will be nervous about seeing my boss/MD next week, but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel now and actually believe I will come round from it and enjoy being at work again.

So if your neighbour for instance bumped into you on their way to 'a' ferry, and they said, sorry, can't stop and chat, I'm on the way to catch the ferry' would you retell that same HILARIOUS quip? My gosh, you are such a riot! Can I book you for a night of stand up comedy? :-/

Not living in the UK is a terrible excuse.

You have no idea where OP is and where she was going to, so it was a ridiculous suggestion. Is there a ferry from Manchester to Munich? Or Aberdeen to Brussels? Or Cornwall to Rekjavik?

And that's before the perfectly obvious fact that she would need a passport should any of those mythical ferries exist.

Jesus, you seem very invested in my post. Bugger off.

loving some of these work related disasters - hope you feel better now OP😂

My friend left her passport at the carhire desk. We were away a week, the Police at the airport held it for her to pick up on our return.

Everyone makes mistakes at work. If this is one of your worst then you are doing brilliantly. I had a friend who was a doctor. When she got home at night she would say to her husband “haven’t killed any patients today!” Can you imagine? I can’t. I bet we have all had those gut wrenching moments at work though. Another friend was a university teacher who lost a whole cohorts exam coursework!!!

It could be worse, you could be inline with your boss and found this -

@Bamboozleme not at all, you can give evidence by video link if you can’t physically attend court.

OP glad you feel calmer; one day you may even look back and laugh - one day!

Invested? Arrogant of you to assume!

No, it was just an incredibly silly post. And to stand out on here that's quite impressive.

responded quickly and said 'so nice that it's not only me making mistakes'.

Yeah, how people respond when things go wrong is a proper test of leadership. I still remember how graciously the 'big boss' responded to me when I had to let him know my mistake.

First week new job, I was sent an email asking me whether there was any space in my team for a 'problem child' long term employee who kept being moved on. Yes, those were the actual words in the title (!)

I thought I put the person's name in the title and resent the email to myself to remind me to think about how to respond. Instead, I had put the persons name in the xx field.

Big Boss said only 'unlucky, what do we need to do' when I told them.

If someone deals with it less than graciously, start looking for a different role with a different boss.

Likewise with life partners ..

When you stop looking for it is about half an hour before it's found in the most unlikely place!

If your manager was very kind and understanding, I would just approach them and explain how stressed you feel, especially not knowing the MD’s reaction. They will put your mind at ease.

Someone in my company in payroll accidentally sent a spreadsheet to “everyone”, which detailed all salaries including those of senior managers and directors! Now THAT was a storm!

Have you seat he'd the last bag or case that you used?

Past life as a structural engineer and you are giving me heart palpitations. That said one of the consultants I worked for had a stamp that said all dimensions were the architects responsibility, which we stamped onto everything we ever issued. They were an enormous very successful consultancy, I can see why they did it now.

I've just remembered another work related "disaster" - years ago a young fellow employee was travelling abroad to work - he got to passport control - and suddenly he was surrounded by security and asked to lie on floor - (or something like that - it was a long time ago and can't quite remember all the details). Anyway it turned out another young colleague/friend of his thought it would be very funny to write a note and stick it in his friend's passport saying "I have a bomb!"
Both of them were fired by the company😱

“Both of them were fired by the company😱”

Seems harsh to fire the victim of the “joke”!

The company took it very seriously - it caused a major security alert and I think they decided they were both culpable in some way - they were pretty young and immature

they fired the colleague that was the victim of a practical joke? On what grounds?