15 People Whose Are Still Haunted by Their Job Fiasco

We all make mistakes at work, but some blunders are so unforgettable they continue to haunt people long after they’ve clocked out. From embarrassing mishaps to major missteps, these stories reveal moments that left employees cringing for years. Whether it was a disastrous first day, an unfortunate slip of the tongue, or a project gone terribly wrong, these 15 people share their most unforgettable workplace failures.

• I was being interviewed for a job at a bank. It was going perfectly despite how nervous I was, and I was probably in with a great chance. Then, as a final question, the panel asked me, “Why should we hire you?” and I replied, “Because I probably won’t steal your money!”
  I was not hired. © Isthatyourhair / Reddit

• I accidentally deleted the entire project directory for my company, thinking I was deleting a folder called “Proposals.” We lost about two-thirds of the directory before I was able to cancel the deletion. The data was gone, as the folder was too big to fit in the trash can, so it was permanently deleting files as it went along. © Twinchad / Reddit

• After an amazing promotion at my dream job of 10 years, I told a coworker how much money I made. They must have told everyone.
  My boss informed me how unacceptable what I did was. The next week, they fired me with no reason. © MidnightSG / Reddit

• I work at a deli and frequently do catering deliveries. I use the company car, which is wrapped in advertisement stuff with our name in plain sight. A lady cut me off, so I sped up and shouted rude things at her.
  Later that day, the lady called and complained. I was lucky enough to be the one who answered the phone. I assured her that I would “get it taken care of.” © Mayor13 / Reddit

• I worked at a marketing agency, and we had a really difficult client—constantly changing their mind, sending rude emails, and demanding last-minute revisions. One day, after a particularly frustrating call, I forwarded an email to my coworker, saying, “If I have to deal with this guy for one more day, I swear I’ll lose my mind.” But instead of forwarding it, I hit “reply all.”
  The client was on the email. So was my boss. I felt my stomach drop as I saw the “sent” confirmation. I tried to recall the message, but it was too late.
  The client responded, simply saying, “I see how you really feel.” I was fired that afternoon. Now, I triple-check every email before hitting send.

• When I was 16, I did a vacation job at a farm. I had to plant strawberries in the ground. I planted a whole day’s supply upside down. The boss was angry. © ecky—ptang-zooboing / Reddit

• I dropped my suit off at the dry cleaners and went back to get it the morning of the job interview, but they had lost it. With the interview only about twenty minutes away, the owner gave me his suit to borrow. It was a tan suit, way too big, had a striped pattern, and reeked of mustard and sweat. Safe to say, I did not make a good first impression at that interview. © GitCommit_Deez / Reddit

• Large printer—one of those office units. Well, it had a manual switch to go between 220 and 110 voltage. Halfway around the world, a coworker forgot to change the switch to the correct voltage and fried the power supply.
  It was going to take a week to get a replacement unit, but my coworker needed to depart for his wedding. So, a week later, I flew out to finish this guy’s job and install the new unit. I forgot to check the voltage and fried it again. Oops. © SaltyDogBill / Reddit

• I managed a pool when I was younger, and one night, I forgot to turn off the chlorine pump. When I got out of my car the next morning to open up, I was hit by an overwhelming smell of bleach. When I finally got to the pool, it was yellow. It took three days of flushing to get the pool usable again. © hdg3xb / Reddit

• I was working backstage at a huge conference, controlling the speakers’ microphones. It was an easy job—just turn them on and off. But during a break, I forgot to mute one. The whole room, including investors, journalists, and industry leaders, heard the CEO complaining about how “stupid” the investors were and how he “hated dealing with them.”
  People started looking around, whispering. By the time the CEO realized, it was too late. He turned bright red, then stormed backstage and yelled at me for not checking the mic.
  The company lost a multi-million-dollar deal that day. I wasn’t fired, but I was never trusted with anything important again.

• I was working at a retail hardware store about 25 years ago. I had to do the cash deposit and drop it off at the bank night drop. I don’t know how, but I forgot to go to the bank and went directly home instead.
  I didn’t even think about it anymore. The cash bag, with over $10K in cash and checks, was waiting for me in the car the next morning. I hadn’t even locked my car doors. © caruggs / Reddit

• I worked in a big office building, and one day, I was walking past the break room when I saw a weirdly placed switch near the coffee machine. It wasn’t labeled, and curiosity got the best of me. I flipped it.
  The fire alarm started blaring, and within minutes, the whole building was evacuating. Fire trucks showed up. The entire office—hundreds of people—stood outside in the cold, confused.
  Turns out, it was the emergency alarm for the building, and I was the idiot who set it off. My boss wasn’t amused. I didn’t get fired, but I got stuck doing the most boring, tedious tasks for months.

• I was at a job interview, but something felt off. The manager—who would have been my direct supervisor—kept smirking, barely paying attention.
  As I was talking about my past work experience, he seemed bored, not really focusing on me. Then, he suddenly interrupted and said, “Your former boss is a fool to let go of a woman like you! You seem too smart.”
  Confused, I smiled nervously and continued as if I hadn’t heard him—I really needed this job. But when I got home and undressed, I was horrified to see that I had been wearing my blouse inside out, with the tag hanging out. I had been in such a rush that morning that I hadn’t noticed.
  The manager’s attitude had already left a bad impression, so when they called the next day to offer me the job, I declined. A few hours later, upper management reached out, asking why. When I explained, they surprised me with good news—the guy had been fired, which likely explained his behavior. The day of my interview was his last workday.
  Relieved, I accepted the job. And now? I always double-check my clothes before heading out.

• I was giving a presentation to 300+ people and rested my arm on top of the podium in a spot where there was a button that turned the entire system off, taking about 10 minutes to reboot and get my presentation back up. Two minutes into talking again, I did it again. © redmooncat15 / Reddit

• I worked at a climbing wall as a belayer. We tied all of the knots ourselves every day and did double checks with each other to ensure they were safe.
  One day, we had a few different people come in to belay while we were at lunch. We returned and got back to work. I had a small family with me, and their 5-6-year-old daughter was almost at the top of the wall when I looked up and noticed the knot attached to her harness was coming undone.
  I calmly belayed her down, not mentioning the knot to keep everyone calm, and then told them I’d just like to retie the knot for my own preferences. I can’t describe the horror of looking up at this child and realizing that the knot holding them could fail, and they could fall 30+ feet on my watch. © 32redalexs / Reddit

Not all heroes wear capes—some simply have hearts full of kindness and the courage to make a difference. Small gestures can change lives, turning an ordinary moment into something unforgettable. In these 10 heartwarming stories, strangers stepped up in ways so touching they could be straight out of a movie.