Everyone makes mistakes, even supervisors. But your mistakes will not only be under the scrutiny of your employees, but also your peers and your boss.

Manage your mistakes wisely by apologizing to your employees the professional way, from CareerBuilder.com’s article, How To Apologize At Work.

• Say you’re sorry as soon as possible. You might need some time to cool off if, say, you yelled at an employee because you got into a confrontation. Take a little time if you need it to calm down, but don’t wait days, weeks or even months to apologize. You want to be genuine and prompt with your apology.
• Tell your employee what you did wrong. Of course, your employee probably knows what you did, but it’s important that you acknowledge the issue. Come right out and say it, too. Don’t stall or try to justify your actions.
• Make your apology meaningful. Try not to be impersonal, but also don’t make yourself seem completely unfit for your job. Saying something like, “I feel really bad that I yelled at you” is better than, “This is all my fault.”
• Let him vent. Your employee might still be angry at your actions. Let him vent if he needs to. You shouldn’t expect that he’s going to drop the issue just because you apologized.
• Correct the problem. Do your very best to make things better between you and your employee. You might not get things back to normal, but you can at least begin to mend your relationship. Offer some compensation if possible, or show him how you’re going to correct the problem.
• Don’t let it happen again. You’ll ruin your efforts to apologize if you repeat your offense. For example: If you yelled at your employee, you should never raise your voice to that employee or any other employee for that matter. Make an effort to keep your disagreements calm, and they’ll see you’ve learned your lesson.

Filed under: Management Minute