Workplace Blunders Continue

In today’s crazy and high-pressured work environment, it’s clear that sometimes odd blunders still continue.

What about your colleague who trims his nose hairs at his desk when he thinks no-one is looking? Or your co-worker who sneezed in his boss’ coffee cup. What about buddy over there who sometimes eats other people’s food from the fridge? Well, these innocent (and in some cases not-so-innocent) blunders happen all the time according to a recent survey by Robert Half International, the world’s first and largest specialized accounting firm. The company, whose Canadian operations are headquartered in Toronto, have several short videos along with advice on how to avoid common office faux pas. They can be seen at www.roberthalf.ca/dont-let-this-happen-to-you.

“Silly office blunders happen all the time today and some of them are actually quite funny,” says Bridget Carter, Principal of Sapphire Consulting, a Toronto-based HR Consultancy. “I don’t see many of them myself, but I hear about them. High stress levels in the workplace definitely play a role in office blunders’ occurrences.”

While Robert Half International commissioned the survey, it was conducted by an independent research firm. The survey’s results were based on interviews with more than 430 workers, 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments worldwide.

The survey revealed all sorts of wacky things like people falling asleep at their desks, workers hanging up on conference calls when they did not get their way or even the employee who mistakenly thought he put a customer on hold and then used inappropriate language within earshot.

“People will continue to do crazy things in the workplace,” said Mike Gooley, a regional Vice President of Robert Half International. “And as the use of technology proliferates and stress levels rise, we will likely see more wacky things – that’s human nature.”

The use of technology definitely plays a large role today – making it sometimes easier to blunder. Ever hit the forward button on an email when you meant to hit the reply button? Ever inadvertently sent an email to the wrong person? We all have. We’re human after all! And the results can be downright embarrassing if not catastrophic.

Here’s some basic tips to help you steer clear of faux pas at work:

• Keep it PG-rated – Off color comments, racy language or politically incorrect jokes are a no-no. Wondering if you should say something or not? Stop right there! That’s your internal voice telling you to zip it. Play it safe and watch your words.

• Keep your dirty laundry to yourself – Criticizing your co-workers, gossiping or ranting about your boss’ expensive vacation while the company is announcing salary cuts is sure to get you into hot water. Zip it.

• Leave the tweezers at home - It’s called personal care for a reason. Groom yourself at home, or at least in the restroom. You want to win over - not gross out - your fellow employees.

• Take a breather – Although situations may irritate you, take a minute before raising your voice or even worse, firing an email missive that you’ll regret later.

What to do if you blunder? “Well,” added Gooley. “Be honest and fess up. Honesty is the best policy. The optimal thing is to say a genuine and sincere apology to those you offended. By doing that you’re showing you’ll make an honest effort not to blunder again – and then don’t make the same mistake twice.”