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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:
Rinkydinkydoodle · 10/03/2023 21:58

Wonder-Bra strap gave way in a client meeting, audible snap. One high tit, one just chillin in her hammock🤣

Ladydinosaur · 10/03/2023 21:58

Once at work (Retail) I had a customer stood screaming at me over something I couldn’t sort out but she wouldn’t let me go get someone who could sort it out-I swear she was getting off on the fact I was helpless to help-cos let’s face it,I was ‘a fucking useless fat cunt’

id had enough-so turned to walk away from her (and to go find someone who could help) when my trousers-from fanjo to ankle,just split

i walking away with as much dignity as I could,one half of my trousers flapping like a flag,while she carried on shouting (with about 50 other people watching/waiting for their food)

thankfully my male manager sorted her out while I rang home to ask dp to run me a spare pair to work

did work out well in the end as someone put a lovely status on fb (my town has its own page) saying I was lovely and they hoped I was ok and that she should be ashamed of herself-over 100 people agreed and said I’m lovely and very good at my job

i cried my eyes out reading it

Coulddowithanap · 10/03/2023 21:59

Chap I work with asked for anal leave instead or annual leave on a work group chat.

NewShoesRub · 10/03/2023 22:04

Fell asleep on team Teams call. Camera on. Woke up when my head bobbed down.

New job, trying to make a good impression.

Mortified.

GoAgainstNicki · 10/03/2023 22:10

Coulddowithanap · 10/03/2023 21:59

Chap I work with asked for anal leave instead or annual leave on a work group chat.

Ffs😂

WhiteBricks · 10/03/2023 22:14

When temping in an office I once answered the phone and instead of asking if they were a current client, tripped over my words and asked if they were a cunt BlushBlush fortunately the caller was talking over me at that point so got away with it... Unfortunately the rest of the office heard!

78Summer · 10/03/2023 22:19

We had an announcement at work that the lifts were coming at the same time when the button was pressed. One poor soul wrote to the whole company ‘coming at the same time that is unusual’. Can only imagine how she felt.

lewiscapaldi · 10/03/2023 22:27

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 😂

Sorry but this does actually sound funny 🙈 As long as she was alright afterwards!

pankihanki · 10/03/2023 22:46

I was on an exhibition stand waiting for some very influential people (men) to come to our table. It was very cold so I had an unprofessional jumper on over my professional looking top.

When I saw them coming I took off my jumper and they came to our stand. In the middle of telling them all about our product I got a strange look from them and I realized I was in my bra. My shirt had come off with my jumper. CRINGE.

Mumoftwosweetboys · 10/03/2023 22:48

pankihanki · 10/03/2023 22:46

I was on an exhibition stand waiting for some very influential people (men) to come to our table. It was very cold so I had an unprofessional jumper on over my professional looking top.

When I saw them coming I took off my jumper and they came to our stand. In the middle of telling them all about our product I got a strange look from them and I realized I was in my bra. My shirt had come off with my jumper. CRINGE.

😂

Mumoftwosweetboys · 10/03/2023 22:50

I was replying to a client who had sent a photo of him in a suit wearing wellies at a farm. I'd intended to type "nice wellies" but without me realising it auto corrected to "nice willies". 😂

Jules912 · 10/03/2023 22:52

I work in IT and was sending an email about a hard disk failure to my manager and whole team, except disk autocorrected to dick.

Chooba · 10/03/2023 22:54

I've definitely sent an email about a pubic consultation instead of a public consultation before.

I still laugh about the time I found a dinner in a boss's diary and their assistant had written "brassiere" instead of "brasserie". Easy done but childish me enjoys it!

pankihanki · 10/03/2023 22:56

another one is not mine but an ex colleague nicknamed mousey. Mousey worked in IT and was awkward, geeky, lanky, and had big glasses he was constantly shoving back up his nose. He was harmless and I think he was a really lovely person but struggled socially.

Well for some reason at a big awards event he was asked to fill in at the last minute to do closing remarks. Still to this day have no idea why someone thought this was a good idea. Mousey got up on stage coughed into microphone and the piece of paper he was about to read from was violently shaking due to nerves. Mousey said ' I want to spank you all for coming'. He looked like a deer in the headlights, clearly this wasn't meant to be the end of the speech. Then he just walked off.

BlueChairs · 10/03/2023 23:00

I called my interviewers home town a shithole (obviously not knowing he was from there) during my job interview. Yes I know unprofessional but I was nervous.

I got the job. Even though it was a big jump from where I was. God knows what they were honking but I've had two promotions since under the same guy.

HoppingMarchHares · 10/03/2023 23:02

My uncle used to work for a company that serviced and repaired... something that I can't for the life of me remember what!... in commercial buildings. He was sent to a building as an emergency call out and accidently set the fire alarms off. This building was a crown court! Whole place was evacuated including the person who was on trial (crown court being for more series crimes like murder and rape)

WorkerBee83 · 10/03/2023 23:03

I sent an email to a client with the subject title :Regarding your accunt instead of account

ThreeblackCats · 10/03/2023 23:04

I worked 20 years in pharmacy. Only twice did I manage to add the water to a bottle of antibiotics powder and shake hard, for the lid to not be on properly!

Managed to drench myself from head to toe the second time but first time I also got it all over my very dour boss, expensive suit, silk tie, leather shoes all covered in sticky mess. He never did take to me.

BluebellBlueballs · 10/03/2023 23:06

WorkerBee83 · 10/03/2023 23:03

I sent an email to a client with the subject title :Regarding your accunt instead of account

I'm tempted to do that accidentally on purpose one time!

Awoooga · 10/03/2023 23:14

I called my boss Mum.

KimberleyClark · 10/03/2023 23:22

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

I have done this, they were very similar but with different height heels which made for a strange gait……

MavisMcMinty · 10/03/2023 23:23

I’ve always had small (but very nice) breasts, and didn’t really need to wear a bra when I was a young nurse/ward sister. One summer day, when it seemed every patient and visitor was outdoors in the sun, I was walking between wards when a winged insect landed on my uniform lapel. I went “ugh!” and tried to flick it off, but just flicked it right inside my uniform instead. I shrieked like a mad shrieky shrieker, doing a mad shrieky dance, and ripped open the press studs, exposing my small (but very nice) bare breasts to half the hospital, including the gorgeous porter I fancied so much.

Always wore a bra after that, although it never happened again.

MavisMcMinty · 10/03/2023 23:25

And tbh even if I’d been wearing a bra, it would probably still be the most embarrassing thing I ever did at work. Mainly because of that gorgeous porter.

BensonStabler · 10/03/2023 23:26

I once worked in a call centre for a vehicle emergency breakdown service, and had a man call in for assistance, but he was clearly sexually entertaining a much younger sounding female in the car, he was making creepy leud comments and overly keen noises to her when he thought I couldn’t hear. I took his details, told him the eta for help, thanked him and said goodbye.

The call had gone silent from then for a 20 seconds, and I said to my colleague next to me, Eww what a fucking creep! That guy I had on was an absolute pervert!! Then suddenly the man spoke up in my ear again saying “What did you just say about me?!” 😳 mortified i stayed silent now on mute, hoping he’d end the call, but never, he went on a raging rant and so I finally hung up on him. In my defence he really was horrendous and I had never nor since been one to talk shit about customers or end calls like that. I just wanted the world to swallow me up. lol 😂

NewJoolz · 10/03/2023 23:27

In the days before email I’ve typed and sent out a letter to a fairly important client, totally unaware when typing their address I’d missed the O from County Durham until it was too late! 🫣