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Original poster

To ask for your embarrassing work stories

132 replies

cringingatmyself · 10/03/2023 20:57

I'm currently a deep shade of beetroot as I've noticed a major typo in an announcement email I've sent at work to a few hundred different people. I've somehow put someone's surname as a completely different name. Think 'Simon Smart' but I've written 'Simon Simpson' . No idea where that even came from!

I know it's absolutely not the end of the world and no has died but I just had that moment where you spot it and your stomach drops and you start to feel hot and panicky 😂😰

Can you please share your embarrassing work moments to help me stop hyperventilating - and more so to give us all a laugh/moment of solidarity, as I love these threads and they make me feel more human!

OP posts:
Summersend · 10/03/2023 21:17

on a live call back in 2007 with 800 people when we were snowed in, and DC age 2 told them all they needed a poo. I did NOT respond to ‘who was that’

doingitforyorkshire · 10/03/2023 21:18

Whilst the boss was out, the whole office was talking about the possible re-location of the department. The boss returned as the conversation was ending and asked what we thought in passing conversation, I told him we had a mass debate over it.
The whole office erupted hysterically laughing at me, and I was left puzzled at what was so funny, Once everyone calmed their laughter, it eventually dawned on me what I had said and I spent the following ten minutes laughing at myself!

Ludo19 · 10/03/2023 21:20

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 10/03/2023 21:17

It’s not an innuendo though is it, presumably you meant watersports in the traditional sense? The fact he automatically thought of a kink makes him a bit creepy in my eyes.

Which reminds me - someone asked me once at work what I did at the weekend and I said I had a lovely facial. Two of the blokes laughed, I didn’t know the joke and it had to be explained, and it just pissed me off that that’s what people jump to. Like particularly annoying teenage boys.

Show quote history

Of course I meant water ski-ing but I must've looked mortified at saying that and he obviously picked up on it.

I do know what you mean but I can see why your male co workers laughed doesn't make anyone creepy or pervy.

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 10/03/2023 21:20

Oh and one job on my first day, the supervisor climbed on a desk to open a window. She opened it onto her head. I laughed, because clearly I’m a fucking socially awkward idiot. I’m the only one who did, she really hurt herself and was bleeding so badly someone called an ambulance. I still cringe when I think back to that. I just remember her telling me to stop apologising Blush

It’s probably I good job I work from home full time now 😂

EstherHazy · 10/03/2023 21:21

Thought of another one. Had job interview 2 years ago and it was super icy and I fell over on the way in to the building so spent the whole time with a massively wet arse. The interview was half a day long because the job involved looking after the heritage building so there was a massive tour of the grounds and all the rooms of this massive country house and all the time I was like 'after you...' at every turn, and the wet made me seriously need the loo all the time.

Didn't get the job, unsurprisingly!

Changedname81 · 10/03/2023 21:22

ended an email with “king ret*rds” rather than kind regards - it was to a client of ten years who I had great relationship and rapport with… but nonetheless I was mortified

TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl · 10/03/2023 21:25

Changedname81 · 10/03/2023 21:22

ended an email with “king ret*rds” rather than kind regards - it was to a client of ten years who I had great relationship and rapport with… but nonetheless I was mortified

Yep done this. G and T are very close together on a keyboard

Bluea · 10/03/2023 21:26

Went to work with two different shoes, wasn't even me who realised. It was the managing director, who cried laughing and ripped the shit out of me for about a year Blush

Sunset6 · 10/03/2023 21:27

In my job as a trade journalist I once attended a drinks reception at parliament hosted by quite a senior cabinet minister. Unfortunately I had not really researched the event in advance and did not know this politician was the host, so when he started talking to me I didn’t clock who he was and assumed he was a civil servant. 5 minutes into the conversation I basically said ‘what exactly do you do?’ and he looked at me aghast and said ‘I’m the secretary of state’ and then walked off. I was mortified and it still makes me cringe years later

DuckDuckNo · 10/03/2023 21:27

Not me but a coworker last summer. We had a hybrid meeting with 100+ in a lecture hall, maybe 50+ online via Zoom. She hadn't realised her camera was on and she took her top completely off to pump. I'm sure only a few of us would have noticed but the person with the mic said awkwardly, "and there's Brianna with her top off..."

EstherHazy · 10/03/2023 21:30

@TheObstinateHeadstrongGirl there's a significant generation for whom 'water sports' has a double meaning. As a major Alan Partridge fan back in the day I can't hear the phrase without the second connotation just because of him alone!

Wine4whine · 10/03/2023 21:34

I was booking a ferry and read out the number plate phonetically as I did on an almost daily basis....except this time instead of saying "y for Yankee" I said "Y for Wanky"

I have never lived it down

EstherHazy · 10/03/2023 21:34

@Bluea did this myself (thankfully not a work day hehe) and it took til a waiter pointed it out in evening for anyone to say anything. Nice to find a kindred spirit! :)

MrsMoastyToasty · 10/03/2023 21:37

Returned to a meeting after a loo break with my skirt tucked in mygranny knickers.

BourbonBon · 10/03/2023 21:39

I had a client called “David Kay”

I called him Peter Kay (twice) and even wrote it in an email with my boss copied in.

Lovelyring · 10/03/2023 21:42

My work trousers split completely around the crotch. Like, so badly it was split in two from the front waistband to the back waistband.

I didn't stand up for the rest of the day and went home on the bus with my jacket around my waist covering my bum and cardi around my waist covering the front.

speciall · 10/03/2023 21:43

I did ask new parents for death certificate of the child rather than birth certificate. I wanted to die here and there. It was very embarrassing and emotional. I have children so I couldn't imagine how they must have felt in that moment. I registered a death prior to that appointment.

lovetowin · 10/03/2023 21:44

OldTinHat · 10/03/2023 21:16

When I was 19 I had a job involving the public. A used panty liner which had somehow gone through the wash emerged from the sleeve of my cardigan just as I was serving someone...

Grin
Rattymare · 10/03/2023 21:45

When working in a factory with over 100 employees. I called out over the tannoy that there was a telephone call for Huw Jardon.
Not just once but 3 times.

movetoosoon · 10/03/2023 21:47

I once was trying to show a young member of staff an old theme tune for a tv show. It blasted out of my speakers instead of the headphones and I couldn't turn it down. Whole office turned to look

Trialnerror · 10/03/2023 21:47

sent a Valentine message to our IT guy couple of weeks ago by accident instead of who i intended to send it too . I have been mortified since . He never mentioned it thank god .

got out of my car in front of reception of work in the wind about 24 years ago wearing a long floaty skirt and wind whipped if right up and i displayed my knickers to a bus ful of tour visitors .

in my first job got drunk at the Christmas party in the office , vomited in a bucket and was told to clean it up next day when I got in. I was only 19 in my defence .

ApocalypseNowt · 10/03/2023 21:49

Thought I was alone in the office so did a massive stinky fart in the small, windowless printer room.

Came out and saw a colleague heading directly towards printer room. As it was someone I was quite friendly with I decided to style it out. I gestured over my shoulder and told them "Don't go in - I've just cracked a rat in there".

Lovelyring · 10/03/2023 21:50

Rattymare · 10/03/2023 21:45

When working in a factory with over 100 employees. I called out over the tannoy that there was a telephone call for Huw Jardon.
Not just once but 3 times.

I don't think this would work in my accent. I had to really think about what you meant because Huge Hard-on to me doesn't sound at all the same as Huw Jardon. I'd automatically pronounce Jardon a bit like Jardin in French but with an o! The emphasis is in a different place for me too.

HeyMicky · 10/03/2023 21:54

Mixed up my personal Facebook account and the Sky account during the Leveson Inquiry and publicly described Murdoch on the corporate account of looking like Mr Burns, and James as looking like Smithers

Bogiesaremyonlyfriend · 10/03/2023 21:57

I once wrote in a report about a child with autism "he spun around while looking a tit" instead of he spun around while looking at it". Felt terrible!

Also started to moan about work people while waiting for a meeting to start, only for one to tell me I wasn't on mute....