Since we spend 40 or more hours every week working, the occasional embarrassing situation at work happens to us all! Here’s how to deal with embarrassment at the office – and turn it into a positive thing.
Over the 20 years I’ve been working, I have had an abundance of awkward, embarrassing stories that are fit for a Kristin Wiig film, so I’ve learned how to recover like a pro.
When these embarrassing moments occurred early on in my career, I’d be flustered and red faced, leading to awkwardness and discomfort for everyone witnessing the situation. I was learning and surviving in fake-it-til-you-make-it mode. The pressure was real! But after a few years, I realized that because of my personality and my role, embarrassing moments would be embedded in the fabric of my career and I’d better learn how to deal with embarrassment at work.
5 ways to handle an embarrassing moment at work
1. Acknowledge it.
If you’ve made a mistake or done something stupid, call out that big elephant in the room right then and there. This will help you keep yourself together and maintain control of the situation. I’ve seen people try to cover up mistakes or hope that people won’t notice – and become defensive when someone later points it out. Don’t be that guy. It’s uncomfortable. Calmly recognize it and get it out there so you can solve it, get the awkwardness over with and move on.
A few years ago, I was pitching a new product to a client along with our sales team. I had become the product expert of sorts, as I’d been heavily involved in its development. I had the latest-and-greatest prototype created and it was my responsibility to introduce that beautiful, little product baby to the clients. We traveled an hour to their office and when we were greeted in the lobby, I realized I majorly flubbed and forgot the prototype in my office. We had all our presentation materials but not having the actual product to demonstrate would hinder the whole presentation.
Flip! Instead of waiting for the client or my colleagues to notice (likely mid presentation), I threw my arms up in the air and shouted, “My God! I forgot it!” I covered my cheeks Kevin McCallister-style. Then I detailed what caused me to forget the product: I’d moved it from my desk because there was melted cheese involved with the lunch I’d eaten at my desk that day and I couldn’t risk a melted-cheese-on-product scenario.
The clients had a field day teasing me about this error.
“Okay, pressure’s on,” they said. “Now, your presentation has to be top notch.”
By acknowledging my error as soon as I realized it, I was able to set realistic expectations for the presentation in advance and avoid any disappointment and embarrassment in the moment. This minimized the negative impact of my mistake – and I was able to get the embarrassment over with from the get-go.
2. Express gratitude.
Say thanks to those who helped identify the issue or stepped up to help solve or recover from the embarrassing situation.
Last week, I had salad for lunch at my desk very quickly. I did not stop in the restroom before heading to an important monthly meeting with all our leaders. I presented in a very animated way for 20 minutes and then I had those 14 leaders’ eyeballs on my face for much of the remaining two hours, as I was the meeting lead. Afterward, I beelined for an ice cream social event organized by our building managers in the parking lot. There, I enthusiastically chatted with about 7 people before running into an accountant friend who promptly leaned in for a hug and dropped the embarrassing news.
“Jody, you have a GIANT piece of lettuce stuck in your front teeth,” she whispered.
Oh no!
“Yes, it’s bad,” she said. “Go to the bathroom right now!”
The bathroom mirror confirmed it. A third of a tooth was covered in a spinach leaf. Yes, the super dark kind.
21 people took the easy route and avoided the discomfort of informing me of the lodged produce in my mouth…on a presentation day. I was so grateful for the accountant being kind and bold enough to let me know. What the heck, everyone else?! I could have gone all day like that!
So, I took this opportunity to recognize that awesome accountant’s integrity and to make people smile. I emailed this “21 people and then an accountant did the right thing” story to the entire accounting department and its leadership. You can count on an accountant to be observant, kind and bold – and that’s appreciated, I said. This turned my embarrassment into something good – a deserved compliment and a few laughs. People remember moments, especially ones that make them feel good about themselves.
3. Apologize, learn from it and own it like a human being.
Sometimes, we forget that we’re all human beings who goof up and get embarrassed. Remember the last time someone else did something embarrassing? People like being reminded that they’re not alone and the gosh-I’m-glad-that-didn’t-happen-to-me feeling is a good one. Comedian Conan O’Brien built his whole career on self-deprecating humor. People like it.
Give a sincere apology to everyone, take it as a learning opportunity and own it like the good human being you are.
In season 2 of The Office, Ryan the temp had a massively embarrassing moment when Dwight delivered the news that Ryan caused an office fire by mistakenly misusing the toaster oven. Ryan was mortified and lamented over being known as the guy who caused the fire, when he didn’t want to be known for a thing the way the other office dwellers were.
I think Ryan missed a huge opportunity to own his embarrassing situation. He barely apologized for the mistake – and it was a huge hassle for everyone! If he had, he would have been perceived as more relate-able and like-able to his coworkers, resulting in stronger connections with them. Of course, that approach would not have fit his character, so the writers were spot-on in their writing but that’s what I wanted to happen. 😊
4. Make it fun.
Laughter is the greatest joy of life and every work environment needs more of it. Let your coworkers know it’s okay to laugh about the embarrassing moment by joining the fun and by being a good sport when teased about it.
You may not want to know this but I line toilet seats with toilet paper before I sit on them. One day, I went to the restroom and then hurried back to my workspace. I had a standing desk at the time in an open concept working area. Over the next three hours, I visited other departments and passed about 25 people in the hallways.
Then, a leader stopped me in the middle of the hallway (where there were several other people around) and asked, “Jody, do you have a white scarf hanging off of your pants?”
White scarf? I stared blankly at her and then looked down.
AAAAHHHH.
There it was – a toilet paper tail that began at the top of my pants and precisely rested over the center of my butt and cascaded down, ending just a few inches from my shoes.
I grabbed it and ran (literally) to the restroom.
A coworker loved this story so much, she felt everyone should know about it – and so they did. That day, she hung a sign in the ladies’ room that read “ALL EMPLOYEES MUST CHECK THEIR PANTS FOR TOILET PAPER BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK.” The story spread – and it brought a lot of laughter.
5. Be good when it’s someone else’s turn.
When other people have embarrassing moments, do what you can to help. Share a story of your own past embarrassing scenario in your co-worker’s big, uncomfortable moment to ease the awkwardness. We’re all in this together. 😊
What is your most embarrassing moment at work? Do tell!
New here? Hello! I’m Jody Lamb, a personal growth author and blogger. If it helps you create the life you want, I’m writing about it. Subscribe for free access to my monthly newsletter:
Very good article. Handling such conditions are really difficult. Thanks for sharing
I haven’t had any good rest for a week and today the shop was buzzing with clients and I was at the till, queue going almost to the end of the aisle of the store. I was overwhelmed and was so out of it that I scanned someone’s items and proceeded to call out to the next customer twice with “next please!” completely forgetting to take the payment of the current customer in that state of mind! Thankfully the customer did not go away and actually brought it to my attention and we just laughed about it with me panickly apologised a million times. It was very embarrassing. I am still embarrassed about it actually. I’m glad to know that embarrasing situations at work is something that others also go through 😂 thank you for the awesome article
🙂 Hilarious! Fortunately, your customer didn’t take the opportunity to bolt to the door. This reminds me of how cashiers say, “Thanks for shopping at!” And I’ve often replied, “You, too!”
My most embarrassing moment was some time ago when my mom turned up at work crying and pleading I be let out early as she needed me home because there was a crisis. (There wasn’t.) I felt so embarrassed trying to explain to my boss and co-workers. The next job after that, she tried to gain access to my building, but failed due to security. I have just started another new job in a shop where she could easily walk in as a member of the public and I am constantly anxious she will come in one day and make a big scene. However, after reading your coping strategies, I will try to look at the situation differently. Thank you.