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As they say, everyone makes mistakes. In many situations, you can correct your error or just forget about it and move on. Making a mistake at work, however, can be more serious. It can have a dire effect on your employer. It may, for example, endanger a relationship with a client, cause a legal problem or put people's health or safety at risk. Repercussions will ultimately trickle down to you. Simply correcting your mistake and moving on may not be an option. When you make a mistake at work your career may depend on what you do next.
众所周知,人谁无过。很多情况下,你只需改正错误,放下一切,向前进就行了。但是在职场中犯错,就是一件严肃的事情。这有可能对你的上司造成可怕的影响。例如,很有可能影响与客户之间的友好关系,导致法律问题,或者对别人的健康和安全造成威胁。错误的反作用最终还会影响到你自己。如果只是简单的把错误改正就做别的事了也许不会是一个得当的解决方法。当你在工作中出错了,你的职业生涯就会取决于你的处理方法了。

承认错误

Admit Your Mistake: As soon as you discover that something went awry, immediately tell your boss. The only exception is, of course, if you make an insignificant error that will not affect anyone or if you can fix it before it does. Otherwise, don't try to hide your mistake. Doing that will make you look a lot worse if someone else discovers it and you could be accused of a coverup. Being upfront about it will demonstrate professionalism, a trait most employers greatly value.
承认错误:一旦你发现某件事进展得不正常,那就马上跟上司汇报。唯一的例外,当然就是,你犯了一个无伤大雅不会影响到别人的小错误,并且在它影响他人之前解决掉了的情况下。不然,不要隐瞒自己犯的错误。这样做只会使你在其他人发现问题的时候认为你有心隐瞒。马上反映情况可以体现你的专业,这种特质很受上司的赏识。

给上司展现你的解决方案

Present Your Boss With a Plan to Correct the Error: There is one thing you should try to do before going to your boss—come up with a solution to rectify your mistake (along with a few alternatives for her to consider). If you can't come up with something quickly, go to your boss anyway, but reassure him that you are working on some solutions. Once you know what needs to happen, present your plan clearly. Tell your boss how long it will take to implement it and if there are any costs involved. Be ready to also present your alternative solutions just in case she shoots down the first one. Problem solving is an important soft skill.
给上司展示你的解决方案:在跟上司汇报情况之前你需要做的只有一件事——寻找解决方法来改正你所犯的错误(还有多种让上司选择的方案)。如果你一时无法立刻想到方法,那就直接找上司吧,但也要让他知道你正在寻找方法。告诉上司需要花多长时间能够解决这个问题,并询问是否造成资金损失。准备多个解决方案,以备上司对第一个方案的否决。懂得解决问题是职场中一个很重要的软技能。

不要怪罪于他人

Don't Blame Anyone Else: You may have collaborated with other employees on the project in question and, on some, level, each member of that team is responsible for its successes and failures. Ideally, everyone should approach your boss together to alert him to the mistake and take ownership of it. Unfortunately, that might not happen. There are going to be some people who say "not my fault." It won't help you to point fingers at others, even if they do share responsibility for the mistake. In the end, each person will be held accountable for his or her own actions.
不要怪罪于他人:你有可能跟其他同事合作完成一件任务,所以,在某种程度上,每一个职员都肩负着任务成败的责任。理论上来说,每个人都应该跟上司汇报出错的情况并承担相应的责任。但是很不幸的是,这是不大可能发生的事情。肯定会有人说"不是我的错"的话,但你不能把错误归罪与谁,即使他们的确承担了责任。最后,每个人都有解释自己所做的事情的机会。

道歉但不要过度自责

Apologize But Don't Beat Yourself Up: There's a big difference between admitting your mistake and beating yourself up about it. Take responsibility but don't berate yourself for making it, especially in public. If you keep calling attention to your error, that is what will stick in people's minds. You want your boss to focus on your actions after you made the mistake, not on the fact that it happened in the first place.
道歉但不要过度自责:承认错误和对自己过度自责是有区别的。承认了错误,但不要过分自责,特别是在公共场合。如果你一直拘泥于自己所犯的错误,这种印象将会深深地记在人们的脑海里。你要期待的是上司知道你承认错误之后对问题的补救行动,而不是你犯了错这件事。

如果有可能,利用个人时间改正错误

If Possible, Correct the Mistake on Your Own Time: If you are exempt from earning overtime pay, get to work early, stay late and spend your lunch hour at your desk for as long as it takes to correct your mistake. This won't be possible if you are a non-exempt worker since your boss will have to pay you overtime—1 1/2 times your regular hourly wage—for each hour you work over 40 hours per week. You certainly don't want to stir up more trouble by causing him to violate that requirement.
如果有可能,利用自己的私人时间改正错误:如果你无法获得加班的薪水,那么就早出晚归,甚至利用午餐时间,直到问题解决为止。如果你不是一名免于加班薪水的员工,这就是不会发生的事情,因为你的上司会给你加班的薪水,你会获得比正常的时薪多一半的酬劳,因为你一个星期工作了超过40个小时。所以你肯定不会给他带来麻烦来断了自己的福利吧。

 


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