Messed up at work. Feel sick

[User292]

This might not sound like a big deal but it is and I’m STUPID!!! I’m literally so stupid for not realising. Everything that I do is largely via email. I send and receive lots of emails daily, i have been at the company for a year and so I’ve got a years worth of emails on my laptop (plus a little more from a few months before I started)

all last week I was getting notifications to say my mailbox is almost full. I was deleting emails that I don’t need to keep but it wasn’t really doing anything, and today I got a notification that said I can’t send or receive any new emails because my inbox is full. I decided, all of the very old stuff can go because I’ve already dealt with it and it’s done. I cleared out all of the emails from June 2023 to June 2024. But my inbox was still full. The notification said to empty my deleted items folder. So I did. Inbox still full. So at this point I messaged my manager and said I don’t know what’s happening with my emails, it’s saying inbox full despite me deleting. He replied saying DO NOT delete any emails!! As we need a trail as backup and evidence of conversations and approvals for things etc. I haven’t replied because I’m hyperventilating. I have just deleted a years worth of emails. I feel really sick why did I do that! I thought I had to and there was no other way around it because it was saying I can’t send or receive any new emails so what else was I supposed to do?! He said there is an archive folder to put them in to clear space but I didn’t know 😢

Not sure what this post is for but needed to just say AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

It’s fine, they can be restored :)

Check with IT, they may be able to recover the emails.

Omg wait how?? When I deleted them from the deleted folder a message said they will be permanently deleted and did I want to continue. Would it be something IT can do?

Just get IT to restore them - no big deal.

OMG I can have them restored? Thank you so much I didn’t think I’d be able to because he was adamant like DO NOT DELETE THEM!!

im like 😬😬😬😬

I used to have this message pop up, and I used to have to log in to my online account (through a web browser) and delete the emails from there to clear the mailbox.

Deleting them on your computer won't free up any space, because its not your computer that is full, it is your online mailbox.

Assuming that is what has happened, when you log in online all your emails will still be there, and you may be able to download them.

If you can details what you are using people may be able to help a little bit more.

Our IT could definitely restore even when "permanently deleted"
(V useful for investigations )

Ohh I see, so I use outlook and I log onto it by clicking the outlook icon on the desktop… so do you mean I will have to go onto a web browser and get up outlook from there?

You should be able to access the deleted emails by logging onto Outlook online. Go to deleted folder and blue line at top says do you want to restore.

I love you, thank you

It sounds like it yes.

go onto google and type "outlook email login" and login with your credentials and they should still be there.

Do not start deleting them there though until you know you have them saved/downloaded.

Do you have an IT department?

Going to try this now, thank you. Yeah we have an IT department so if all else fails hopefully they can help. Thank you so much. I went into fully blown panic mode there lol

Always make friends with someone in the IT department. They are your best buddies when things go wrong. Get them their favourite treat.

This is true in virtually any job.

Where are you supposed to save emails for future reference to prove stuff?

Do you have a cloud or something?

Think you need to speak to IT of your manager can't offer advice. Where does he store all his stuff? Is his mailbox larger than yours so yours needs increased?

It's an easy mistake to make, IMO outlook doesn't make it obvious that it is your 'online' mailbox that is full, rather than your outlook programme storage.

Let us know how you get on!

Well my manager said I am supposed to put it into the archived folder, but I didn’t realise. I have a separate folder called “actioned” where I put all of the emails that I’ve already dealt with and completed. But I thought surely the ones from June 2023 can go! But no they need to always be there apparently just in case something comes up and we need to show written evidence

I’ve just logged into the online one and everything is still there 😭😭😭 I’ve never felt relief like this, thanks so much!

Gosh if your manager needs to save emails as approval etc shouldn’t they have a process in place.

Glad it’s ok op, it’s horrible that panic! Have a cup of tea

Oh ignore me I see the post about the archive fair enough.

Dont worry

Your IT department will do regular backups of the system

Just let them know and they'll retrieve your emails

Ask them about the space issue too

Bless you. Its such a relief isn't it? 🥰

Stop panicking, they will be in your deleted items still (hopefully)

Well, I very much enjoyed this thread. Drama, suspense and a timely happy ending 😂😁

This really. It's also possible to archive emails to free up space so you don't face this situation again. Ask IT how it works so you know what to do in the future.