Awful mistake at work - totally panicking, please help

[triangles5]

I’ve made a dreadful mistake at work and am devastated. I’m in tears, feel very low and am having suicidal thoughts. I’ve been with the company for several years, adore my job, am hardworking and usually careful and diligent, but it was simply silly human error. I feel sick with fear as it’s going to cost the company a significant amount of money. I haven’t spoken or apologized to my managers yet as I was so upset and couldn’t face it. But they’re aware it has happened, we’re due to meet next week and it will obviously come up. I feel sick with fear that I’m going to be sacked. And if they don’t sack me (unlikely), they’ll never be able to rely on me again as it’ll always be in the back of their minds. I’m distraught and can’t think of anything else. I’ve let the company and worse, my kids (who rely on my income) down so badly. What can I possibly do from here?

No human is infallible, very body can make mistakes so if it was possible for a significant amount of money to be lost because of an error on one persons part that suggests there aren’t the proper processes in place to mitigate that.

Unless you were responsible for the Sainsbury IT software update that has taken out their stores and online order system until Monday I wouldn't worry about it.

Do you work for a large company or small? You won't have been the first to balls something up. How have they reacted to other people making mistakes?

Hi OP,

It will be ok! Worst case, you do get fired (or absolute worst case - there's a prolonged investigation and then you're fired*) and will have to look for a new job. Not fun, but not the end of the world.

*This is what happened to me. It was insanely stressful at the time, but in a strange way I'm glad it happened. If I'm ever in a similar situation, I'll be a lot more zen, having done it once already. 😎

I'm so sorry. But truly, something like this happens to everyone at least once in their career and it's the mark of a good employer that they will give a good employee a second chance. That's why so many types of companies carry professional indemnity insurance - to help companies meet the costs when people make mistakes.

As PP have said, you MUST apologies first thing Monday morning- don't wait for the meeting. Say how sorry you are, how upset you are. If you can't face a face to face call, telephone or at the very least email. As an employer, the main thing I want to know is that you aren't shrugging it off, minimising it or trying to delete t blame onto others unfairly

Lol at the Sainbos IT error. Bet some IT people there are cacking themselves!

Unless you were responsible for the Sainsbury IT software update that has taken out their stores and online order system until Monday I wouldn't worry about it

Now THAT'S a career ender. Ditto air traffic control working from home.

@IamRoyFuckingKent thank you, that is helpful.

I will apologize first thing on Monday before the meeting. I read on another thread that it’s best not to self flagellate or ‘over apologize’ but is that really such a bad thing? I feel dreadful about it and am so very sorry that it happened.

I’m worried that I’m going to burst into tears at the meeting and how that will look. I feel so fragile.

It's fine to apologise, anyone would expect that but don't self flagellate, no. I wouldn't anyway, you are sorry, that's all you need to say.

I bet you it will be much less awful than you think and you'll be back here next week saying "phew, won't do that again but I wasn't sacked" - we'll wait for you to post to that effect :)

You are catastrophising right now and imagining the absolute worst case scenario.

About 95% of people who tell me they have made a huge error actually just a mistake, a human error, that can be rectified, mitigated against or compensated for.

There is a huge difference between in an error that happened due to monetarily distraction, workload, time pressure rather than a deliberate intentional action.

You know this wasn't deliberate and that's your starting point.

The company will look at the root cause & take steps, usually around processes or authorisation levels, to prevent it happening again.

You need to keep in context. No one is error proof, it happens everyone on occasion.

Please calm down.

You know what, I used to do this and it must have come across as 'poor little me, don't be too hard on me, I know I'm awful.' Making myself into a bit of a victim, in other words.

You're sorry it happened and you feel bad. Apologise and put it right if you can, don't over apologise.

If someone else in your company had made this mistake, you would forgive them right? You might think ‘gosh that was a big error’, but, they have owned it, we can fix it, nobody died.

Afford yourself the same kindness as you would anyone else in the organisation.

Also: You’re only on this planet one time don’t waste it Worrying about the corporate machine. It won’t worry about you.

If you made the mistake it means someone else could, so the processes aren't perfect.

Apologize and explain how you will make sure it never happens again.

I heard a quote on a podcast recently about a company where someone had mad a mistake that cost the company $500 million. When asking the CEO if this person would be sacked he said "are you joking? We just spent $500 million training them!

We all make mistakes, the important thing is to learn from them.

If you cry, you cry, there are worse things! All that will show is that you care. I've cried at work over much less and I'm generally considered a hard arse.

Write the document I suggested (if you want to, it's only advice, you don't have to take it!) and try to relax for the rest of your weekend. Tackle it first thing on Monday and then come back (if you want to) and tell us how you got on.

You've said you like your job, you've been there a while, you need the money and the job and you're hardworking. They will value you for all those things.

You say you've let people down, you truly haven't, you just made a mistake, we all do! And it won't "always be at the back of their mind" - it happened, it'll pass, they really will have more to think about.

Most companies are insured for this kind of thing or, if they're not accept that losses happen (and accountants have provisions in place to cover these losses).

I hope you're ok and feeling reassured by these posts. Not one person has come on here and said "OMG YOU MUST SACK YOURSELF YOU DUMB ARSE" have they? Given that this is mumsnet and famously harsh that should tell you something!

Take a few deep breaths OP and work out how to put yourself on the front foot. One up, I did this and a problem arose or I missed that and a problem came up.

Bring it to your boss's attention, own it, explain your plan or fixing what can be fixed or ask for help with it.

Don't sit around panicking, show your mettle. The hard times are what show our bosses why we are worth keeping. If no-one died, and no laws ended up broken, everything else is fixable.

I've been there, OP, to an extent.

Single mum, and had only been in the job a few months. A project my manager had been working hard to get off the ground, and put some data the wrong way round and didn't realise until it was cascaded to over 1000 staff. No major cost implications, but it didn't look good for my department after all the work and promotion that had gone into it.

I lay awake all night when I realised, got into work extra early and explained and apologised. I did get a bit tearful.

My boss, as always, handled it brilliantly.

It was all okay and I can't even remember now how it was sorted.

Wishing you the best of luck. Please go easy on yourself.

I fucked up to the time of lost revenue of £5.5m, pipeline fucked. Still got my job. There should never have been a single point of failure and processes were changed. It will be ok.

OP there SHOULD be a safety net in place so a mistake (which anyone can make) that would mean a significant loss to the company, can be stopped from happening!

For instance, money transfers over £100 have to be checked by another person before the transfer is passed.

You say the process cannot be improved, but the company needs to come up with something to take account of human errors.

Shit happens.

The phrase “human error” exists for a reason. The phrase “we all make mistakes“ is a cliche because it is so bloody true!

You didn’t do it on purpose. If there are no other procedures that can be put in place then at some point it will happen again. If not with you then with someone else.

5 years ago I cost my company £3M because of a single ambiguous sentence that I wrote in a contract. I am still employed at the same place (promoted twice) but we now have a small army of lawyers and a rigorous approval process for contracts 😁

You’re going to be fine OP.

And if you cry then you cry, just make sure when discussing it you are focussing on the problem and not on your feelings. OK to acknowledge your feelings, but don’t make them the hot topic.

we'll say prayers and it will be ok
it is not the end of the west, as we know it

Own up to what you have done, don't wait to be called on it. You appear much better to admit the mistake rather than try and hide it then be found out.

Good luck, I hope it all works out for you.

OP be rest assured most companies are insured against unforeseen lost or it could be written off in taxes! Please speak to someone!

My manager is already aware of the mistake. I’m so upset and am kicking myself. I wish I could turn back time.

Honestly everyone makes mistakes, I would hate anyone who works for me to ever feel like this. You clearly care greatly about your workplace, your boss will know this. Learn from it, help where you can, and move on from the issue. They would be foolish to sack someone who cares so much about what they're doing, but either way it's out of your hands. Try not to fret, see if you can come up with any solutions but at the end of the day its work, it is (by the sounds of it) not life and death, and I'm sure you're doing your best.

If it was that bad, they'd have sacked you immediately. Breathe. It will be fine x