Career Advice: 5 Tips for Fixing a Mistake at Work

There's nothing worse than the sinking feeling in your stomach when you realize you've made a mistake at work. Your heart starts pounding, your palms start sweating, and you don't know what to do next – fall on your sword or duck for cover – especially if you've just started a new job.

Panicking can make the situation worse, though, so follow these simple steps to assess the problem and enact a plan of action.

Tip #1: Assess the Situation
First, take a minute to breathe and assess the situation. Your initial urge may be to freak out, but once you've calmed down, you'll be able to see the mistake for what it really is. Is it really as bad as it seems, or can it be fixed relatively easily? Once you get a handle on the situation, you'll be able to take the appropriate next steps to fixing it.

Tip #2: Perform Triage
Some mistakes are so big that you need other's help to fix them. Some are small enough that you can correct them on your own. Some fall in the middle. Before you talk to your boss, see what you can do to minimize damage. Your boss will appreciate it if you inform him or her of the situation and already have a plan of action in place to correct the problem.

Tip #3: Talk to Your Boss
When a mistake occurs, there's always a little voice in your head that screams "Don't tell anyone! Hopefully they won't notice! Or maybe they'll blame it on someone else!"

You must ignore this voice at all costs. Talk to your boss sooner rather than later. Hopefully you've been able to enact some damage control (see point 2), but regardless, he or she will appreciate your honesty and having the opportunity to asses the situation themselves. Remember, your boss is the one that has to answer for the mistakes in his or her department, including yours, so you need to keep them in the loop.

Tip #4: Pass on the Information
Once your boss knows the situation, you need to fill in any other co-workers that may be affected by your mistake. Take a minute to think about what happened and who it can affect today, tomorrow, or even next week. There's nothing worse than reliving a mistake because it touched someone else further down the line. While it may not be the most comfortable conversation to have, trust me: your co-workers will appreciate it.

Tip #5: Learn from It
Don't beat yourself up. We're all human, which means we all make mistakes. The worst thing you can do is rehash the incident over and over in your mind, which will only make you more stressed and more likely to make another mistake. Instead, use the instance a learning opportunity to become a smarter, better, more efficient worker.