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Original poster

Had an embarrassing moment in a new job

71 replies

fuckoffjournalists · 16/01/2022 18:01

Had an embarrassing moment in a new job and I can’t stop beating myself up about it. Essentially I conveyed the wrong message from the big boss as a no to a more experienced established colleague who was quite disappointed by it, talked it through with them and then found out I had completely misunderstood, it wasn’t a no at all. Please share your most memorable embarrassing moments so I can get a grip and stop beating myself up about what an idiot I looked 😣.

OP posts:
Warszawa · 16/01/2022 18:26

Not in a new job but I accidentally sent a question about my pension to everyone in the company (10k people) everyone who responded copied in the group inbox as well so for months and months I was getting notifications from people who were out of the office etc after I'd recalled the email.

I also had a lot of people come over to me and offer pension advice so it wasn't all bad haha

BigYellowHat · 16/01/2022 18:43

I once added an entire mailing list onto my Teams invite by mistake, meaning about 150 extra people got invited to an educational session half way through it. Weirdly, loads of people turned up 😂 The host was very confused, I just feigned ignorance and shooed as many people away as I could (yet they still kept arriving) ‘was this invite for me’??
No Joan, no it wasn’t!!

WhatWouldKalindaDo · 16/01/2022 18:57

I'm a veterinary nurse who once left a thermometer up a dogs bum, then sent it home.

I'm not sure you can beat that OP! Grin

Please try not to worry, we all make mistakes, especially in a new job.

JillFromHolt · 16/01/2022 19:00

I fainted into my bosses arms on my first day at a new job. Now that was embarrassing!

People don't expect you to know everything about a job when you first start, I wouldn't beat yourself up about it

LakieLady · 16/01/2022 19:11

I'd been working at my current employer for about 10 days when the toilet door shut as I was leaving it. I was wearing a thin summer skirt, and as I walked away I heard it rip where it had caught in the door.

My arse and knickers were on display as I tried to extract my skirt from the door, and I had to walk back to my office clutching it awkwardly. Luckily, I only live a mile away and my car was in the car park, so I explained to my boss who, after pissing herself laughing, was more than happy for me to pop home and change.

I think only about 6 people saw me, and most of them have left now, but it still gives me the heebies.

user1641832968632486258 · 16/01/2022 19:18

That doesn't sound particularly bad to me. I doubt anyone else would be giving it a second thought.

nimbus5000 · 16/01/2022 19:19

When I was opening the office post in my first job, I failed to realise I had opened up a staff members payslip until I looked more closely. I quickly folded it back up and put it with the other unopened ones. Another girl in the office took the payslip pile and began handing them round and then I heard “Angela yours has already been opened” and gasps of horror. I went bright red and ran to the loos. Came back to the drama of Angela on the phone to the personnel team demanding to know why her payslip had arrived opened

Xmassprout · 16/01/2022 19:20

Had to call in sick on my first day, bloody covid Blush

thequeenoftarts · 16/01/2022 19:21

@WhatWouldKalindaDo

I'm a veterinary nurse who once left a thermometer up a dogs bum, then sent it home.

I'm not sure you can beat that OP! Grin

Please try not to worry, we all make mistakes, especially in a new job.

hahahaha
TragoCardboardCopper · 16/01/2022 19:28

I fell up the stairs at work. Ended up flat on my face on the landing.

I thought 'thank god no one saw that!' just as 3 senior managers walked through the door in front of me.

I was reasonably well known (although quite junior) so no hope of just being in their heads as 'a brunette woman'. It was definitely a case of 'why the hell is trago lying on the floor?!'

butterflyfox · 16/01/2022 20:03

I was in the process of firing a complicated person. I wrote to my boss about it “ why is mr smith such a so and so” and instead of putting Mr Smiths name in the subject line I put him in cc Oh god. Years ago. Still feel sick about it. Everyone was v understanding (with the possible exception of Mr Smith). Important thing is to take the learning. I have Never Done It Again.

Autismandgin · 16/01/2022 20:11

There was a little spark between me and a colleague. And once he sat next to me while I showed him something on my screen….

It was pretty obvious we liked each other. But we never mentioned it / spoke about ever.

Anyway, I typed in my login details for something and accidentally typed my first name and his surname - it was like if I had been daydreaming about marrying him (I hadn’t!).

He blushed. I quickly deleted the whole thing. I blushed. We both laughed. God it was awful!!

But then - my trousers split open AT THE FRONT!

I do not know how I survived at work that day and probably half the reason why I left Blush

PomegranateSeed · 16/01/2022 20:22

I once wore a new dress to work. The stitching that fastened the top to the skirt completely unravelled. I had no choice but to bodge it by stapling it together and shoving my jacket over the top.

Another time, I walked the whole length of the building and upstairs after coming out of the loo. A colleague came over and whispered that my dress was tucked in my knickers. I was wearing lacy french ones that day.

chaosrabbitland · 16/01/2022 20:26

@WhatWouldKalindaDo

I'm a veterinary nurse who once left a thermometer up a dogs bum, then sent it home.

I'm not sure you can beat that OP! Grin

Please try not to worry, we all make mistakes, especially in a new job.

this is priceless , i dont think anyone can beat that one lol
Pleaseuniverseplease · 16/01/2022 20:30

I went to the kitchen to make everyone hot drinks and I added salt instead of sugar to the drinks.

MsIreneWinters · 16/01/2022 20:32

I was working for one of the senior directors. On my first day he put his head round my door and said "coffee?". I replied, "yes please, white no sugar". It took me about 10 minutes to work out he was asking me to make one for himBlush
To be fair he did bring me my drink though!

Forgothowmuchlhatehomeschoolin · 16/01/2022 20:32

I had only been in the job a little while and had an overwhelming urge to sneeze. But as l did so, l bashed my head on my computer monitor which hurt so much it made me cry. Not a crier usually but my gosh it hurt!! Office mostly of men who were too busy laughing to see if l was OK.

Original poster
fuckoffjournalists · 16/01/2022 20:40

Thanks, it’s good to share the cringe, my rational brain knows it could be worse, some of these are so funny and painful!

OP posts:
NamelessBaby1 · 16/01/2022 20:41

@TragoCardboardCopper

I fell up the stairs at work. Ended up flat on my face on the landing.

I thought 'thank god no one saw that!' just as 3 senior managers walked through the door in front of me.

I was reasonably well known (although quite junior) so no hope of just being in their heads as 'a brunette woman'. It was definitely a case of 'why the hell is trago lying on the floor?!'

I did this too, haha. Only was heading downstairs with a couple of colleagues, and my heel got caught in the back of the stairs so I toppled straight forward and slid down to the landing. It was absolutely mortifying, and I'd really hurt my leg, but just tried to laugh it off and not make a big deal of it!! Felt like I had a notch in my leg bone for months , and never wore heels that high again!
Nandocushion · 16/01/2022 20:43

@Autismandgin

There was a little spark between me and a colleague. And once he sat next to me while I showed him something on my screen….

It was pretty obvious we liked each other. But we never mentioned it / spoke about ever.

Anyway, I typed in my login details for something and accidentally typed my first name and his surname - it was like if I had been daydreaming about marrying him (I hadn’t!).

He blushed. I quickly deleted the whole thing. I blushed. We both laughed. God it was awful!!

But then - my trousers split open AT THE FRONT!

I do not know how I survived at work that day and probably half the reason why I left Blush

This is just so funny. Your trousers split open right then and there??
NamelessBaby1 · 16/01/2022 20:44

Also remembered another one - I usually keep a cardigan over the back of my chair, and hadn't realised one day it had managed to get tucked into the back of my skirt, so managed to walk all the way through my floor, downstairs, and out to the front door before realising I was walking with a cardigan tail trailing on the ground behind me. Definitely glad I'm working from home now so don't need to worry about wardrobe issues anymore lol!

winterchills · 16/01/2022 20:54

@WhatWouldKalindaDo yours is definitely my favourite 🤣🤣🤣

Autismandgin · 16/01/2022 20:59

@Nandocushion yep. I had put on a little bit of weight and had some lightweight trousers from Next with a faux front fly. Actually it was just a lightly switched together piece of fabric. (They had an elasticated waist) and I shuffled on my chair and they ripped / tore / popped open.

I just remember panicking and tugging down my top to cover up.

My knickers were plain black thank goodness 😅 I feel a little nauseous remembering the embarrassment.

mrsbyers · 16/01/2022 22:48

I went into the toilet cubicle and instead of pulling down my trousers I managed to pull off my very full stoma bag and launch the contents all over the cubicle plus the feet of a colleague in a neighbouring one

halloweenie13 · 16/01/2022 22:53

I started a new remote working projects officer role last week and I had been scheduled in sporadically to have zoom intros with my new colleagues, around line manager catchups and my own e learning. One lovely lady, who would be a main line admin support for myself was trying to update me on all the database materials and upcoming project changes and get to know me. In the middle of it I developed a cough that wasn't going away and was practically choking even with water, eventually we had to end the call...so embarrassing!