We’ve all had a bad day at the office. Too much work, a crabby client, an annoying coworker—these are all to be expected in the normal course of a career. But some of us have had some really bad days. In a new survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam, senior managers were asked to recount their most embarrassing moments at work.
Here are some of their responses:
- “I screamed because a coworker put a spider on me.”
- “My swivel chair moved as I was sitting down and I ended up on the floor.”
- “I turned to talk to someone and walked into the elevator door.”
- “I fell and broke a tooth while running up the stairs.”
- “I came out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to my shoe.”
- “I vomited onstage while receiving an award.”
- “I fell asleep during a meeting and had to be woken up.”
- “I mistakenly went into the women’s restroom.”
- “I swore after a phone call without realizing the person was still on the line.”
- “I couldn’t find my car after happy hour.”
- “I showed up for work on a Saturday because I thought it was Friday.”
Tech troubles were a common theme:
- “Everyone showed up for a meeting on the wrong day because I had incorrectly scheduled it.”
- “I sent an email badmouthing a person to that individual.”
- “I got caught hiding in the bathroom using my phone.”
- “I broke the coffee machine, and it started spraying nonstop.”
Others suffered a case of mistaken identity:
- “I gave an award to the wrong person during a recognition ceremony.”
- “I greeted two clients who were sisters as mother and daughter.”
- “I accidentally called a male customer ‘ma’am’ on the phone.”
Several respondents experienced wardrobe woes:
- “I ripped my pants while playing hacky sack and had to get a new pair.”
- “I wore mismatched shoes to work.”
- “I spilled food on my outfit during lunch with a client.”
- “I didn’t realize until after a meeting that my zipper was down.”
Finally, these bloopers gave managers something to chew on:
- “I sneezed while eating and food flew everywhere.”
- “I made a cake to celebrate an employee’s birthday and found out she was allergic to it.”
- “I ate the wrong lunch out of the refrigerator.”
“Experiencing the occasional embarrassing moment at work is something we can all relate to,” said Koula Vasilopoulos, a district president for OfficeTeam. “Recover smoothly and avoid any prolonged awkwardness by staying composed and responding with a sense of humor.”
The survey was based on responses from more than 300 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees in Canada and the United States.
