Help me draft an email admitting a horrible mistake

[Anonymous]

Why didn't you use the tracker this year when you know you needed it last year? You may not get fired, but still suggest you start looking for a new job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I don't know where the rest of these people work, that for one little mistake like this they get fired, but I feel badly for them. Please don't let them scare you.

If you worked for me, or anyone in our office, we'd have a talk, you'd explain what happened, you might get a warning or reprimand in your file, but you would not be fired. You know you made a mistake, apologize, explain your confusion, what you did to try and correct it, and steps you will take so that it doesn't happen again. And then get back to work!

+1

Flying someone to Europe for a conference they were unable to register for is not a little mistake.

[Anonymous]

You guys are being pretty mean. sounds like boss was going to be in this city for something else anyway. I’m surprised OP could t get him in though—that is weird? Anyway, just say:

“Boss, in the planning process for your trip, I must have neglected to register you for that conference. I am sorry and I will make sure something else like this won’t happen again”

[Anonymous]

I definitely would have gotten fired for this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You guys are being pretty mean. sounds like boss was going to be in this city for something else anyway. I’m surprised OP could t get him in though—that is weird? Anyway, just say:

“Boss, in the planning process for your trip, I must have neglected to register you for that conference. I am sorry and I will make sure something else like this won’t happen again”

That would be reasonable if this was the first time this had happened -- everyone makes mistakes. But it sounds like things fell through the cracks last year too, she created a process to catch those mistakes, and then inexplicably, stopped using that process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You guys are being pretty mean. sounds like boss was going to be in this city for something else anyway. I’m surprised OP could t get him in though—that is weird? Anyway, just say:

“Boss, in the planning process for your trip, I must have neglected to register you for that conference. I am sorry and I will make sure something else like this won’t happen again”

That would be reasonable if this was the first time this had happened -- everyone makes mistakes. But it sounds like things fell through the cracks last year too, she created a process to catch those mistakes, and then inexplicably, stopped using that process.

I didn’t see that this has ever happened before. OP, it’s just a mistake. Boss probably cares not that he missed a conference and got some free time. Maybe see about day 2, or schedule some meetings for him instead so it’s not time wasted.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, since this isn't Davos, and he just went to another conference and has other meetings scheduled, he may be relieved that he doesn't have to go. He's obviously not presenting. In my industry, it's the meetings around these conferences that matter, and missing the conference lectures doesn't impact that. I've also never attended a conference you couldn't crash. BUT I accept other industries are different.

With a six year track record of not making these mistakes, you wouldn't get fired at my firm for this. But agree you need to fall on your sword and set up the 2024 chart ASAP.