Accidentally sent a work email to the wrong people, anxious

[ohnoohnooo]

I accidentally sent an email to the wrong people at work. It wasn't a particularly private/confidential email. I accidentally copied in the wrong distribution list, as it turns out that there are 2 distribution lists with the same words but written in a different order. (e.g. one is 'Project Name Company 2022' and the other is 'Company Project Name 2022'). The one I accidentally copied in (and have been copying in since I started working on the project) has the same members as the other distribution list, apart from it randomly has another department's distribution list included (I think mistakenly as I have no idea why they are including in the distribution list).

I had no idea that there were two distribution lists, or that I had been using the wrong one, or that this one had some additional members that shouldn't have been getting the emails. I obviously scanned the members of the distribution list before sending and it has all of the correct people, just an additional distribution list that I didn't notice or think anything of.

I have quite bad anxiety and am catastrophising

It doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world - people have done far far worse.

We all make mistakes. It sounds like this one is an easy mistake to make. Like it was designed to trick you!
If there was nothing confidential then it probably doesn't even matter!

Can you recall it? if not, a 'plz ignore, used wrong distribution list.'

I have quite bad anxiety and am catastrophising

You really are. This is such a non-event it doesn't even register. A quick please disregard message with an apology is all that's needed. No one will even care.

If as you say, it wasn’t confidential, at most you will probably just get some emails saying ‘not for me’ or asking to be taken off the mailing list for that particular item. Are all the recipients internal?

I’ve done similar with reporting at my work, and tbh I don’t think anyone even noticed except me.

Did you bcc?

It sounds to me like this is not your fault and is the fault of your line manager (or equivalent) who possibly made a very silly choice in naming them so similar, and also in not ensuring you were aware.

this isn't your fault at all I don't think. Don't let them blame you, you were not aware there were two lists. How exactly where you supposed to become aware of this if no one told you?

Pfft, I did that sort of thing all the time when I worked in an office.

I've done worse in fact. Human error. Try not to do it again. Apologise if needed and recall if possible.

I think that it was a correct distribution list, but maybe the old one that we no longer use as it has all of the correct people (including people who are new to the project) but just has an additional distribution group added in mistakenly. Surely the issue is more about who mistakenly added the additional distribution group in the first place

Yeah, a LOT LOT worse, involving seven figure sums.

Exactly, as you say, it's not down to you.

also, if you've got a list there with emails that is no longer used then it should be deleted and this should be identified during your data audit which is the responsibility of your data controller, appointed person to carry out the data audit.

🤭 oops! I quite want to know what you did? Could you fix it?

Do you know, I actually used my bad one as an example in a job interview later, as an example of how I resolved mistakes. They actually asked me had I ever made a mistake at work and how did I resolve it. So it's quite handy to have these examples actually

Try not to.worry, it's human error and sounds like an understandable mistake.
Just email people you sent it to in error and apologise/ tell them to ignore and then send it out to correct people.
Let your boss know and see if distribution lists can be renamed or if one can be deleted.