Mortifying incident at work today - help!

[LeevMarie]

OK, I'll have to be a little careful here in case it's outing. . .

Large Teams call today with whole department. At the end of the call, everyone starts saying bye and I'm sitting in the living room with my husband when I make a remark to him about the person leading the meeting (who just happens to be a senior leader . . .). What I said wasn't very polite, but not necessarily unpleasant. I said something along the lines of, 'politicians answers' and laughed a little.

Immediately I realise that I'm not on mute. I'm horrified.

DH thinks I can legitimately claim that this was not directed at the person speaking, but I think I need to own up.

WWYD:
YABU - Ignore and hope nobody has heard
YANBU - Own the faux pas, speak to the person I directed the comment at.

Please feel free to tell me your Teams indiscretions to make me feel better if you like!

Do nothing, say nothing. Absolutely do not draw attention to it, especially not in such a way as makes clear it was you. If pressed (and only if) use the plausible lie it was a response to your DH coming in as your meeting ended saying something about Hat Mancock.

(Sometimes those illuminated squares light up when someone else is talking because there is a louder noise in another participant’s room.)

Thanks everyone! Starting to chill a bit now after reading these responses. ❤

Pretend it never happened. If someone brings it up, say you thought you'd already left the meeting and were talking to your dh about cruella braverman/matt hanCOCK.

I can’t believe the pearl clutching about husbands in the room. Does no one share a home office? My partner and I do nothing but hear each other’s calls (and usually he’s in a different room).

Oh my actual god I think I’d have simply passed away on the spot 🫣😂

re. The op’s issue - it’s never going to come up but have your scenario prepared just in case.

I think @JustKeepSlimming had quite a convincing cover story. Especially as her husband helpfully pretended to choke. Too melodramatic for him not to have been joking.

Thanks. I was impressed with my own quick thinking! 😂

Don't say anything.

Your comment could have been about anything.

If someone raises it, say you got a message and just read the title out loud - sorry I didn't think and wasn't on mute 😬

Don’t worry about it OP! It may feel awful and mortifying for you but from an outsiders perspective it’s nothing major at all. You haven’t done anything that would be considered misconduct.

Im pretty sure no one will pull you up on this. (And if they do, just act confused and say “must have been speaking about the radio/tv with my husband”)

I was once in a teams meeting (that I really didn’t want to be in) usually have my mic muted and camera off but both were on and I was sat doing the biggest eye rolls and sighs ever. I wasn’t pulled up on it although my colleague sent me a private message telling me to stop with lots of laughing emojis 😂

@LeFeu

I heard hundreds of work calls/team's meetings when dp worked at home. We're in a tiny rental with one sofa. Not everyone has multiple areas to work

Ploy twist. The BiL is the company's CEO!

*plot

You were talking about Kier Starmers interview on MN.

Not everyone has somewhere private to work. We have a one bedroom flat and I work in the living room so other than make DH sit in the garden when I'm on a call there's not a lot I can do. If work want me to take calls in private they can let me go into the office 5 days a week!

@JustKeepSlimming Oh my god I’m actually crying laughing at your story, you’ve made my day! Thank you 😂

@LeevMarie Just keep quiet, it’s done. You probably said what others in the meeting were thinking! If the senior leader heard it and brings it up then is the time to fess up, apologise profusely and explain you were frustrated at the information given in the meeting and say what you were hoping to hear - turn it around into something constructive.

Yup

Never explain, never complain

QE2 serves you well

Not quite the same, but when I was pregnant I thought I was messaging one person on the call to say I was hot, fat and constantly on the toilet (they did ask!) but it went to the main chat. How we laughed.

And those fussing about working together, not everyone has a commercially sensitive/confidential job. Me, my sister and dad often work around a table together. It's really nice.

Yes, this.

In 24 hours it will have been forgotten.

What's audible to you (knowing what you said) isn't as audible to people watching a teams recording (does anyone bother?) or in the meeting at the time!

It could be worse, he could have slapped you round the face with his penis which apparently happened in early lockdown or as I did - walked down the stairs naked as the day I was born when DP had moved to a slightly different angle in the dining room. I have no idea if they saw me and I don't want to know!

Not quite a Teams Meetings disaster but my boss and I once had a phone call (it was just after I had resigned and he was really annoyed with me) and he basically changed all the time lines on all my work and had been a real dick about it. I was rather restrained despite wanting to let rip at him… and just said ‘ok bye then’. I took my phone from my ear and saw my husband was calling me, and pressed what I thought was ‘end call and answer’ and ranted ‘’boss’ is such a f-ing wanker, you’ll never believe what he has done, I’m so angry’’. My boss replied ‘I’m sorry you feel that way’
I was so confused… and then realised I had actually pressed ‘reject and continue call’ and had said this to my boss who hadn’t yet put down the phone.
i genuinely sat glued to my seat in shock and worry….. but we never spoke again. We just emailed. he never mentioned it after that day and I left the job 3 weeks later. Never forgotten it and now am fastidious about checking my phone is off when I am finishing a call.

DH did exactly this during lockdown too 🙈.

A senior director made a snide (but appropriate and deserved) comment about her senior in a teams call I was on a year ago. Everyone pretended they didn’t hear but it was majestic and still makes me smile. Style it out (unless it was recorded) say they must have misheard.

I think you should just keep quiet. Let’s face it, if you said it, everybody else was probably thinking the same - so if most people heard, they are probably in silent agreement.

If the person to whom it was directed heard it, and raises it with you, I’d try and be politely honest with them - constructive feedback is useful. I don’t think you should make an excuse, they might not believe you !

This is one of those things that risks becoming a big thing in your head, but is quickly forgotten by everybody else - don’t worry.