Making mistakes in the workplace
Discussion
Just after advice really, I recently changed career and did an apprenticeship and come out of my time in September.
Been doing well tbh but I’m in a crap team which is very b
hy and the other mechanical fitters I work with always like it when other guys mess up, and you don’t here the end of it for ages.
Being an older apprenticeship has had its benefits and also negatives as people think I’ve been doing this job for ages, and assume I probably know more than I do lol.
But today I made a simple mistake right at the end and messed a job up which will mean it all has to come apart again.
I’m pretty down about it really, I don’t think I could have foresaw what happened but if I was more experienced I probably wouldn’t have made the mistake.
I suppose I more worried that no one in my team will back me up and help out or say anything positive about what’s happened and will probably slag me off the first chance they get.
How have you all dealt with the big mistakes you have made and how would you best approach my scenario?
Been doing well tbh but I’m in a crap team which is very b
hy and the other mechanical fitters I work with always like it when other guys mess up, and you don’t here the end of it for ages.Being an older apprenticeship has had its benefits and also negatives as people think I’ve been doing this job for ages, and assume I probably know more than I do lol.
But today I made a simple mistake right at the end and messed a job up which will mean it all has to come apart again.
I’m pretty down about it really, I don’t think I could have foresaw what happened but if I was more experienced I probably wouldn’t have made the mistake.
I suppose I more worried that no one in my team will back me up and help out or say anything positive about what’s happened and will probably slag me off the first chance they get.
How have you all dealt with the big mistakes you have made and how would you best approach my scenario?
You make a mistake, fess up quickly with apologies and ask for help. Maybe offer to fix in your own time if possible? He/she who has never made a mistake has never done anything!
In forty years of work I've made more eff ups than enough. It's how you deal with them that's important! (And the further up the tree you get the bigger the eff ups!)
Good luck
In forty years of work I've made more eff ups than enough. It's how you deal with them that's important! (And the further up the tree you get the bigger the eff ups!)
Good luck
Advice from one apprentice (2009-2013) to another;
People make mistakes, even people who are really good / experienced. The frequency tends to decrease.
You should be able to make mistakes in the workplace without being shamed by your employers and colleagues. Note ‘mistakes’ plural. If people are shaming you, find a way to stop them doing it- and if that fails, change team etc if possible.
Finally have a plan to change employer once you have done your time as apprentice / newly qualified. Starting at a new place with some training and experience will help you shift your inferior ‘I’m just an apprentice’ mindset. Then you can make mistakes without beating yourself up about not being good enough.
I am still with the company I did my apprenticeship with. It has been a long journey to valuing my own contribution instead of being super hard on myself the entire time.
People make mistakes, even people who are really good / experienced. The frequency tends to decrease.
You should be able to make mistakes in the workplace without being shamed by your employers and colleagues. Note ‘mistakes’ plural. If people are shaming you, find a way to stop them doing it- and if that fails, change team etc if possible.
Finally have a plan to change employer once you have done your time as apprentice / newly qualified. Starting at a new place with some training and experience will help you shift your inferior ‘I’m just an apprentice’ mindset. Then you can make mistakes without beating yourself up about not being good enough.
I am still with the company I did my apprenticeship with. It has been a long journey to valuing my own contribution instead of being super hard on myself the entire time.
Yeah I admitted it straight away, I could have fobbed it off and blamed the part manufacturer supplying a faulty part.
It’s a strange situation really as I just want to be in a team that rallies around a mistake like I do when someone else does one. But I can’t really look for a diffferent job without a few years experience, and there are teams just outside my area in the same company that are great!
Worst part is that I have booked off a week now because I’m having builders in and I have to be there so I can’t get in to sort it out, mega frustrating!
It’s a strange situation really as I just want to be in a team that rallies around a mistake like I do when someone else does one. But I can’t really look for a diffferent job without a few years experience, and there are teams just outside my area in the same company that are great!
Worst part is that I have booked off a week now because I’m having builders in and I have to be there so I can’t get in to sort it out, mega frustrating!
As others have said, you messed up and admitted it, A million times better that trying to cover it up.
As fairly newly qualified, Part of the blame can be down you supervisor, A good supervisor will looks at the skills/experience of the person doing the job and decide on the level of supervision required.
This could be on difficulty of the task,competantcy of employee, experience of employee.
Like you say it's a shame you can't be there to help sort it out, but there's nothing you can do about that.
I would suggest when you go back in to work, go direct to your supervisor/manager and ask them how the job went to sort out your mistake.
We all make mistakes, that's life. as long you learn from it that's ok.
Good luck and let us know how it goes. (i'm sure it will be fine)
Andy.
Fixing Vulcans to Vacuum cleaners for 45 years
As fairly newly qualified, Part of the blame can be down you supervisor, A good supervisor will looks at the skills/experience of the person doing the job and decide on the level of supervision required.
This could be on difficulty of the task,competantcy of employee, experience of employee.
Like you say it's a shame you can't be there to help sort it out, but there's nothing you can do about that.
I would suggest when you go back in to work, go direct to your supervisor/manager and ask them how the job went to sort out your mistake.
We all make mistakes, that's life. as long you learn from it that's ok.
Good luck and let us know how it goes. (i'm sure it will be fine)
Andy.
Fixing Vulcans to Vacuum cleaners for 45 years
Cheers guys, I don’t want to go into details just incase one of my colleagues are on here, but my mistake is something I have never been told in my 4 year apprenticeship, and honestly something I would have only learnt through doing this wrong, which I now know.
I think I’m more worried about the backstabbing and gossip that’s gonna happen now, mainly because I haven’t taken any crap from the old school guys there and haven’t put up with the intimidation and given them a few f&&k off tablets so far, so I’m sure they will enjoy this moment lol
I think I’m more worried about the backstabbing and gossip that’s gonna happen now, mainly because I haven’t taken any crap from the old school guys there and haven’t put up with the intimidation and given them a few f&&k off tablets so far, so I’m sure they will enjoy this moment lol
Ilovejapcrap said:
unless your performing a heart by pass I'd not worry to much. Everyone fks up, its just the people who do it all the time that get a reputation.
Exactly this. Today one of my team fks up, its just the people who do it all the time that get a reputation.ked up, real PITA but its the 2nd or maybe 3rd time in 4 years. Sorted and forgotten in a couple of hours.Gooose said:
Just after advice really, I recently changed career and did an apprenticeship and come out of my time in September.
Been doing well tbh but I’m in a crap team which is very bhy and the other mechanical fitters I work with always like it when other guys mess up, and you don’t here the end of it for ages.
Being an older apprenticeship has had its benefits and also negatives as people think I’ve been doing this job for ages, and assume I probably know more than I do lol.
But today I made a simple mistake right at the end and messed a job up which will mean it all has to come apart again.
I’m pretty down about it really, I don’t think I could have foresaw what happened but if I was more experienced I probably wouldn’t have made the mistake.
I suppose I more worried that no one in my team will back me up and help out or say anything positive about what’s happened and will probably slag me off the first chance they get.
How have you all dealt with the big mistakes you have made and how would you best approach my scenario?
Personally I'd be trying to change the culture in a place like that.Been doing well tbh but I’m in a crap team which is very b
hy and the other mechanical fitters I work with always like it when other guys mess up, and you don’t here the end of it for ages.Being an older apprenticeship has had its benefits and also negatives as people think I’ve been doing this job for ages, and assume I probably know more than I do lol.
But today I made a simple mistake right at the end and messed a job up which will mean it all has to come apart again.
I’m pretty down about it really, I don’t think I could have foresaw what happened but if I was more experienced I probably wouldn’t have made the mistake.
I suppose I more worried that no one in my team will back me up and help out or say anything positive about what’s happened and will probably slag me off the first chance they get.
How have you all dealt with the big mistakes you have made and how would you best approach my scenario?
i.e. when someone makes a mistake, don't stand by or join in the mocking but say something like: "Ok if we all chip in it'll be sorted in half the time, let's get on with it". It may end up that the culture then becomes one of mutual assistance to sort issues out.
The culture is probably a deliberate thing started by management, a divided workforce has no power and you can do whatever you like to them as long as you do it one person at a time.
It's usually done by cultivating a blame culture, being heavy handed with punishments and giving workers meaningless authoritative sounding titles or "levels".
30 workers can stick up for eachother (effectively forming a union), but 5 supervisors, 5 sub-supervisors, 5 engineers, 5 level 1 technicians, 5 level 2 technicians and 5 level 3 technicians, will NEVER stand together against management.
I spend a significant part of my time at work fixing other people's errors.
I know they will happen. All I ask is that people come to me as soon as they realise they have fked up. And tell me what they did or were trying to do. That way I can fix the problem faster.
I learnt this after trying to cover a mistake of my own when doing my apprenticeship. Which caused a lot more agro for people and myself than owning up would have done.
I only really worry about mistakes if someone doesn't learn from them.
Some management types are more interested in finding someone to blame than sorting the problem. So diffuse a situation and allow the team to move forward in finding a resolution. On more than one occasion I have confessed for other people's mistakes.
I know they will happen. All I ask is that people come to me as soon as they realise they have f
ked up. And tell me what they did or were trying to do. That way I can fix the problem faster. I learnt this after trying to cover a mistake of my own when doing my apprenticeship. Which caused a lot more agro for people and myself than owning up would have done.
I only really worry about mistakes if someone doesn't learn from them.
Some management types are more interested in finding someone to blame than sorting the problem. So diffuse a situation and allow the team to move forward in finding a resolution. On more than one occasion I have confessed for other people's mistakes.
lyonspride said:
The culture is probably a deliberate thing started by management, a divided workforce has no power and you can do whatever you like to them as long as you do it one person at a time.
It's usually done by cultivating a blame culture, being heavy handed with punishments and giving workers meaningless authoritative sounding titles or "levels".
30 workers can stick up for eachother (effectively forming a union), but 5 supervisors, 5 sub-supervisors, 5 engineers, 5 level 1 technicians, 5 level 2 technicians and 5 level 3 technicians, will NEVER stand together against management.
Jeez - literally every employment thread you say this sort of stuff. Change the record, or your job - you’re clearly not happy. It's usually done by cultivating a blame culture, being heavy handed with punishments and giving workers meaningless authoritative sounding titles or "levels".
30 workers can stick up for eachother (effectively forming a union), but 5 supervisors, 5 sub-supervisors, 5 engineers, 5 level 1 technicians, 5 level 2 technicians and 5 level 3 technicians, will NEVER stand together against management.
Are you sure that none of your colleagues spotted what you were doing and said nothing?
A toxic environment as described can allow some really perverse behaviour to occur.
I’ve seen it happen a few times, it’s a form of bullying and very difficult to prove but if you have any suspicions at all then watch your back carefully until you can find a better position.
A toxic environment as described can allow some really perverse behaviour to occur.
I’ve seen it happen a few times, it’s a form of bullying and very difficult to prove but if you have any suspicions at all then watch your back carefully until you can find a better position.
Everyone fks up sometimes.
But one thing i can recommend is that the next time someone else fks up, unless they've properly done something that's "monkey didn't have his banana today" levels, have their back and support them. It'll come back to you later.
Also:
ks up sometimes.But one thing i can recommend is that the next time someone else f
ks up, unless they've properly done something that's "monkey didn't have his banana today" levels, have their back and support them. It'll come back to you later.Also:
dudleybloke said:
If you've never made a mistake you've never made anything.
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