Business Ethics: How to apoligize to someone professionally?

[BeerGod]

I had a situation at work, and I need to apologize to someone over the phone. He is high on the totem pole, and I am a pip squeak...
Is their a website I can goto to learn what to say effictively and to get out off of the line asap?

 

[Whitecloak]

just apologise in the usual way. try not to whine or justify yourself unless asked for. make sure that there is a valid reason for you to make a formal apology. informal is usually better in my experience.

 

[Stifko]

what did you say/do to him? we gotta know this so we can help you say sorry.

 

[chiwawa626]

Originally posted by: Stifko
what did you say/do to him? we gotta know this so we can help you say sorry.

Yah i want the juicey details

 

[Kelvrick]

Originally posted by: chiwawa626

Originally posted by: Stifko
what did you say/do to him? we gotta know this so we can help you say sorry.

Yah i want the juicey details

Isn't it obvious? BeerGod used his alcoholic powers on the Boss's wife and had her do the funky monkey dance. Now, he's gotta go use his powers once again on the new college intern for the boss. Sheiz, you guys have no detective skills at all!

Realistically, I always found informal to be more effective then formal.

<== funky monkey dance

 

[NogginBoink]

A simple "I was wrong and I'd like to apologize" will go a long, long way in my book.

 

[CPA]

Don't do it over the phone, do it at his office. Then when your done try to strike up some small talk, this way you get to know each other a little bit.

 

[kranky]

I'm not a fan of phone apologies if you can do it in person instead.

What happened that you need to apologize for? It will make a big difference in how to approach it. The spectrum runs from "I cut him off racing for a parking place at work" to "I was imitating him in the break room to the amusement of a dozen others when he came in and caught me" to "I got caught going through his desk after hours"

 

[Stifko]

A simple "I was wrong and I'd like to apologize" will go a long, long way in my book.

I agree wholeheartedly, but do it face to face, mano a mano.

 

[BeerGod]

Well, it dealt with a Football Office Pool. I emailed it out to the company, but it accidentally got to some contractors as well..
anyways, one of the contractors replied back stating it was illegial to gamble, and was upset he received the email..
I replied back saying he was wrong (cnnsi office pool has a setup where you input $$$ paid by employees)...
anyways, he got upset..
i need to call and apoligize..
its all politics basically..

 

[gopunk]

Originally posted by: BeerGod
Well, it dealt with a Football Office Pool. I emailed it out to the company, but it accidentally got to some contractors as well..
anyways, one of the contractors replied back stating it was illegial to gamble, and was upset he received the email..
I replied back saying he was wrong (cnnsi office pool has a setup where you input $$$ paid by employees)...
anyways, he got upset..
i need to call and apoligize..
its all politics basically..

jeez, what an asshat (the other guy). oh well, rise up the ladder quick so you can do bad things to him

 

[AsukaStrikes]

stop writing dirty rumors about him on the bathroom walls

 

[hans007]

man , what an uptight bastard. his sister is probably one of those people who complain when a guy has a pretty woman on a poster in his cube.

 

[kranky]

That's not all that serious of an offense, but it could have been handled better. In general if someone complains about getting an email that they feel is inappropriate for some reason, just apologize and let it go instead of trying to convince them they were wrong to complain.

And on a side note, I've noticed it's not a good thing to be the guy who runs the football pools (or organize the company picnic, or other similar things). They could be the ones to get the axe early when layoffs roll around and I can think of three different cases where that happened. The most recent was the football pool guy who everyone liked. Turned out that when some people had to be cut, some executive (who was in the football pool, by the way) decided that guy must have too much time on his hands to run the pool so well, so he was gone.

 

[Geekbabe]

An email that somebody objected to ? The person you need to explain/apologise to is your boss ,let him/her smooth the ruffled feathers on the other end.

 

[Que-TiP]

i'm sure if you explain to him that you didnt know she was his doughter, he'll understand

 

[Pooteh]

well theres that song by brenda lee, "i'm sorry, so sorry"