You’ve blown it. You’ve made a mistake that cost someone in a big way. What you do now will make all the difference in how you’re perceived.

HR managers aren’t perfect; it’s just that everyone expects them to be.

Understand, though, at some point you’re going to make a mistake that might cost an employee time, money or aggravation. When that happens, take a few tips from customer service managers, the people who specialize in soothing others who’ve been victimized by mistakes:

Don’t spend too much time on the ‘why’ of the mistake.
There may be a perfectly good reason why the mistake happened – your computer died, another employee didn’t follow up on a commitment, the dog ate your homework, etc.

Be aware that most people aren’t interested in it. So any explanation of why the mistake happened works best when it’s short and sweet. Apologize, summarize and move on.

Explain what you’re going to do to make up for it.
Try to put the explanation in positive terms, and give them a solution that involves action by you. In other words, avoid explanations that go something like, “We’re going to make sure that Bill gets disciplined over this, and I’m putting our best person on it right away.”

Better: “As soon as we’re done talking, I’m going to do whatever it takes to fix this, and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours on how it’s going.”

Realize that some people won’t forgive and forget.
Some mistakes are worse than others, and often people won’t overlook or forgive them, no matter what you do to make up for it.

Go ahead and fix the problem in the best way you know, and try to make sure it doesn’t happen again. A good solution and a little time may soften their hearts eventually.

Tags: commitment, mistakes, solution