Worst mistake you made at work?

[Deleted]

Heya,
What's the worst misstake you made at work?
Did you accidently set the boss on fire? Did you accidently destroy some expensive equipment?
Tell your stories!


Today i rememberd something i heard on the radio a few years ago.
Someone working in a Chips/Crisps factory as a summerjob and he accidently ruined a batch of like 1 ton of Chips that had to be thrown out.. loool! This made me think, maybe the mmo-champion peeps have some great stories to share.

I for one forgot to clean one of our printers worth about 200.000euros and we had to change all the heads, they were about 5k each and there are 7 of them.... That sucked!

So, what's your story? Shoot!

[draykorinee]

I misspelt important words.

[Letmesleep]

In my first year of college I was addicted to Runescape. Like, full blown can't-live-without-it addiction. For a little while there I would play through the night and then when I got to work I would clock out and sleep on the floor. I made the time up but it was highly unprofessional. I was...a late bloomer.

[chazus]

Believed that upper management is concerned with doing the right thing.

I found out that several other stores of our chain were basically scamming customers (selling them stuff using fake info, replacing/upgrading parts that were claimed broken, or having them buy parts that were still under warranty).

Over a period of time, I reported this and several other things of concern (managers infracting employees for tiny things like shirt not being tucked in 'properly' or being 18 seconds late to clock in from lunch).

First, my boss infracted me for not coming to him about these issues (He was the one committing them) and for 'going over his head'

Second, upper management sent me a 'polite' email telling me that they are aware of issues, but it is neither my job to 'manage' stuff, nor were these issues a priority, and that I'm only wasting everyones time. They also added that if I continued to 'complain' about problems within the company, they would consider disciplinary action.

[Deleted]

Chazus, do you live in Sweden? ^^
Sounds like a chain of stores in Sweden, wont name names but damn, they scam people on a laaarge scale.

[Letmesleep]

Believed that upper management is concerned with doing the right thing.

I found out that several other stores of our chain were basically scamming customers (selling them stuff using fake info, replacing/upgrading parts that were claimed broken, or having them buy parts that were still under warranty).

Over a period of time, I reported this and several other things of concern (managers infracting employees for tiny things like shirt not being tucked in 'properly' or being 18 seconds late to clock in from lunch).

First, my boss infracted me for not coming to him about these issues (He was the one committing them) and for 'going over his head'

Second, upper management sent me a 'polite' email telling me that they are aware of issues, but it is neither my job to 'manage' stuff, nor were these issues a priority, and that I'm only wasting everyones time. They also added that if I continued to 'complain' about problems within the company, they would consider disciplinary action.

Wow, props to you for doing the right thing. You work for a morally backwards company. I worked at an animal hospital that included boarding for a little bit who also screwed tons of people out of money with immoral practices. I brought it to the attention of the higher ups before quitting. A couple years later the place was shut down and a law suit was filed against them.

[chazus]

Wow, props to you for doing the right thing. You work for a morally backwards company.

It really was. It was actually PC Club, which has been defunct for several years now due to mismanagement. I prided myself in doing 'good' work (morally, as well as effective). We had a tiered goal system for service, basically if you hit 100%, you get commission, 120% you get commission + 10%, 150% you get commission + 25%. I high the 150% goal every month for 2 years straight, and each time I hit it, that goal would go up higher, and I still pulled it off. The company determined that I (and other techs) were basically making 'too much' from that system, so they changed it.

Originally, the system was like, if I made 3500, that was 100%. By the end the goal was like 5500.
The new system required me to hit 12,000, and if I did, I would get 3x commission. I never hit it, not even close, and my paychecks got cut in half because of it.

Our entire group of employees all quit on the same day (four of us), and the company went under about a year later (not due to us quitting, but because of the roll they were on)

[Deleted]

I worked at an animal hospital that included boarding for a little bit who also screwed tons of people out of money with immoral practices. I brought it to the attention of the higher ups before quitting. A couple years later the place was shut down and a law suit was filed against them.

Well done to you two for doing the right thing, most people sadly dont :/

[Kuniku]

I probably did some silly stuff at my old job, which this early in the morning i can't remember, recently though . . erm . . . on monday i printed off a 450 page service manual for one of our products for a customer, then promptly hole punched the wrong side of the entire manual, so had to reprint it all XD

[StayTuned]

I misspelt important words.

I c wut u did thar.

Ive done only one mistake so far. I forgot to take 30 ID cards from the office with me which had to be delivered to the airport next morning 6am. Obviously 6am is too early for the office to be opened so I had to put hell and earth into motion to get these shitty ID cards. Without those cards, I could have kissed my job good bye. Luckly I managed to get them via the clerks help but it was a CLOSE call, to say the least.

[Letmesleep]

It really was. It was actually PC Club, which has been defunct for several years now due to mismanagement. I prided myself in doing 'good' work (morally, as well as effective). We had a tiered goal system for service, basically if you hit 100%, you get commission, 120% you get commission + 10%, 150% you get commission + 25%. I high the 150% goal every month for 2 years straight, and each time I hit it, that goal would go up higher, and I still pulled it off. The company determined that I (and other techs) were basically making 'too much' from that system, so they changed it.

Originally, the system was like, if I made 3500, that was 100%. By the end the goal was like 5500.
The new system required me to hit 12,000, and if I did, I would get 3x commission. I never hit it, not even close, and my paychecks got cut in half because of it.

Our entire group of employees all quit on the same day (four of us), and the company went under about a year later (not due to us quitting, but because of the roll they were on)

I'm the same way. I believe working hard at your job is a moral obligation. They are paying me to perform, if I'm slacking off I feel like I'm essentially taking money for things I'm not doing. I think it's funny that you performed so well that they had to reconsider their incentive based system. They sound like douches though.

Well done to you two for doing the right thing, most people sadly dont :/

Thanks!

[muto]

When I umpired baseball I'm sure I made plenty of mistakes by making wrong calls.

[Aerr]

I used to drink sportshakes at work, just before I went to the gym. This time I had a cappuccino flavored shake. I just added the water and started shaking, everything was going allright until the lid popped off (I didn't close it properly). The cappuccino shake was all over my computer, my two screens, my keyboard, my mouse, the brand new carpet (we're in a new office building), my jeans, my shirt, my face, my arms.
I was certainly not shaking gently :/

Anyway, I got a new keyboard, pc and one new screen

[Deleted]

Obviously 6am is too early for the office to be opened so I had to put hell and earth into motion to get these shitty ID cards.

I literary spit my coffe onto my screen while reading this, haha

[Martinussen]

Well... i've ruined items and pieces of equipment fpr about 500€.

I work on a farm and I've forgot to close alot of gates so animals could escape : /
When i did this my boss had to go out and catch them all...... i guess its about 200 animals he have had to catch because i forgot that.

He doesn't even get mad but i feel bad for making such mistakes. im paid to do my job, and if i make mistakes i feel like im nothing but a burden to him and i feel like i dont diserve my pay...

[Deleted]

Anyway, I got a new keyboard, pc and one new screen

Karma sucks, one screen makes me feel like in locked inside a box with only the keyhole to look out into the world with

---------- Post added 2012-09-26 at 09:00 AM ----------

He doesn't even get mad but i feel bad for making such mistakes. im paid to do my job, and if i make mistakes i feel like im nothing but a burden to him and i feel like i dont diserve my pay...

Wow, that felt incredibly dark and depressing

[Jeleh]

Believed that upper management is concerned with doing the right thing.

I found out that several other stores of our chain were basically scamming customers (selling them stuff using fake info, replacing/upgrading parts that were claimed broken, or having them buy parts that were still under warranty).

Over a period of time, I reported this and several other things of concern (managers infracting employees for tiny things like shirt not being tucked in 'properly' or being 18 seconds late to clock in from lunch).

First, my boss infracted me for not coming to him about these issues (He was the one committing them) and for 'going over his head'

Second, upper management sent me a 'polite' email telling me that they are aware of issues, but it is neither my job to 'manage' stuff, nor were these issues a priority, and that I'm only wasting everyones time. They also added that if I continued to 'complain' about problems within the company, they would consider disciplinary action.

Curious as to what you did after this, personally I would collect all hard evidence I could and go to a new paper, pretty damn disgusting, and that treatment regarding your complaint, absolutely shocking.

Edit: read the follow up guess they got what they deserved

[Martinussen]

Wow, that felt incredibly dark and depressing

im paid to do my job, and if im not doing it correctly i dont feel like i should getting my pay :P logic i say.

[Rotted]

Well theres two really, and their not to serious,

The first one, a lady came to the counter order a tea cake on its own, and she said shes popping to the loo could I set it down on that table, now this was only open 10 days for a craft fair so it wasn't busy, any orders I had were out in seconds, so did the tea cake, went to the table and there was a guy sitting there, so I thought erm okay, and I politely said, "excuse me, is it the lady with you that has ordered a tea cake" he grumbled and I made out a yes, set it down didnt think anything of it, didnt notice the woman come back in, 15 mins later she comes up and asks wheres her tea cake, as it happens the table was right by the counter, and I said erm its with your husband eating it over there, she looked and said, I have no idea who that man is, the guy litrally, took the second half of the tea cake, shoved it all in his mouth and walked off, I was young at the time and didnt think of chasing after him to have a go, I was just gob smacked,

the other I was a bit older and back in the folks cafe working,

had a good female friend at the time, and she was being forced by her folks to work in a cafe for 2,50 a day, yes AT 17, so she could learn to appreciate money, and on top of that, she had to give her parents half of what ever she earned. And to top it off, when ever she tried to get a new job somewhere else, normally her parents would go in and speak to the boss first, and guess what she lose's the job

So I tell this to my mother, and in a heart beat she takes her on to work for her, her mother than comes around and actually says you dont want her working for you, shes useless etc etc. My mother, being the forward and loud voice she is, told her politely at 17 a girl can make up her own mind. So she came to work for us,

(her father works away a lot)

Now speed up 2 months down the line, its a busy ish day in the cafe, but more staff on that what we need, the girls working too, and we decided we didnt need everyone, so I volunteered to go on a split shift and come back for clearing down, so I left, within 5 mins of leaving one of the other lads is on the phone to me saying, get back down here quickly, I rushed got there, mums fumming, so are all the staff, their up to their neck in dish's and people complaining and to top it off a load of food orders just came in.

what had happened was, as I left her father came in, barged his way to the front of the que, shouted the odds at my mother and at the girl, the lads were dealing with other customers so they couldn't do anything to help, mum had to take this guy out back where he continued to shout in her face, (aka bad idea, she gives as good as she takes) in the end his words were like along the lines of, "IF SHE CANT WORK AT HER OTHER JOB BECAUSE ITS NOT GOOD ENOUGH, THEN THERES MORE THAN ENOUGH HOUSE WORK SHE CAN HELP HER MOTHER DO. CLEANING COOKING LOOKING AFTER THE ANIMALS," he then stormed out grabbed the girl and went towards the door, My mother actually chased him through the cafe, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, forced him to let go off her, and said to the girl, poilitley in front of everyone, "<Name> if you get fed up of your arse hole father, you know my numbers, my son and all the staff here, phone one of us we'll come pick you up and your more than welcome to move in with us, for nothing" She then proceeded to throw him out of the door right on his backside,

My worst mistake of that story? going on a split shift, the staff and my mother have a lot more patience than me, I'd of beat the shit into him,

Oh I should saym 6 months later she moved out with her boy friend, but we see her a lot, she comes up to the house still she'll stay a few nights a week sometimes instead of going home now shes single, even like now Im not home shes more than comfortable enough with my folks to turn up unexpected and stay for a few nights

[Palmatum]

At my first job I punched my assistant manager, breaking his nose and knocking him out.

It was Halloween and he jumped out of some boxes in the dark... So I punched him instinctively lol.