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Original poster

F*cked up massively - work related. Perspective needed

628 replies

Stupidworkgirl · 01/05/2023 22:16

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.

OP posts:
MarnieCres · 03/05/2023 21:29

Does no one read the threads these days....the OP has updated.

ThreeLocusts · 03/05/2023 21:36

There's a first time for every f.up. One thing I did for the first and hopefully last time some years ago was get confused about my day of arrival after a flight to the US. I somehow thought of it as a red-eye and booked airbnb for the following evening.

But I'd left in the morning and arrived the same day. Went to Airbnb and found there was no room for me, called admin all shirty... luckily not too shirty as I then had to ask them to find me a room somewhere else for the night. Which they did, albeit halfway across town and a lot less fancy. I didn't mind if the end, it was cheaper and livelier.

Hope you find something good to do with the time you aren't conferencing.

HeroOfMyTale · 03/05/2023 21:38

Glad you are feeling OK @Stupidworkgirl

I sincerely hope when you find your cancelled passport in some obscure place that you come back and tell us where it was.

For what it worth in case anyone in future comes looking at this thread for ideas, my tips would have been:

  • have you looked for and checked all possible "flat" zipped pockets. Sometimes these can be concealed or not obvious - so interior ones and exterior ones. The amount of times I've found stuff I thought I'd lost in a concealed exterior double pocket....
  • is there any chance you used it for ID for something after you last travelled wtih it? if so, have a think about what you used to transport it for your ID and where you were.
MyWorstWorkMistakeDidEndUpWithADeadPerson · 03/05/2023 21:46

@Stupidworkgirl I noticed that you didn’t mention the glove compartment or the thing between the 2 front seats that lifts up and has a hidden place. Still you’ve reported it stolen now, so it doesn’t matter.

I made a mistake at work once and someone died, not because of the mistake I made, but I have always felt guilty about it. I still work at the same place. None of my colleagues at work ever mention it and I don’t think they even remember it to be honest, but I do and every time I think about it, I feel so guilty. Losing a passport is nothing and happens. Don’t allow it to stress you out though.

mumdebump · 03/05/2023 21:47

LoveLifeBeHappy · 03/05/2023 21:01

You can use an emergency travel document:
https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document

The following will apply to you:

  • your passport has been lost, stolen, damaged, is full, has recently expired or is with HM Passport Office or a foreign embassy
  • you do not have time to renew or replace your UK passport from abroad before you travel
  • you can provide proof of your travel plans, for example booking confirmations (or detailed written travel plans if you cannot book ahead)

Emergency Travel Documents are only for people stuck without their passport outside the UK. You can’t get one if you’re in the UK.

nonheme · 03/05/2023 21:52

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

Jackster11 · 03/05/2023 21:54

Glove pocket in car ? Don’t beat yourself up we are all human

ChrisConary · 03/05/2023 22:13

I misplaced my passport once, but knew it was somewhere in my house. It wasn't urgent to find it at the time, so I stopped looking. Months later, I found it when I pulled out a drawer looking for something else. It had gotten caught in a drawer, and pulled underneath the drawer, and was only found because I had pulled the drawer completely out to dump it in search of something else.

LesleyA · 03/05/2023 22:15

In a book u were reading. I found mine in with Xmas cards I’d been writing. Im super tidy.
successful people also lose things. How long wd it take for a temp passport? Use a pendulum to find it

DadBodAlready · 03/05/2023 22:18

I did something similar back in the day, although I actually turned up at the airport without my passport. Was travelling to Holland, but they let me fly anyway using business card and company ID. That said UK was still in EU at the time. But maybe call the airport / airline and see if there is any way they can allow you to fly w/o passport. (do you keep scanned copies of passport online)

UniversalAunt · 03/05/2023 22:20

Watching this thread as I NEED to know when & where the lost passport turns up.

Mandyjack · 03/05/2023 22:26

If you suddenly disappeared and left you'd look even worse. These things happen just own it

Milly16 · 03/05/2023 22:29

This happened to a colleague of mine a few years ago. Everyone was pretty sympathetic when they found out why he wasn't coming, and then honestly, didn't think of it again. Just tell people you had passport problems. I don't think anyone will think twice about it.

Mumofasdgirl11 · 03/05/2023 22:30

If you ever do find it, do come back to this post and reply and say where it was, just to fulfill our curiosity as to what happened to it. Wishing you all the best for the future. X

Nofurme · 03/05/2023 22:36

keep it on perspective. No one will think badly of you- these things happen. You’ve organized a great business trip that your colleagues, boss and MD will enjoy. They will only feel sorry that you cannot join and be sympathetic; you did do much organizing and now miss out. They won’t think badly of you nor will it impact your reputation.
to be honest most will be so engrossed in trip they won’t think about you so much and when they do only feel sorry you couldn’t join.

keep it in perspective it feels worse for you but much lesser impact on others

WeeblesWobbled · 03/05/2023 22:42

Unsure33 · 03/05/2023 19:52

Honestly these things happen a lot . My DH went on a business trip with his MD . A month later his MD a was going on a big family trip and arrived at the airport , and discovered his passport had been swapped with my husbands on the previous trip . My DH a raced to the airport but could not get there on time so the wife had to travel on her own with very small children . No more flights so the husband had to travel by train , with several changes . And missed two days of the holiday . My MD also went in an important business trip and arrived at the airport only to find he had driven off with his suitcase on the roof and all his clothes were scattered all over his drive at home . He had two hours before an important meeting to kit himself out . He was notorious for losing his passport and arriving for flights on the wrong day etc. we do recount theses episodes , with mild amusement but nothing more . This too will pass.

The image of the clothes on the driveway is hilarious.

happysarahann · 03/05/2023 23:00

Turn a glass upside down on a plate and wait up to 24hours and I’d say50%of the time it works ( when do so say I’m looking for ……..?)
got to be with a try can be no worse off

Summerfun54321 · 03/05/2023 23:03

I do stuff like this all the time, nice to hear organised, tidy people do stuff like this too. Don't be too hard on yourself.

joycies · 03/05/2023 23:06

Hey, slow down = thinking of chucking your job, no way. Then they would really see you as a loser. Mislaying something you use twice a year isn't exactly a mortal sin. You could even make a case for it having been stolen and let them gossip about that instead. If you really can;t locate it then I think you should report it so some Albanian drug trafficker isn't using it!

TheFizzThatMakesYouWhizzz · 03/05/2023 23:12

This happens a lot more often than you even now… don’t worry, it’s no biggie 🤷🏼‍♀️. Can’t you get an emergency travel document?

JudgeJ · 03/05/2023 23:15

My now late OH had his passport stolen from the car when we were back in the UK on holiday from his job with the military in Germany, We couldn't get one of those Visitor Passports, a long tome ago, as all our documents, birth certificates etc were back in Germnay, We rang MOD and they told us to go to the Psssport Office in Liverpool but they wouldn't do anything either but they did ring MOD and MOD were able to fax them the details they needed, they also told them he had to have the replacement immediately rather than wait.

SkaneTos · 03/05/2023 23:18

CarrotCake01 · 03/05/2023 19:16

I lost my passport just before a trip to Australia once. A friend of mine had been over a week or so before, spotted it on my shelf and hidden it inside a dvd case as a prank.
I didn't realise I had lost it until the day before so that was so stressful

That is a horrible thing that your friend did!

78Summer · 03/05/2023 23:22

I would not worry. It’s something we all might do and makes you very human.

Susieblue18 · 03/05/2023 23:23

I’ve not read all the thread but have you called the airport you last travelled from in case it’s in lost property?

SkaneTos · 03/05/2023 23:29

Stupidworkgirl · 03/05/2023 18:31

Just seen my thread has been resurrected, wanted to update in case anyone stumbles across it in the future and wanted to know the outcome.

I’ve calmed down a lot since yesterday, I feel completely different. I still have that ‘fear of missing out’ feeling since everyone is there at the moment but I no longer feel as mortified about it and certainly won’t be leaving my job. It’s a bit surreal thinking back to how upset I got, but I think it was just the shock of it happening as I have never done anything like this before and it made me doubt myself.

I appreciate all the help and advice I got here, it was very much needed when I was at the height of the panic.

I'm glad you're feeling better now, OP!