Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at work?

[Peepa]

I was thinking about the mistakes I've made at work and how I stress over them, but in hindsight, weren't that big a deal. Thought it'd be fun to share.
I'll start, a few years ago, I was supposed to send out a mass email out to our customers, but instead sent it to the program mgr to ask if the email looked okay and when she wanted it sent. Tried to recall that email, but with no luck.
Why can't we take back an email that we sent, regardless of if that person read it or not?
You know, like a nevermind, you do not need to read this and even if you did, I'm getting a do-over button.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

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[MichelleCarmen]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

.

 

[geckodani]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

The funniest one I've ever done was space out and page myself over the building intercom.

 

[princesss]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

I think I've posted this here before, but it's funny enough that I might as well post it again!

I used to work in a call center (for the same company I work for now). Of course, we weren't supposed to call it a call center, but that's what it was. So you know how when you spell things out over the phone, some letters sound really similar, so you use words? Like "That's B for boy, A for apple, N for Nancy, D for dog"? Well, I was so bored at the job that I would set myself challenges. One day I could only spell things using plants. One day I had to use words that started with silent letters ("G for gnu" and "P for pterodactyl" being my favourites). One day I could only use mens names. "B for Bob, A for Adam, N for Ned, D for...." Well, we'll go with Richard. D for Richard. It didn't even occur to me to use "David" "Donald" or anything like that. It's been almost 3 years and my friends STILL won't let me live it down. They all started howling with laughter, and I turned BRIGHT red. It was awful.

 

[Bleed Burnt Orange]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

I accidentally replied to my boss in all caps about "WHY I HATE THIS JOB!!!!!!" instead of forwarding my boss' response to my co-worker! I immediately went down to his office to discuss that I was having a bad day! Luckily my boss is cool.

I've also thrown up in front of my boss!

 

[mayerling]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

I once went to my boss and told her there must be something wrong with my key because I couldn't get through the door to my office (she had a key to the office). She came out to try and open it for me and we discovered the key turns the other way

 

[somethingshiny]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

I couldn't get to a patient because a giant spider was blocking my path. We all just had to wait it out. There was lots of screaming and jumping.

A patient talked to me with his fly hanging open. When I told him (because I always tell) he grinned and said "I know."

I had a boss who would lean over on his chair to fart. In front of everyone. I was embarrassed for all of us!

I once answered the phone and gave my name as Mary. That's not my name but I happened to be looking at a co-worker named Mary when I answered the phone.

I put lenses in eyeglasses and dispensed them to a patient. He said he was having a hard time seeing, I told him he'd get used to it. A couple days later he came in and I discovered that I had put the lenses in wrong. I fixed them and gave them back. He was happy and I never told another living soul.

I had explosive diarrhea at my office due to food poisoning from lunch. Humiliating.

I wore a pale yellow shirt to work one day. I wasn't paying attention to what bra I had on. They called me Cheetah for a long time.


When I worked in a jewelry factory, I was helping out on the floor. I usually worked at a desk. But I was cleaning some rings and somehow lost a bunch of diamonds out of one, including a 1 ct diamond! I had to drain the tank and have half a dozen people help me find the damn thing. I wasn't asked to help out again.

Yeah, you know you wish I was on your team!

 

[Haven]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

These are great.

My first week as a high school teacher I found myself in the copy room with a good looking young history teacher. I introduced myself, and when I learned that his name was "Serry" I said "Oh, that's so interesting. What is the origin of your name?" His reply: "Well, I have 11 siblings and my parents gave us all names that rhyme. My brothers and sisters are Merry, Terry, Lerry, Beri, Keri . . . " and he continued to rattle off 11 bizarre sounding names.

WELL, I heard that he was a jokester, so I thought he was kidding around and I responded by laughing quite enthusiastically and saying "That's a good one! I love it."

His reply: "Um, no, those are my siblings' names. I wasn't joking."

I muttered a shamefaced apology, grabbed my un-copied papers,left the copy room, and managed to avoid him for the three years that followed.

 

[iugurl]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

I once answered the phone and gave my name as Mary. That's not my name but I happened to be looking at a co-worker named Mary when I answered the phone.

That is so something I would do! I am so horrible about doing similar things. For example, I will text husband while sitting next to him, but really mean to text my friend. Or call my husband when I am staring at him, meaning to call my friend/mom whatever.

 

[Lauren8211]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

When I was a receptionist about five years ago, I was constantly having to send emails out to the entire office. I had to send one quickly for whatever reason, and spelled my own name wrong.

For the next year, they kept asking about Lauren's evil twin "Luarne"

...whoops!

 

[partgypsy]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

This is more of a co-worker story than a workplace story and a number of years ago but here goes.

I had a coworker who I was good friends, but he always tried to play practical jokes on me. One of his favorite was to place condiment usually ketchup) packets near my rolling chair in the hopes I would accidently roll over them, but I always managed to catch them before they did any harm. One day I was especially distracted and in a hurry because I was going to the bank to sign the mortgage for our new house! My husband picks me up. While we are riding in a glass elevator to the floor where the bank representative is, my husband says what the h*ll happened to your pants? Needless to say the ketchup had shot all the way up the side of my pants, and I was wearing off white pants. Yes I swore a little at the time but the memory still makes me laugh. He got me, got me good that time.

 

[JewelFreak]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

The funniest one I've ever done was space out and page myself over the building intercom.

Hilarious! I would do that.

On the first day of my first business trip to Japan, I had a case of terminal nerves (plus jet lag) -- didn't know anyone, determined to seem a pro to some pretty condescending-to-women guys, all that stuff.

One of the Japanese employees in our Tokyo office took me to a sushi bar for lunch. Trying awkwardly to make pleasant conversation w/somebody whose English wasn't much better than my Japanese (non-existent). I had used chopsticks for years but at that moment it all came apart. Dipped my shashimi in soy sauce & lost it on the way to my mouth. It landed, all gooey, not in my lap, but in HIS!

I can still see that poor guy gingerly picking up my limp piece of raw fish off his knee, smiling politely as he gazed at the big brown stain it left.

--- Laurie

 

[zoebartlett]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

These are really funny.

I used to work in an office setting, and as an admin. asst., one of my duties was to print out my boss' e-mails and give them to a coworker to go through and take care of in our boss' absence. Well,when I went into her office to do this, I didn't realize that my boss had her sent box open, not her inbox. She had apparently just sent HER boss a spreadsheet with all of my dept's salary info. in it. I didn't realize that's what it was because I didn't read through the emails, I just printed them out.

I gave the pile of printed e-mails to my coworker to look through. A little while later, I heard her swear and she ran to my cube and berated me. A few days later, my boss came back, found out, and chewed me out. It was an honest mistake, but a big one. In my attempt to respect my boss' privacy and not read her e-mails, I ended up giving a co-worker very private information without realizing it.

 

[shihtzulover]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

It was my responsibility to set up this huge quarterly meeting at a relatively new job, and it was the first time that I had ever scheduled one. I was asked to create the meeting in Outlook, and to send the request to everyone who was invited. It all went smoothly, until I was asked to invite someone else a few days later. I just wanted to send the invite to her, and like I said, I had never done this before, so I deleted everyone else off the list and put her in, thinking that it would just send the new invitation to her - I didn't want to waste anyone's time with an unnecessary update. Instead though, it sent everyone else a cancellation! I now realize what I did wrong, but at the time, I had no idea. I didn't even know what had happened until a coworker asked me about it an hour or so later. I invited everyone again, so it sent them another update, but I had a really mean boss at the time, and I was so scared that she was going to be really mad about it. I also had to hope and pray that everyone saw the last email, and that they all showed up - because it was absolutely required that they be there, and most of the invitees were doctors - it was really difficult to reach them sometimes, AND some of them often became aggravated when I kept bothering them.

 

[canuk-gal]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

HI:

One of my very personable colleagues just happen to mention in passing how he'd gotten thru a large workload before noon--and I commented politely on his "Superman" abilities. He then offered he knew another colleague who was able to manage such feats of efficiency and even improve--I subsequently replied that the only reason the other colleague could do so was b/c of his "youth". He told me, without smiling, they were the same age. I apologized, but clearly there was nothing I could say. I was mortified to have caused any offense--and my friend teases me now whenever she gets the opportunity.

Note to self--never comment on age or pregnancy status. No matter how innocent it may seem!

cheers--Sharon

 

[zoebartlett]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

It was my responsibility to set up this huge quarterly meeting at a relatively new job, and it was the first time that I had ever scheduled one. I was asked to create the meeting in Outlook, and to send the request to everyone who was invited. It all went smoothly, until I was asked to invite someone else a few days later. I just wanted to send the invite to her, and like I said, I had never done this before, so I deleted everyone else off the list and put her in, thinking that it would just send the new invitation to her - I didn't want to waste anyone's time with an unnecessary update. Instead though, it sent everyone else a cancellation! I now realize what I did wrong, but at the time, I had no idea. I didn't even know what had happened until a coworker asked me about it an hour or so later. I invited everyone again, so it sent them another update, but I had a really mean boss at the time, and I was so scared that she was going to be really mad about it. I also had to hope and pray that everyone saw the last email, and that they all showed up - because it was absolutely required that they be there, and most of the invitees were doctors - it was really difficult to reach them sometimes, AND some of them often became aggravated when I kept bothering them.

I've never used Outlook before but I probably would have done the same thing. It sounded right to me as I was reading it.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

This isn't one of mine, but a friend's at the law firm we summered at a couple years ago. She was in the corporate department, and she was assigned to do something with an 8K. She was going around to everyone, trying to figure out what the heck 8K referred to - 8,000 people? $8,000? 8,000 little green men?!

Finally, hours later she found out - 8K is a FORM she needed to complete.

Not quite as hilarious as some of the gems on this thread But we found it funny

 

[suchende]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

This isn't one of mine, but a friend's at the law firm we summered at a couple years ago. She was in the corporate department, and she was assigned to do something with an 8K. She was going around to everyone, trying to figure out what the heck 8K referred to - 8,000 people? $8,000? 8,000 little green men?!

Finally, hours later she found out - 8K is a FORM she needed to complete.

Not quite as hilarious as some of the gems on this thread But we found it funny

Funny to you *now* but sends chills down my 1L spine. Eee...

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

This isn't one of mine, but a friend's at the law firm we summered at a couple years ago. She was in the corporate department, and she was assigned to do something with an 8K. She was going around to everyone, trying to figure out what the heck 8K referred to - 8,000 people? $8,000? 8,000 little green men?!

Finally, hours later she found out - 8K is a FORM she needed to complete.

Not quite as hilarious as some of the gems on this thread But we found it funny

Funny to you *now* but sends chills down my 1L spine. Eee...

Ahhh....1L. Good luck!

 

[suchende]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

Ahhh....1L. Good luck!

Thanks! It's almost over, thank goodness. Next week I have an interview for an in-house thing in NYC and I am so scared I'll get it and not know anything (because let's be honest, 1Ls don't know anything about anything) and then I'll have pages of posts to add to this thread

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

Ahhh....1L. Good luck!

Thanks! It's almost over, thank goodness. Next week I have an interview for an in-house thing in NYC and I am so scared I'll get it and not know anything (because let's be honest, 1Ls don't know anything about anything) and then I'll have pages of posts to add to this thread

Awww, good luck! You'll do great! If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me off PS. I'll ask the admins to pass on my e-mail if you can't find me via that social networking site.

 

[lulu66]

Re: Funny, awkward, embarassing mistakes/mishaps made at wor

most embarrassing thing that ever happened to me while i was working:

i was in college at the time & working part time in the shoe department of a department store. it was near closing time, i was the only one working in the shoe dept, & i was in a very good mood that evening (i think i had plans w/a guy i liked at the time when i got off work.). not many customers milling around but i had a few that wandered into my department & wanted to try on some shoes. i went back to the stock room & a great song was on the intercom & i was just singing along practically skipping down the stockroom aisles. found the ladder i needed and went to push it on its rails down toward the section i needed. it snagged on something on the rails & my face (specifically, my nose) slammed into one of the rungs. (note: never push a stockroom ladder from behind, always pull it from the front.) all of a sudden, i felt blood running down my face. i came out of the stockroom to the horrified faces on my customers. and tried to tell them what happened & that i'd need to call someone else to get their shoes...they were like, "no, no, we'll be okay. go take care of your nose!" i spent the rest of the night in the office pinching my nose, trying to get it to stop bleeding. the next day one of the stock-guys brought his motorcycle helmet in for me to wear whenever i entered the stockroom!