mortification

From accidentally hugging the CEO to getting attacked by bees at the company picnic, work can be mortifying. Here are some times we’ve mortified ourselves at work.

we are all awkward creatures

On today’s episode of the Ask a Manager podcast, I talk with awkwardness expert Melissa Dahl, who’s the author of the amazing book Cringeworthy: A Theory of Awkwardness (paid affiliate link). We talked about what causes situations to feel awkward, why we’re all especially prone to awkwardness at work, the amazing letter here from someone whose […]

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yes, you are awkward … and yes, it’s okay

I love awkwardness — my own, other people’s, all of it. There’s little I enjoy more than dissecting a mortifying moment with a close friend (“What do you think they were thinking when that came out of my mouth?!” “They must have been so baffled by why you said that!”) or even speculating on hypothetical […]

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my work clothes are revealing more than I intended

A reader writes: I’ve been working at a large, well-known company for about six months now. It is my first job out of college and I’m eager to make a good impression on my colleagues since I am one of the youngest members on my team. The company as a whole is pretty buttoned up […]

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my coworker overheard me trash-talking her

A reader writes: I talked badly about a coworker behind their back and unbeknownst to me, she overheard and now I feel terrible. I was complaining about her work ethic, and the coworker I was complaining to had the same complaints. It was things like “She’s done that to you? OMG she has done that […]

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I accidentally hugged the CEO

A reader writes: Today as I was arriving at work, I got to the door of the building just before the CEO. I was holding the door for him, and he reached over me–I assume to take the door and hold it open for me. I’m a woman, and I don’t know… chivalry? Anyway, my […]

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10 most embarrassing networking stories

Some people love to network, and it comes as naturally to them as talking to a close friend would. For others, networking can be far more formidable, full of the potential for mistakes and even outright humiliation. Here are 10 of the funniest and most embarrassing networking stories readers have shared here. 1. Doused in champagne […]

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