Use email with coworkers and your boss, but also with your clients and the public. If you need to have conversations in person, you can follow up the conversation with an email. Summarize the substance of the conversation. Avoid secretly recording people. The law on secretly recording people differs depending on your state. In a dozen states, you cannot record a conversation unless you get the consent of all people who are involved. [1] X Research source It’s usually better to communicate too much than too little. Try to communicate with your colleagues using multiple methods. [2] X Expert Source Lauren KrasnyCareer Coach Expert Interview. 27 March 2020.
You might hesitate to ask questions because you want to appear like you know everything. Nevertheless, you need to do something right, otherwise, you truly will warrant blame. Remember not to ask a question twice. Once a supervisor tells you how to do something, write it down so that you remember it. If you keep asking questions, you’ll look incompetent.
Also have the client sign a form stating they have been informed of the risks. List the most relevant risks on the form. Hold onto the signed form in case the client claims later that you didn’t tell them of the dangers.
Handle difficult coworkers delicately. Try to see issues from their point of view, which can help defuse tension and allow you to remain positive. [5] X Research source Get enough sleep so that you are fully rested when you come in. Crabby people can be complainers. Some work environments are so toxic that you cannot stay positive. In that situation, you need to seriously consider leaving your job and finding another one.
Also pay attention to whether your coworker gives you credit for the work that you did. If they don’t, you should stop helping that person. However, if they do give you credit, then you can help them out in the future. They appreciate your help and don’t see you as a threat.
Try to be predictably reliable. [7] X Research source If you are, people will be less likely to blame you when something goes wrong.
You understand the seriousness of the mistake. For example, you can say, “I realize this mistake might cost us the client account. ” You know how it happened. For example, “I was preparing the packages for mail when Sue called and I got sidetracked. ” You are taking steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again: “To ensure I don’t make this mistake again, I’ll let calls go to voicemail when I’m preparing our packages for mail. ”
Google yourself as well. Look at the first page of results. You want that first page to reflect positively on you. [9] X Research source It’s hard to remove negative information from Google. However, you can push it off the front page by publishing something in a newspaper or trade magazine. Alternately, you can volunteer and then write an article or give an interview to a local reporter.
You want to remain calm so that you can hear the accusations. Try to write down what your boss has said you did wrong. You might not remember exactly what was said when you leave the office, so you need good notes. Remember not to immediately get defensive. Your boss might be too angry to hear you, either. Unless you are being fired, you should have time to go back to your office and gather your thoughts. If you didn’t do something, calmly say, “I didn’t do that. ” Your boss might not hear you, but you need to say it.
If you are, then analyze what you could have done differently. When you fess up to the mistake, you need to explain how it happened and what you’ll do differently. Don’t blame someone else for the mistake either unless you have documented proof that they make the error.
Put the documents in some sort of order. If your boss told you to do something in an email—and that’s why you’re being blamed—then put that email on the top. Use a highlighter to highlight relevant information in emails and other documents. You can’t expect your boss to read through fifty pages of material to find what is relevant.
You shouldn’t ask your coworkers to attend your meeting with your boss, because your boss might not assume they are telling the truth if you are in the room. Instead, they can meet afterward or summarize what they know in an email.
Open your meeting by summarizing what you have been accused of. Then segue into your side of the story. You can say, “I was just too emotional to tell you this yesterday, but now that I’ve had time to think, I want to share what happened. ” Back up your statements with documents. You can say, “See, I have that email from accounting right here. Janet said that the account had $1,000 still in it. That’s why I spent the money. ”
