Senior Managers Aren’t Perfect

Senior managers confess to falling asleep, ripping their pants and breaking the coffee machine in a survey from OfficeTeam that asks what are their most embarrassing moments at work.

 

Survey responses included:

• “I screamed because a coworker put a spider on me.”
• “My swivel chair moved as I was sitting down and I ended up on the floor.”
• “I turned to talk to someone and walked into the elevator door.”
• “I fell and broke a tooth while running up the stairs.”
• “I came out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to my shoe.”
• “I vomited onstage while receiving an award.”
• “I fell asleep during a meeting and had to be woken up.”
• “I mistakenly went into the women’s restroom.”
• “I swore after a phone call without realizing the person was still on the line.”
• “I couldn’t find my car after happy hour.”
• “I showed up for work on a Saturday because I thought it was Friday.”
• “Everyone showed up for a meeting on the wrong day because I had incorrectly scheduled it.”
• “I sent an email badmouthing a person to that individual.”
• “I got caught hiding in the bathroom using my phone.”
• “I broke the coffee machine, and it started spraying nonstop.”
• “I gave an award to the wrong person during a recognition ceremony.”
• “I greeted two clients who were sisters as mother and daughter.”
• “I accidentally called a male customer ‘ma’am’ on the phone.”
• “I ripped my pants while playing hacky sack and had to get a new pair.”
• “I wore mismatched shoes to work.”
• “I spilled food on my outfit during lunch with a client.”
• “I didn’t realize until after a meeting that my zipper was down.”
• “I sneezed while eating and food flew everywhere.”
• “I made a cake to celebrate an employee’s birthday and found out she was allergic to it.”
• “I ate the wrong lunch out of the refrigerator.”

 

The survey includes responses from more than 600 senior managers at companies in the U.S. and Canada with 20 or more employees.