YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

LISA MORRIS DIRECTOR, HAYS

We are all human and we all make mistakes. What matters is how you take ownership, fix and learn from your mistake. This starts with being honest. If you don’t own up to your mistake, you’ll only add to the problem. However, before you go to your boss to admit your mistake, take a moment to come up with an actionable solution. If you can present a practical plan to fix your mistake, the hammer won’t come down as hard. Once you’ve rectified your mistake, learn from it.

JUSTIN HINORA EXECUTIVE CONSULTANT, HENDER CONSULTING

Nobody likes surprises. By not saying anything at all, you could actually be making the situation much worse. It’s important to flag it to your line manager ASAP. The fact you are even worrying about it demonstrates that you actually care about your work. The important thing is that you learn from your mistake and try to prevent it from happening again. It can be a good idea to document the sequence of events should the facts need to be revisited.

ALISON SURJAN DIRECTOR OF CONSULTING SERVICES, MORTON PHILIPS

In my opinion, honesty is always the best policy. I would encourage you to tell your employer how you felt about telling them in the first place, and that you are fearful of losing your job. Depending on the mistake, it may or may not be a sackable offence. It may also, for that reason, be worth seeking some advice from Fair Work. The other piece of advice I would give is to provide a performance management solution to your employer.

ALEXANDRA ROSSER HEAD OF ORGANISATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY CONSULTING, STILLWELL MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS

Own your mistake by apologising and accounting for and mitigating it. Express genuine remorse and acknowledgment of the damage done; provide an explanation of your reasoning, decisions and actions so as to assist your employer to prevent the mistake happening again; and strategise/act to reduce or prevent any further consequences.