To ask you how I should handle this work meeting?

[GreyBlanket21]

I'm worried about a meeting I've got later today. I've made a few errors this week at work. If I'm honest I've been struggling to focus and just feel like I have work coming out of my ears at the moment and have made stupid mistakes.

Anyway, I have a meeting booked in with my manager and somebody else higher up in the company re the mistakes I've made this week.

I'm feeling really shit about it and I've not stopped worrying about it since I found out. I feel really anxious.

How can I handle this?

Just stay calm, own up completely to the mistakes and apologise, and take it as an opportunity to explain that you've been feeling overwhelmed and struggling.

If they're half-decent managers, they will understand that the current situation is putting people under extraordinary pressure, and will want to support you rather than castigating you.

Hope it goes well

1. Be honest and identify where the mistake were (on your side)
2. Ask yourself the reasons why you made the mistakes (and it is normal - we ALL make mistakes!)
3. Ask yourself what you need to make sure that you do not make the same mistakes again (THAT is a key learning - as mentioned, making mistakes is human; repeating mistake.. not so good!)
4. Go into the meeting ready to learn, do not be defensive, and take with you notes from the above. This is what happened, this is why, this is where I need help to improve, and this is what I am requesting from you to help me (e.g. reduced load, support, training etc.)
5. Take the good as well - from your note, HR are not involved. If there was a serious action to be taken, normally HR would be present as well. This looks to be the sort of thing where they are "expressing concern"....

Fingers crossed - and good luck!

@sadpapercourtesan Thank you. Yeah I am just going to be really honest, this is so unlike me I'm usually on form all the time and rarely make mistakes so I am really kicking myself

Be honest about why the mistakes happened. Apologise for them. It would help if you could go into the meeting with any constructive tactics to stop them happening again. Whether that is something you can do, or whether it is something they can do, it will help if your employers know that there is a way to mitigate the mistakes happening in the future.

Sounds really stressful, can understand why you’re anxious.

I would say don’t be defensive about the mistakes, be open that you’ve made them and explain like you have here that you’re completely overwhelmed with the workload.

Can you go prepared with any suggestions of how things could be improved? Are there any aspects of your work that could be shared between other people? Anything you’ve taken on that shouldn’t really be within your role?

Hope it goes okay.

Go to the meeting with ideas about what support you could be given to avoid the mistakes in future - for instance, are all your deadlines coming at once? Could some of your work be re-prioritized or delegated? Is there any training that you feel might help?

If there's anything you have already put in place to avoid this happening again, make sure you highlight this.

You need to acknowledge the mistakes and be as pro-active as you can in addressing the problem.

Hoping the meeting goes well and that you get the support you need.

Is it definitely about the mistakes? Could it be about something else? If it is about the mistakes, just be honest about them and if you can, think of any measures to prevent them happening again. Good luck!

if you can give a review of why the mistakes happened and what steps you have put in place to prevent them happening again, that will help a lot.

If the mistakes have happened because of something out of your control, you need to point it out in a way that doesn't throw somebody under the bus or sound like whining.

Good luck!

Mistakes happen. We are humans not robots.

I would be considering what I could do to spot and stop the mistakes. EG control cells/formulas in spreadsheets to total up payments, spell checking, or even a simple ticklist you fill out to confirm you’ve done every check you need to to catch the mistakes.

Basically show you are learning from the mistakes and are self managing yourself to stop them happening again.

I’d be honest too. Own up to it, and have ideas to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Be honest about how you’re feeling. I’d also remind them that it’s really unlike you to do this- something like “I pride myself on accuracy and am upset that this has happened- it’s so unlike me”.

@GreyBlanket21 how did it go?