All community posts

Tom Lockridge


Career development 7h
Yesterday during an important meeting with some clients, I accidentally broke a glass and ended up spilling champagne on a couple of people.
First, the director practically burned a hole through me with his stare and now our accounting department wants to deduct the cost of the glass from my salary. And honestly, it seems like they’re planning to fire me.
But seriously, can someone really lose his job over such a small thing? It could happen to anyone, right?

  • Uma Aggarwal

    3h
    Best answer

    It is unfortunate but these things happen. Your director was embarrassed and did not know the next step. You and/or your colleagues in the meeting... could have grabbed some dry towels, quickly pick up big pieces and mop up the liquid and spread dry towels and the meeting could have resumed. If you had another conference room that was empty, meeting could have moved there.
    But the director was embarrassed, the meeting was interrupted and sometimes the client may think of other objections and the sale may be lost.
    You owe your boss and the client an apology. As far as your job is concerned, I am assuming you are valuable enough to the organization that a firing may not even come to their minds.
    A reprimand may be and you should accept it graciously.
    Good luck and be careful with champagne. Stop drinking long before you start feeling tipsy.
     more

    1

  • Joseph McGovern

    1h

    Can’t fire you for that. Must have cause. Accidental breaking of a glass in a meeting is not sufficient for cause. Cause must involve some sort of... malice or act of moral turpitude.  more

  • Uma Aggarwal

    3h

    It is unfortunate but these things happen. Your director was embarrassed and did not know the next step. You and/or your colleagues in the meeting... could have grabbed some dry towels, quickly pick up big pieces and mop up the liquid and spread dry towels and the meeting could have resumed. If you had another conference room that was empty, meeting could have moved there.
    But the director was embarrassed, the meeting was interrupted and sometimes the client may think of other objections and the sale may be lost.
    You owe your boss and the client an apology. As far as your job is concerned, I am assuming you are valuable enough to the organization that a firing may not even come to their minds.
    A reprimand may be and you should accept it graciously.
    Good luck and be careful with champagne. Stop drinking long before you start feeling tipsy.
     more

    1