Have you ever called a colleague by the wrong name, tripped in the hallway or spilled coffee on your suit?
You can take solace in the fact that you're not alone.
We asked more than 1,300 senior managers to describe their most embarrassing moments on the job. Survey responses ran the gamut from funny faux pas to mortifying mishaps.
For example:
"I conducted a training session with my zipper down."
"While interviewing a job candidate, I fell asleep."
"I said something inappropriate about my boss and found out he was standing right behind me."
"I answered the phone using the wrong company name."
"I sent an offer letter to the wrong candidate."
"I called my boss 'my love' by complete accident."
As the anecdotes above prove, nobody is immune to the occasional office gaffe. The key is to understand how to rebound from blunders with poise and professionalism.
Here are some tips:
Stay calm, cool and collected
It's easy to become frazzled after realizing you've made a mistake. Instead of allowing your mind to run wild with worst-case, "what if" scenarios, take a moment to collect yourself. When your nerves are rattled, the first response that pops into your head may not be the most effective or appropriate. So, take a few deep breaths, maintain your composure and carefully think through your next step.
Face the music
Own up to your "oops" moments. For instance, let's say you're listening to some colleagues gripe about Jen from marketing, who unexpectedly walks by at the very second you weigh in with a critical comment of your own.
While you might be tempted to run from the building or hide in the bathroom until the workday ends, it's better to face the music and make amends. Pretending it didn't happen or avoiding the offended individual only amps up the awkwardness. You're eventually going to have to deal with the hurt feelings you've caused; it's smarter to do so sooner than later.
Say 'I'm sorry' with sincerity
The greatest form of damage control is an authentic apology. Taking responsibility and showing remorse and concern for those you've inconvenienced or insulted diffuses tension.
On the other hand, you'll dig yourself in deeper by making excuses, becoming defensive or playing the blame game. The same goes for feigning regret. When people are upset, they want to know you understand the seriousness of the slip-up and will take steps to ensure it won't happen again. Half-heartedly saying, "I'm sorry, but it's really not that big of a deal" or accusing the person of being oversensitive is guaranteed to generate additional ill will.
Use humor to your advantage
Many cringe-worthy goofs affect just one person: you. If you spill iced tea all over yourself during a meeting or send a silly but harmless e-mail to the wrong co-worker, have a sense of humor about the situation. Letting them know the joke is on you shows you don't take yourself too seriously.
In addition, being able to chuckle at yourself puts others at ease and gives them permission to enjoy an innocent laugh. Lightheartedness and a little vulnerability will make you more approachable to those you work with, too.
Move on
As author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau advised: "One cannot too soon forget his errors and misdemeanors; for to dwell upon them is to add to the offense." The point is that brooding over a misstep and over-apologizing doesn't help you or anyone else. In fact, letting yourself get distracted by something you can't change actually increases the chances you'll make another error.
Learn from your mistakes, rectify them to the best of your ability and then let them go. In most cases, the faster you regain your focus and get back on track, the less memorable the incident will be.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Most employees are not very loyal
Most employees are not very loyal!!!
Managers don't understand employee loyalty, or lack thereof.
If you've seen the recent reports that more employees are quitting their jobs as the economy improves, then hearing thatemployee loyalty nationwide is at a three-year low should be about as shocking as hearing that Charlie Sheen is getting a reality TV show.
I mean, we all saw this coming, right? (Well, maybe not all of us. See below.)
Recently, insurance and financial services firm MetLife released a new study indicating that not only is employee loyalty at its lowest point since 2008, but that some employers evidently aren't aware of this fact. According to the study, 47 percent of employees report feeling a very strong loyalty to their employers, while 51 percent of employers said they thought employees were very loyal.
You can read the details of the study here, but below are some of the larger implications that you as an employer need to consider:
Certain benefits matter more than you think: While employers are generally correct in thinking that salaries and wages are the biggest drivers of employee loyalty, many underestimate the role that retirement benefits and nonmedical benefits (such as disability and life insurance) play in employee satisfaction.
Benefits are only as good as how well you communicate them: Maybe it's not the lack of benefits that irks employees, but the lack of awareness. Another finding was that 55 percent of employees believe the communication they receive from their employers regarding benefits is unclear or too infrequent. If you're doing a poor job of communicating your employee benefits and how employees can take advantage of them, you might as well not offer them at all.
"Effective communications can make the difference between benefits that are understood and valued, and benefits that are overlooked and underutilized. Communicating effectively is related to improved benefits satisfaction, job satisfaction and loyalty," said MetLife's vice president of U.S. business, Dr. Ronald S. Leopold, in the press release.
It's time to get over your fear of social media: The survey shows that 70 percent of employers are leaning against the use of social media, but know this: There's a growing desire among Gen Y and Gen X employees to acquire benefits information through social networking sites, and a similar number want to get them through mobile devices, too.
Of course, none of this is to imply that your employees are dissatisfied or are among the 74 percent of workers who already have one foot out the door, but how do you know unless you ask?
If you take nothing else from this survey, let it serve as a reminder that you and your employees might not be on the same page in terms of what they want and what you're giving them. So take the hint and start checking in with your employees again -- conduct surveys, solicit feedback, ask for suggestions – and then actually use the information.
If you don't start meeting your employees halfway, it's only a matter of time before they find an employer who does.
For further reading on employee retention during times of economic uncertainty, check out Amy Chulik's recent post on the subject, Employee Morale is Not a Trend -- So Don't Treat It Like One.
Managers don't understand employee loyalty, or lack thereof.
If you've seen the recent reports that more employees are quitting their jobs as the economy improves, then hearing thatemployee loyalty nationwide is at a three-year low should be about as shocking as hearing that Charlie Sheen is getting a reality TV show.
I mean, we all saw this coming, right? (Well, maybe not all of us. See below.)
Recently, insurance and financial services firm MetLife released a new study indicating that not only is employee loyalty at its lowest point since 2008, but that some employers evidently aren't aware of this fact. According to the study, 47 percent of employees report feeling a very strong loyalty to their employers, while 51 percent of employers said they thought employees were very loyal.
You can read the details of the study here, but below are some of the larger implications that you as an employer need to consider:
Certain benefits matter more than you think: While employers are generally correct in thinking that salaries and wages are the biggest drivers of employee loyalty, many underestimate the role that retirement benefits and nonmedical benefits (such as disability and life insurance) play in employee satisfaction.
Benefits are only as good as how well you communicate them: Maybe it's not the lack of benefits that irks employees, but the lack of awareness. Another finding was that 55 percent of employees believe the communication they receive from their employers regarding benefits is unclear or too infrequent. If you're doing a poor job of communicating your employee benefits and how employees can take advantage of them, you might as well not offer them at all.
"Effective communications can make the difference between benefits that are understood and valued, and benefits that are overlooked and underutilized. Communicating effectively is related to improved benefits satisfaction, job satisfaction and loyalty," said MetLife's vice president of U.S. business, Dr. Ronald S. Leopold, in the press release.
It's time to get over your fear of social media: The survey shows that 70 percent of employers are leaning against the use of social media, but know this: There's a growing desire among Gen Y and Gen X employees to acquire benefits information through social networking sites, and a similar number want to get them through mobile devices, too.
Of course, none of this is to imply that your employees are dissatisfied or are among the 74 percent of workers who already have one foot out the door, but how do you know unless you ask?
If you take nothing else from this survey, let it serve as a reminder that you and your employees might not be on the same page in terms of what they want and what you're giving them. So take the hint and start checking in with your employees again -- conduct surveys, solicit feedback, ask for suggestions – and then actually use the information.
If you don't start meeting your employees halfway, it's only a matter of time before they find an employer who does.
For further reading on employee retention during times of economic uncertainty, check out Amy Chulik's recent post on the subject, Employee Morale is Not a Trend -- So Don't Treat It Like One.
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