I've just fucked up at work

[DerelictWreck]

A crucial piece of work that my manager and I have worked on was shared with the wider management team today. They were unaware that I had worked on the piece with him, and sat in the office disparaging the work and talking about all the ways they were going to change it, rather than do as he asked by the deadline.

I tried to step in but they are senior to me (but below him as CEO) so I decided to give my boss the heads up that he wasn't going to get the expected piece of work by the deadline. I emailed him to say that I hated sending a snitchy email (he and I are close so do talk about almost anything workwise, despite our different levels) but that the pushback he had expected had blown out of proportion. I honestly wasn't doing it drop anyone in (didn't use specific names but we're a smallish team) but because I know he's close to snapping with workload and had earmarked a slot at about 10pm tonight to deal with this at home. I wanted to let him know that he would need to set more time aside when the deadline came as the work would have changed a lot.

Except I sent this email to his 'fake-official' account that we use for mailing out from, rather than his actual private work email account. All the people involved and their juniors have access to this account. I've managed to get one of them to delete it for me, but only when I realised half an hour later. I don't know who's seen it or how badly this might land :(

I don't know whether to just pretend it hasn't happened, tell my boss, or proactively apologise to those involved.

100% own it.

The email was factual. You were not rude. Re-send it to his private address and say no more about it.

When I was on maternity leave and my mum came back to the company to help out (family business), one Secretary sent an msn message to the other calling my mum a bitch. Except she sent it to my mum.......!

If you put the words 'snitchy email' into an email, you shouldn't be sending it. You should never, ever, ever put anything in an email talking about other people that you wouldn't mind HR seeing.
Always ring and speak in person for situations like this. There is no such thing a personal email at work.
It sounds like you are 'minding' this manager a lot. You are also looking after his feelings. Remember, he gets paid more than you to take more shit that you do.

Hmm,, ok, I'm not quite with the others op, I'm sorry. It depends on how this was worded. For example did you actually say snitchy email.

In these circumstance rhe proffesjonal way to handle it is to say, just to let you know, the team felt they could make some positive amends to the work, and as such there may be a slight delay tonight,

But if they are working it now, will there be a delay?

I suspect you were put out for two reasons, they disparaged your work, and he gave you no credit for it.

If your email is professionally worded, I'd think nothing of it. If it was schoolgirl bitchy, yeah I'd think less of you.

Seaweed that's a very good point. I do mind him and look after his feelings too much. I'm not sure we have the most professional of relationships (nothing romantic or anything like that) because he has mentored me from the start and we have both moved up the 'ranks' together to the point that he is now CEO and I am years ahead of my career because as he has moved up, he's pulled me up behind him.

because he has mentored me from the start and we have both moved up the 'ranks' together to the point that he is now CEO and I am years ahead of my career because as he has moved up, he's pulled me up behind him

I get this, I've done it myself, and seen others do it. Sometimes it's about who likes you, but the wheels come off the bus if no one else does and start disparaging you to him.

So really this all comes down to who saw it and how you worded it.there is also a chance you may have embarrassed him if it looks to others like the relationship is closer than it should be, then he needs to drop you back.

So it's all about the phrasing and who saw it, I suspect it only takes one.

I don’t think you’ve done anything particularly wrong, other than maybe cause some friction but never mind. What’s done is done. When it blows over I’d apologise to those and explain.

FWIW I would have done what you did but only over phone call

Doesn’t sound like you’ve done anything wrong. They weren’t very professional and if they get annoyed they only have themselves to blame.

Thanks all - you're absolutely right about email. No one would ever check here but clearly mistakes can happen!

Normally I would ring but boss was in a series of big meetings all afternoon so wasn't possible. I did use the word snitch in the email, we don't use professional or formal language with one another so didn't even think, but understand that just by using it sort of suggests the email is wrong. A self fulfilling prophecy of sorts.

Looks like I've gotten away with it, but lesson definitely learned to check and double check first!