My Worst Mistakes at Work
I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my time in the workforce. At one job, I had the nickname “Becky Four Times” because that’s what it took to get things right. What follows are some of my most mortifying work experiences. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they are mostly about money. In writing them here, I hope to help you, dear reader, but also to free myself from the burden of my past mistakes, knowing I’m a better person for having learned from them. Please go easy on me!
Free at what cost
I worked near a haircutting school, and one day on my lunch break I was propositioned by a student who needed a hair model for an exam– hers had canceled last minute. Having had my hair cut by more advanced students at the school before, I thought I knew what I was getting into, but no– the time commitment was not communicated to me as I entered into what became the slowest haircut of my life. I got back to work two hours later than I should have, and my boss threatened to fire me. I felt so scolded that I didn’t get my hair cut again until I didn’t work there anymore.
It’s my fault the new laptop was stolen
In college I worked in my department’s computer lab, overseeing equipment checkouts. During finals one semester, on an evening shift after I had been up late the night before, a classroom down the hall checked out a presentation cart with a projector, speakers, and a brand new top-of-the-line laptop. When I locked up that night, I forgot to retrieve it (or lock up the classroom). The next morning the laptop was gone. I was beyond mortified that I’d cost the department a couple thousand dollars and thought for sure I was going to be fired. It was the most expensive mistake I had made in my life so far. We then learned that the security cameras were offline because of building construction, making it impossible to find the thief. Instead of letting me go, my boss reminded me that the school would file an insurance claim for the laptop, and told me he couldn’t fire one of his best workers for just one sleep-deprived oversight.
Sky high expectations fell hard
I was really excited for my first official performance review. I had grown a lot since I had started the job and convinced myself I deserved a big raise. I was encouraged to think big and given a lot of verbal positive reinforcement, so I read salary negotiation books and collected a document of my achievements, especially in areas that bring in profit. It didn’t go well at all. I came out of the review with a raise that didn’t even match inflation. I felt completely betrayed that the company didn’t see the same transformative performance growth that I had outlined so diligently, or if they did, were so boldly denying it to save money. My mistake was supposing that my company and I had the same thing in mind regarding my career growth– I shouldn’t have let myself get so hyped up that I’d be able to get the raise I wanted, or I wouldn’t have been so crushingly disappointed when I didn’t. Since then I’ve read some books on workplace growth authored by women, and I have some solace in now knowing that the advice from the other books I read really works a lot better for men, and that women have a lot less negotiating power in the first place.
Borrowed money from my boss
I was in financial stress because of an unfortunate housing emergency. I needed cash to get a new place. My boss knew the situation and was very sympathetic, writing me a check before I could even finish asking. But we didn’t set up a proper repayment plan, and when it came up in my performance review a few months later, I sure was red in the face. Now I know that unless the company offers a formal Employee Assistance Program for dealing with emergencies like mine, it’s best to exhaust all other family and bank loan options before asking the boss.
Passive income no more
I had an opportunity at my full time job to turn over assembly of a product I made to the company in exchange for a royalty. It wasn’t a ton of money, but passive income of any kind is worth much more than its sticker price. But upon leaving the job, I just plumb forgot about the whole thing. It wasn’t until I went to do my taxes that I realized I didn’t have the royalty income I had filed the year before. My mistake was not getting a formal royalty agreement in the first place, because without one in place I now get bupkis.