Awkward Moment at Work? How to Handle It Professionally

Awkward moments are just that. Awkward. And as horrible as they seem in real time, they are not career-​ending events.

Most stumbles are survivable. The people who recover best usually do so with humility, calm and a quick return to the task at hand.

Do you know how to diffuse awkward moments?

Workplace awkwardness comes in many flavors:

• An accidental email reply-all
• A rushed comment that lands wrong
• The presentation where your brain briefly checks out
• The moment you realize the “obvious” answer was not obvious after all

Awkward moments that cause embarrassment will happen more often as today’s workplace may have five generations under one roof. “Workplace awkwardness is universal”, says Val Olson Armstrong, a career and leadership coach at Korn Ferry Advance.

Numerous studies find that workers experience increased social discomfort or are reticent to speak up for fear of embarrassment. If workplaces do not feel safe, team members will not perform well. 

Research on psychological safety shows that teams do better when people can acknowledge mistakes without fear of shame. Not surprisingly, fear and blame make people less likely to speak up or learn.

Handling those awkward moments

People handle embarrassment differently. Some laugh first, some freeze, some over-​explain. Likewise, some go into defensive mode as if the office had suddenly turned into a courtroom.

The most helpful response is usually the least dramatic:

• Acknowledge the issue
• Correct it if needed
• Move on with dignity

Humility helps because it signals that you care about the work more than your ego. Grace and mild humor help because they lower the temperature and tension for everyone else in the room.

A useful rule is to not make the awkward moment about your wounded pride. Make it about the next right step. That might mean sending a concise correction, asking a clarifying question, or simply saying, “Good catch — I’ll fix that.”

Am I right for this job?

If feeling like you don’t belong in your workplace sounds a little too familiar, you’re not alone. A study by Asana shows that 62% of employees experience imposter syndrome. Interestingly, women are more likely to experience it.

To clarify, imposter syndrome is a psychological experience where an individual persistently doubts their skills, talents, or accomplishments. Further, they live in fear of being exposed as a fraud, despite concrete evidence of their competence. Even the simplest awkward moment will have a shattering impact when you’re in the throes of self-doubt.

Imposter syndrome isn’t officially recognized as a mental health disorder, yet it may have a significant impact on professional performance. Identifying its symptoms may help defeat its grip:

• Sensitivity to small mistakes
• Overworking and burnout
• Perfectionism
• Social isolation
• Low self-​esteem
• Increased stress and anxiety

If these symptoms persist, you should seek their root cause. They may relate to your personality, your childhood dynamics, your professional environment or even social media. But, bottom line, they ultimately convey fear.

Diffusing your fears

People who feel unsure of their status at work are often not weak. On the contrary, they are often conscientious, new, or operating in a low-​trust or low-​safety environment. However, given these surroundings, an awkward moment is a misstep into the abyss of fear.

Psychologist, Cathy Sullivan-​Windt says overcoming your fear takes time and effort. And while it’s hard to keep your mind from creating negative spirals, you can challenge those narratives with facts:

• Focus on the evidence – Challenge your self-​talk with positive, proven events.
• Reframe your thoughts – Develop positive self-​compassionate affirmations to train your mind to be more empathetic.
• Talk to a trusted source – You’ll find you’re not alone, while gaining confidence in your abilities and strengths.
• Note your achievements – Create an attaboy/​attagirl file to record your successes.

Awkward moments are part of office life, not proof that you are failing at it. The people who do best are usually not the ones who never blush. Those people recover quickly, protect other people’s dignity and keep the work moving with a steady hand.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels​.com