Skip to main content
  • Foundation
  • Executive network
  • CEO Circle
  • Enterprise Solutions
  • Linkage Logo
  • Store
  • Sign In
  • Account
    • My Account
    • Logout
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
SHRM
About
Book a Speaker
Join Today
Renew
Rejoin Now
Renew
  • Membership
  • Certification
    Certification

    Smiling asian student studying in library with laptop books doing online research for coursework, making notes for essay homework assignment, online education e-learning concept
    Get Certified!

    Be recognized as an HR leader with your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential.

    • How to Get Certified

      Demonstrate your ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations. No other HR certification compares.

      • How to Get Certified
      • Eligibility Criteria
      • Exam Details and Fees
      • SHRM-CP
      • SHRM-SCP
      • Which Certification is Best for Me
      • Certification FAQs
    • Prepare for the Exam

      Give yourself the best chance to pass your SHRM certification exam.

      • Exam Preparation
      • SHRM BASK
      • SHRM Learning System
      • Instructor-Led Learning
      • Self-Study
      • Study Aids & Add-ons
    • Recertification

      Recertify your SHRM Credentials before your end date!

      • Specialty Credentials
      • Qualifications
  • Topics & Tools
    Topics & Tools

    Stay up to date with workplace news and leverage our vast library of resources to streamline day-to-day HR tasks.

    The white house in washington, dc.
    Executive Order Impact Zone

    Do not abandon, but evaluate and evolve. It is about legal, equal opportunity for all.

    • News & Trends

      Follow breaking news and emerging workplace trends.

      Legal & Compliance

      Stay informed on workplace legal updates and their impacts.

      From the Workplace

      Explore diverse perspectives from your peers on today's workplaces.

      Flagships

      Get curated collections of podcasts, videos, articles, and more produced by SHRM.

    • HR Topics
      • AI in the Workplace
      • Civility at Work
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Inclusion & Diversity
      • Talent Acquisition
      • Workplace Technology
      • Workplace Violence Prevention
      SEE ALL
      SHRM Research
    • Tools & Samples

      Access member resources and tools to streamline HR tasks.

      • Forms & Checklists
      • How-To Guides
      • Interactive Tools
      • Job Descriptions
      • Policies
      • Toolkits
      SEE ALL
      Ask an Advisor
  • Events & Education
    Events & Education

    SHRM25 in San Diego, June 29 - July 2, 2025
    Join us for SHRM25 in San Diego

    Register for the World’s Largest HR Conference being held on June 29 - July 2, 2025

    • Events
      • SHRM25
      • The AI+HI Project 2025
      • INCLUSION 2025
      • Talent 2026
      • Linkage Institute 2025
      SEE ALL
      Webinars
    • Educational Programs

      Designed and delivered by HR experts to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to drive lasting change in the workplace.

      Specialty Credentials

      Demonstrate targeted competence and enhance credibility among peers and employers.

      Qualifications

      Gain a deeper understanding and develop critical skills.

    • Team Training & Development

      Customized training programs unique to your organization’s needs.

  • Business Solutions
  • Advocacy
    Advocacy

    Make your voice heard on public policy issues impacting the workplace.

    Advocacy
    SHRM's President & CEO testifies to Congress on "The State of American Education"
    • Policy Areas
      • Workforce Development
      • Workplace Inclusion
      • Workplace Flexibility & Leave
      • Workplace Governance
      • Workplace Health Care
      • Workplace Immigration
      State Affairs

      SHRM advances policy solutions in state legislatures nationwide.

      Global Policy

      SHRM is the go-to for global HR leaders and businesses on workplace matters.

    • Advocacy Team (A-Team)

      SHRM’s A-Team is a key member benefit, giving you the tools, insights, and opportunities to shape workplace policy and drive real impact.

      Take Action

      Urge lawmakers to support policies that create lasting, positive change.

      Advocacy & Legislative Resources

      Access SHRM’s curated policy materials and content.

    • SHRM-Led Coalitions
      • Generation Cares
      • The Section 127 Coalition
      • Learn More & Partner with SHRM Government Affairs
  • Community
    Community

    Woman raising hand in group
    Find a SHRM Chapter

    Easily find a local professional or student chapter in your area.

    • Chapters

      Find local connections from over 607 chapters and state councils and create your personalized HR network.

      SHRM Connect

      Post polls, get crowdsourced answers to your questions and network with other HR professionals online.

      SHRM Northern California

      Join SHRM members in the greater San Francisco Bay area for local events and networking.

    • Membership Councils

      Learn about SHRM's five regional councils and the Membership Advisory Council (MAC).

      • Membership Advisory Council
      • Regional Councils
    • Volunteers

      Learn about volunteer opportunities with SHRM.

      • Volunteer Leader Resource Center
Close
  • Membership
  • Certification
    back
    Certification
    Smiling asian student studying in library with laptop books doing online research for coursework, making notes for essay homework assignment, online education e-learning concept
    Get Certified!

    Be recognized as an HR leader with your SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP credential.

    • How to Get Certified

      Demonstrate your ability to apply HR principles to real-life situations. No other HR certification compares.

      • How to Get Certified
      • Eligibility Criteria
      • Exam Details and Fees
      • SHRM-CP
      • SHRM-SCP
      • Which Certification is Best for Me
      • Certification FAQs
    • Prepare for the Exam

      Give yourself the best chance to pass your SHRM certification exam.

      • Exam Preparation
      • SHRM BASK
      • SHRM Learning System
      • Instructor-Led Learning
      • Self-Study
      • Study Aids & Add-ons
    • Recertification

      Recertify your SHRM Credentials before your end date!

      • Specialty Credentials
      • Qualifications
  • Topics & Tools
    back
    Topics & Tools

    Stay up to date with workplace news and leverage our vast library of resources to streamline day-to-day HR tasks.

    The white house in washington, dc.
    Executive Order Impact Zone

    Do not abandon, but evaluate and evolve. It is about legal, equal opportunity for all.

    • News & Trends

      Follow breaking news and emerging workplace trends.

      Legal & Compliance

      Stay informed on workplace legal updates and their impacts.

      From the Workplace

      Explore diverse perspectives from your peers on today's workplaces.

      Flagships

      Get curated collections of podcasts, videos, articles, and more produced by SHRM.

    • HR Topics
      • AI in the Workplace
      • Civility at Work
      • Compensation & Benefits
      • Inclusion & Diversity
      • Talent Acquisition
      • Workplace Technology
      • Workplace Violence Prevention
      SEE ALL
      SHRM Research
    • Tools & Samples

      Access member resources and tools to streamline HR tasks.

      • Forms & Checklists
      • How-To Guides
      • Interactive Tools
      • Job Descriptions
      • Policies
      • Toolkits
      SEE ALL
      Ask an Advisor
  • Events & Education
    back
    Events & Education
    SHRM25 in San Diego, June 29 - July 2, 2025
    Join us for SHRM25 in San Diego

    Register for the World’s Largest HR Conference being held on June 29 - July 2, 2025

    • Events
      • SHRM25
      • The AI+HI Project 2025
      • INCLUSION 2025
      • Talent 2026
      • Linkage Institute 2025
      SEE ALL
      Webinars
    • Educational Programs

      Designed and delivered by HR experts to empower you with the knowledge and tools you need to drive lasting change in the workplace.

      Specialty Credentials

      Demonstrate targeted competence and enhance credibility among peers and employers.

      Qualifications

      Gain a deeper understanding and develop critical skills.

    • Team Training & Development

      Customized training programs unique to your organization’s needs.

  • Business Solutions
  • Advocacy
    back
    Advocacy

    Make your voice heard on public policy issues impacting the workplace.

    Advocacy
    SHRM's President & CEO testifies to Congress on "The State of American Education"
    • Policy Areas
      • Workforce Development
      • Workplace Inclusion
      • Workplace Flexibility & Leave
      • Workplace Governance
      • Workplace Health Care
      • Workplace Immigration
      State Affairs

      SHRM advances policy solutions in state legislatures nationwide.

      Global Policy

      SHRM is the go-to for global HR leaders and businesses on workplace matters.

    • Advocacy Team (A-Team)

      SHRM’s A-Team is a key member benefit, giving you the tools, insights, and opportunities to shape workplace policy and drive real impact.

      Take Action

      Urge lawmakers to support policies that create lasting, positive change.

      Advocacy & Legislative Resources

      Access SHRM’s curated policy materials and content.

    • SHRM-Led Coalitions
      • Generation Cares
      • The Section 127 Coalition
      • Learn More & Partner with SHRM Government Affairs
  • Community
    back
    Community
    Woman raising hand in group
    Find a SHRM Chapter

    Easily find a local professional or student chapter in your area.

    • Chapters

      Find local connections from over 607 chapters and state councils and create your personalized HR network.

      SHRM Connect

      Post polls, get crowdsourced answers to your questions and network with other HR professionals online.

      SHRM Northern California

      Join SHRM members in the greater San Francisco Bay area for local events and networking.

    • Membership Councils

      Learn about SHRM's five regional councils and the Membership Advisory Council (MAC).

      • Membership Advisory Council
      • Regional Councils
    • Volunteers

      Learn about volunteer opportunities with SHRM.

      • Volunteer Leader Resource Center
Join Today
Renew
Rejoin Now
Renew
  • Store
    • Global
    • India
    • MENA
  • About
  • Book a Speaker
  • Foundation
  • Executive network
  • CEO Circle
  • Enterprise Solutions
  • Linkage Logo
SHRM
Sign In
  • Account
    • My Account
    • Logout
Close

  1. Topics & Tools
  2. Workplace News & Trends
  3. HR Magazine
  4. Recovering from a Work Mistake
Share
  • Linked In
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus convallis sem tellus, vitae egestas felis vestibule ut.


Error message details.

Copy button
Reuse Permissions

Request permission to republish or redistribute SHRM content and materials.


Learn More
Feature

Recovering from a Work Mistake

Everyone messes up. But how you respond could make a difference in terms of the impact on your career.

June 1, 2022 | Rita Zeidner

A man climbing a ladder in a dark room.


Lisa Schott was running the human resources department at a Texas nursing home when the U.S. Department of Labor selected her facility for a random audit. The government was on the hunt for employers that had wrongly denied workers overtime pay and other benefits by misclassifying them under the Fair Labor Standards Act. 

Schott, who had been on the job for about a year when agency officials came knocking, says her mistake was not conducting her own compliance audit as soon as she came on board. It was a rookie error she still regrets more than 20 years later.

Everyone makes mistakes. But when you make a mistake at work, there is, unfortunately, no guarantee you’ll get a second chance.

Turns out Schott got off easier than many. The investigator found only one misclassified worker. And while her organization was still on the hook for several thousand dollars in fines, Schott’s supervisor took the incident in stride.

“I came to the table acknowledging my mistake and with a solution for how we would move forward,” she recalls. “I was lucky. My boss said he saw it as a learning opportunity and was appreciative that I had come clean.”

Not all bosses are as forgiving. Sharon Scibek was working for a government contractor in Maryland when she inadvertently included a newly hired executive’s job offer letter and salary information in a welcome e-mail she sent to the entire staff. She acknowledged the error immediately and apologized to the company’s owner, but he remained irate. More than a decade after the incident, she still recalls him bellowing across the room, “You’re fired!” 

Screen Shot 2022-05-31 at 31753 PM.png

Everyone makes mistakes. But when you make a mistake at work, there is, unfortunately, no guarantee you’ll get a second chance. Your recovery likely depends more on the culture of the organization and the temperament of those at the top than on the error itself, career experts say. But with careful handling, you may be able to minimize the fallout for your career. Here are some expert tips.

Own Your Mistake and Learn from It

Honesty is the best policy, particularly when you’re at fault. Let your boss know when you’ve made a mistake, advises Schott, who now runs her own HR consultancy in Houston. 

Most importantly, learn from your mistake and take steps to ensure it won’t happen again. To show her boss she took legal compliance seriously, Schott implemented a schedule for self-audits. And when she moved on to other jobs, she made it a rule to conduct compliance audits within her first 45 days. 

Apologize Early and Often

Make amends immediately to everyone who was affected, advises Tara Vossenkemper, a therapist and business consultant in Columbia, Mo. Apologize in person when possible and ask those directly affected if there are steps you can take to minimize any difficulties your error may have created for them.

Keep Your Apology Short

Apologies should be brief and to the point, says Vicki Salemi, a career expert with online jobs site Monster. Beating around the bush is awkward for everyone “and could look like you’re hiding something,” she says. And don’t waste anyone’s time giving excuses for how the mistake happened. Instead, focus on making things right and preventing a recurrence.

Reflect on the Incident

Think about how and why the mistake happened, Salemi advises. If the error occurred because you were distracted, too busy or felt forced to cut corners, look for ways to address your workload. If you messed up doing work that was not a part of your skill set, get the training you need to do the job better. 

Vossenkemper recommends taking a hard look at whether making the mistake was a subconscious, emotional reaction to the job. 

“Turn inward and consider ‘Do I really want to stay in this job?’ ” she says. 

Accept Consequences but Track Improvements

Recognize that there may be career consequences from your mistake, such as the denial of a bonus or a promotion or, worse, being given a demotion, Salemi says. But plan your comeback by documenting your successes going forward so you can prove to your boss that you’ve learned from your mistake and are up to the job going forward.  

Rita Zeidner is a freelance writer in Falls Church, Va.

Illustration by Mike_Kiev/iStock.

If You Get Fired, or Are About to Be …

Let’s be real: There may be no coming back from some mistakes—at least not at the company where you made them. Here’s how to best deal with a situation that can’t be mended.

Read the writing on the wall. If your relationship with your supervisor is rocky and you suspect your job is on the line, look for other opportunities.

Sharon Scibek had been unhappy in her HR job for months and was already working with a recruiter when she sent out a problematic e-mail that got her fired. Coincidentally, she had a promising interview already lined up for the day after she was terminated. It went well, and she was hired as that company’s vice president of HR. 

Negotiate your departure. Even if you’re being pushed out, there may be opportunities to regain control before the door slams shut.

Rather than allowing your employer to dictate when and how you leave, try negotiating your own terms, advises Joe Mullings, who heads a recruiting firm in Delray Beach, Fla.

“You can say, ‘Look, you don’t want to terminate me. I will resign,’ ” he says. Remind your employer that by voluntarily stepping down, you will be freeing the company from the expense of unemployment insurance—and possible future litigation, he says. 

And don’t be shy about asking for severance pay and a decent recommendation; someone in the organization may feel badly about how things turned out and be willing to give you a break.

Grieve for your job loss, briefly. Getting fired can be traumatizing, especially if it was in response to a problem you caused or failed to prevent. “Allow yourself to feel bad, but not for too long,” says Judy Schoenberg, co-founder of EvolveMe, a career strategy firm based in New York City. 

Women, in particular, tend to have a running narrative that includes self-defeating thoughts such as “I’m not good enough” or “I’m a fraud, and they never should have hired me,” she says. But it doesn’t help to beat yourself up endlessly. Be as kind to yourself as you would be to a friend in the same situation. And remind yourself “that nobody died and that it’s not the end of the world,” Schoenberg says.

Be truthful and positive while interviewing. Don’t volunteer information about being fired during a job interview. But don’t lie about it if you’re asked.

Avoid stumbling during an interview by creating a positive narrative in advance that focuses on what you’ve done well in your career, Schoenberg advises. Keep in mind that “you are not the mistake,” she says. “You are the accomplishments that came before.” 

Build confidence in your interviewing skills by rehearsing with someone you trust, suggests Linda Lautenberg, EvolveMe’s other co-founder. You can also practice on your own by recording yourself on Zoom or just standing in front of a mirror. “The last thing you want during an interview is to come in feeling unconfident,” Lautenberg says, “or, even worse, feeling bitter.” —R.Z.

Career Development
HR Careers
Organizational & Employee Development

Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace

​An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.



Related Content

Kelly Dobbs Bunting speaks onstage at SHRM24
(opens in a new tab)
News
Why AI+HI Is Essential to Compliance

HR must always include human intelligence and oversight of AI in decision-making in hiring and firing, a legal expert said at SHRM24. She added that HR can ensure compliance by meeting the strictest AI standards, which will be in Colorado’s upcoming AI law.

(opens in a new tab)
News
A 4-Day Workweek? AI-Fueled Efficiencies Could Make It Happen

The proliferation of artificial intelligence in the workplace, and the ensuing expected increase in productivity and efficiency, could help usher in the four-day workweek, some experts predict.

(opens in a new tab)
News
How One Company Uses Digital Tools to Boost Employee Well-Being

Learn how Marsh McLennan successfully boosts staff well-being with digital tools, improving productivity and work satisfaction for more than 20,000 employees.

HR Daily Newsletter

Stay up to date with the latest HR news, trends, and expert advice each business day.

Success title

Success caption

Manage Subscriptions
  • About SHRM
  • Careers at SHRM
  • Press Room
  • Contact SHRM
  • Book a SHRM Executive Speaker
  • Advertise with Us
  • Partner with Us
  • Copyright & Permissions
  • Post a Job
  • Find an HR Job
Follow Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • SHRM Newsletters
  • Ask An Advisor

© 2025 SHRM. All Rights Reserved

SHRM provides content as a service to its readers and members. It does not offer legal advice, and cannot guarantee the accuracy or suitability of its content for a particular purpose. Disclaimer


  1. Privacy Policy

  2. Terms of Use

  3. Accessibility

Join SHRM for Exclusive Access to Member Content

SHRM Members enjoy unlimited access to articles and exclusive member resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Limit Reached

Get unlimited access to articles and member-exclusive resources.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join to access unlimited articles and member-only resources.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join the Executive Network and enjoy unlimited content.

Already a member?
Free Article
Exclusive Executive-Level Content

This content is for the SHRM Executive Network and Executive Content Subscription members only.

You've reached the limit of 1 free article this month. Join and enjoy unlimited access to SHRM Executive Network Content.

Already a member?
Unlock Your Career with SHRM Membership

Please enjoy this free resource! Join SHRM for unlimited access to exclusive articles and tools.

Already a member?

Your membership is almost expired! Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew now

Your membership has expired. Renew today for unlimited access to member content.

Renew Now

Your Executive Network membership is nearing its expiration. Renew now to maintain access.

Renew Now

Your membership has expired. Renew your Executive Network benefits today.

Renew Now