We all make mistakes. In some cases, however, our mistakes are so serious that they cost us the respect of colleagues and even the future within the company. However, even if you have made a serious professional mistake or caused inconvenience to colleagues at work, the damage may not be permanent. You can put the past behind you, but you'll have to work hard to recover relationships, become a model employee, and, in some cases, manage your online reputation.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Retrieve Reports
Step 1. Admit your mistakes
If you've ruined your reputation, either by wronging a coworker, by angering your boss, or by simply acquiring a bad name, you need to start with an admission of responsibility. Admit past mistakes and accept responsibility for yourself and others.
- What's happened? Where did you go wrong? Try to be completely honest with yourself.
- For example, do you have bad habits? Are you trying to avoid work and take shortcuts? Did you spread gossip in the office?
- Did you make a big mistake? Maybe you stole someone else's idea and got caught, or you plagiarized an account. Maybe you stole some money, illegally appropriating it.
Step 2. Apologize
Even if you don't have a future in your current job, you should apologize to the people you hurt. Showing remorse is the right thing to do and will help you start redeeming yourself. You won't be able to recover relationships with people and repair your reputation if you don't say you're sorry.
- Do it as soon as possible. The longer you wait to apologize, the more it will seem like you're not really sorry.
- Don't make excuses. The goal is to show your remorse and accept that you were wrong. Do not include justifications or circumstantial phrases in your speech, such as "I'm sorry you were offended when I used your idea. I just wanted to improve it."
- Be humble and admit your guilt. For example: "I was really wrong to talk to you behind your back. I know I hurt you and I ask your forgiveness."
- Be honest. Your apology will not be accepted unless you specifically say what you did. Furthermore, you will not get the desired result even if you are not sincere and seriously sorry, showing that you will not repeat the mistake.
Step 3. Commit to improve
In addition to apologies, write a plan of how you will change and ensure that your mistake will not repeat itself. You can do this for yourself or, if you're lucky enough to keep your job, share it with your superiors.
- Highlight what you did wrong and how you will avoid those behaviors in the future. For example: "I made the mistake of getting too carried away by gossip in the office and ended up saying offensive phrases towards my colleagues. From now on I intend to keep my head down, think about my job and avoid politics. of the office ".
- Don't forget to put your plan into action. For example, you could schedule regular meetings with your boss to discuss your behavior. This will highlight your progress and show that you are willing and able to improve.
Step 4. Behave yourself
Repairing your reputation will be a humbling experience. You may feel anger or resentment. You may feel annoyed, frustrated, or upset. Stay in control of these emotions; you have behaved badly in the past and you need to show others that you are trying to change.
- Try to stay calm, relaxed and positive.
- Pay attention to ways and emotions that have led you to misbehave in the past. Try to avoid them, as well as the situations that arouse them. If gossip is your problem, avoid people who always talk about others in the office.
- As the day progresses, stop and ask yourself, "How is my attitude? Am I positive? Am I productive?" Notice any problems in advance and try to recalibrate your mindset.
Method 2 of 3: Become a Model Employee
Step 1. Get to work early
In addition to making excuses and catching up on relationships, act as a model employee to rebuild your professional reputation. Get proactive. Get there first and always try to make a good impression. People will notice your attitude.
- Arriving early for work will make a good impression on your boss and maybe even your colleagues. Often, people are not there to see who leaves last. On the contrary, they always notice who is already there in the morning.
- Arriving early also means you won't have to rush. Use the moments of calm to your advantage and plan your days.
- You can take a short walk to the office first thing in the morning. People will see you and notice it.
Step 2. Assign the right priorities
Some people have trouble organizing what they need to do during the day or week. Take the initiative and prioritize your work. Always stay on track to avoid making past mistakes again and to present yourself as a great employee.
- For example, sit down and write down what you need to do every day, or longer term, in the week or month. If you get to work early, use that time to set priorities for the day.
- Having a to-do list will help you focus your energy. You could also customize the list to take advantage of the hours when you are most productive. For example, if you give your best in the morning, dedicate that time to higher priority tasks.
- Try to stick to the list. That said, you need to be flexible when your boss gives you specific instructions.
Step 3. Take care of your duties in a complete and timely manner
Of course, it's not enough just to write down what you have to do. You also have to work hard and get good results. Over time, with hard work and reliability you can make people forget the mistakes of the past. Always be responsible so your colleagues and boss will learn to trust you in the future.
- Meet deadlines. Do you have a report to deliver for next week? Make it your top priority since Monday. If you still can't get it done by the weekend, you can finish it at home or on the weekend instead of asking for more time.
- Be productive, especially if you've had consistency issues in the past. Take a short break to stretch or go to the bathroom, but don't try to avoid work.
Step 4. Do more than you should
Delivering work on time is good. However, to be a model employee, you need to aim even higher and win (or regain) the trust of your boss. Take care of the details, take care of the tasks ahead of time, and go out of your way to develop a good reputation.
- For example, if a colleague asks you to think of locations for an upcoming trade show, don't stop to compile a list, but do more: call, ask for availability and compare prices.
- When you take similar initiatives, you will appear smart and the best person for important projects.
Method 3 of 3: Rebuilding Online Reputation
Step 1. Check the statistics online
If your mistake was very serious, or if you are famous and hold a prominent position, you should probably think about your online presence when rebuilding your reputation. Don't underestimate the bad reputation on the internet. To get started, you need to consider the current situation.
- You can get a quick idea of your internet reputation by checking Google's autocomplete. Simply open the Google home page and see what appears when you type in your name or that of your company.
- For example, when you write your name, something positive or neutral appears, like "Mario Rossi CEO of Vini S.p. A." and "Mario Rossi Lifetime Achievement Award"? Or is it something negative, like "Mario Rossi arrested"?
- Search the internet for articles or reviews about you and your company if you have one. Check on local newspaper sites and social networks.
- Create a Google Alert with your name so that you will be notified whenever something new is posted.
Step 2. Deal with Google libel
Programs like Google Suggest mirror real internet searches and give you an idea of the associations made by people to your name and the reputation you have on the internet. Did you find any unwelcome elements among the results? There are some things you can do.
- Don't try to manipulate the results. While some people suggest this approach, leveraging strategies like crowdsourcing could end up causing further damage.
- You could try to appropriate the search term and create an optimized page to tell your point of view. In this way, when someone searches for "Laura Verdi embezzlement" they will find your account of the facts, namely that the allegations are false, that you have been misunderstood or that the news has not been reported correctly.
- You can also request that the search engine remove autocomplete. It doesn't happen often, and you'll usually only get it for phrases that suggest hatred, violence, pornography, or reveal your personal information. However, it may still be worth a try.
Step 3. Hire an agent to look after your online reputation
Your internet fame can get out of control. However, don't despair. There are people and agencies that can help you manage your image in such situations, such as Reputation.com or BrandYourself.com. Their services are expensive, but they can save your professional reputation.
- Those who manage your reputation will not always be able to eliminate negative content from the web. However, it should be able to bring out the positive things about you more.
- For example, their services may include creating a domain in your name with a page that tells your side of the story.
- They can also respond to negative comments and reviews, as well as manage your online presence on sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Youtube.
- The goal is not to eliminate all negative information about you, but to tip the scales in your favor when someone searches for you on the internet.
- Remember that management services are not cheap. You can pay between € 20 and € 200 per month.
