Work environments can be very competitive. And often, in our rush to impress, we may end putting our foot in the mouth. For instance, you may be only meaning to sound witty, but then your words come out wrong. It is too late to take them back, and you fumble through saying you meant it differently.
So, what should you do, when you have said something at work you should not have? How do you recover from the mishap?
Suvarna Sawant, Public Relations Manager at Scenic Communications, suggests that sometimes we may be caught in awkward situations at work when we have said something we should not have. She says, “Instead of biting your lips and playing the victim, it is better to be honest, and apologise immediately. It may sting a bit then, but your colleagues will appreciate your honesty.”
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Get Someone To Validate Your Honesty
After you have fumbled by saying something inappropriate before a manager or boss, it is better to some other colleague smoothening the ruffled feathers for you. Especially, when the boss does not know you too well yet. For instance, if you made a slip-up in front of the CEO, then get a close senior to explain your side to them. It not only reasserts that you made an honest mistake, but it also shows you went an extra step to rectify the situation.
Introspect To Avoid It In The Future
It is not necessary to go on a long guilt trip, but you should take some time to understand what went wrong, and how you can avoid such an embarrassing situation the next time. For instance, it is fine to have a random ‘off day’ when you said something harsh to a colleague in front of everyone. But if you think you should prevent it from becoming a pattern, then you should introspect on what went wrong.
Don’t Overthink
Typically, we play these conversations repeatedly in our heads. We imagine the different things we should have said. But, its fine to make a mistake sometimes. Don’t overstress yourself about it. After all, it is your work which should speak for itself, and a moment of awkwardness should not take away your credit from the work.
So, if you are ever caught in an office mishap, these approaches will help you recover from it.
