Troubles at work

[icedoverfire]

Hi gents,

I guess I'm posting here because I just need to vent, and could use some learned insight.
I had a really hard day at work today. Granted, we all have hard days, but I think I'm taking today harder than most... I work as a research technician, and I'm still quite new at my job (only been in this position for a little over a month), but basically my supervisor chewed me out for almost destroying a collection of samples which took a LONG time to acquire and which are pretty much irreplaceable. This is not the first time I have made a major screwup... Part of this can be attributed to learning the ropes but I just can't get over my own incompetence, I guess. What I'm REALLY worried about is if they decide to "let me go"....

Advice?

- ice

 

[Seraphim]

That about happened to me too, as. Research technician as well! I blew up some stuff in the lab, and things were not going well at all.

Buckle down, ask questions about how to do thing correctly. Learn all you can from the people around you, and anywhere else you can as well.

I'm still at the same place ten years later....

Hang in there.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Sorry to hear that - I've screwed up plenty of times, too.

If the supervisor has cooled off tomorrow, go in to talk with a pen and a pad of paper. Apologize again and ask for pointers on how to avoid screwing up, doing things right, etc. etc. Take lots of notes and ask follow-up questions. Be thankful and tell your supervisor how much you appreciate going over these things.

That will make you look diligent and thoughtful. Be sure to take what you're told as gospel, too. I'd also make a point on asking for advice from the supervisor every so often - it'll make the supervisor feel good to be an authority and you'll look like a good employee who wants to do everything right.

 

[BladeRunner001]

Hi gents,

I guess I'm posting here because I just need to vent, and could use some learned insight.
I had a really hard day at work today. Granted, we all have hard days, but I think I'm taking today harder than most... I work as a research technician, and I'm still quite new at my job (only been in this position for a little over a month), but basically my supervisor chewed me out for almost destroying a collection of samples which took a LONG time to acquire and which are pretty much irreplaceable. This is not the first time I have made a major screwup... Part of this can be attributed to learning the ropes but I just can't get over my own incompetence, I guess. What I'm REALLY worried about is if they decide to "let me go"....

Advice?

- ice

Don't be so hard on yourself. The problem is not entirely yours to own 100%. Your supervisor should have trained you properly before letting you handle precious samples. Perhaps, he/she should have assigned a more "senior" technician, or post-doc to work with you on this.

As the head of a lab, I certainly ask my guys/gals to be pro-active, ask questions when in doubt...I also make sure they have proper training before going near any precious samples. There is some due diligence on both sides and most seem to forget this. Be pro-active. Go to him/her, owning to your responsibility and ask to be properly trained...Unless you did something that was an absolute No No, you got nothing to worry about.

 

[Tripnastic]

Everyone was new at their job at some time. I've got a new employee right now actually. She's screwed up quite a bit. The difference between her, and some of the people who haven't made it, is that every time she makes a mistake she corrects it then finds out how to make sure it will never happen again.

I heard one of my people say that to her the other day "He won't care if you screw up 100 times a day, as long as it's 100 different ones. He'll only notice if you do the same thing twice."

This isn't a lab, but it is a clinical setting.

 

[rm71]

I know how you feel. A couple of months ago I made big errors at work as well and almost felt like quitting! Hang on in there and just learn from your mistakes.

 

[Confilo]

Don't be so hard on yourself. The problem is not entirely yours to own 100%. Your supervisor should have trained you properly before letting you handle precious samples. Perhaps, he/she should have assigned a more "senior" technician, or post-doc to work with you on this.

As the head of a lab, I certainly ask my guys/gals to be pro-active, ask questions when in doubt...I also make sure they have proper training before going near any precious samples. There is some due diligence on both sides and most seem to forget this. Be pro-active. Go to him/her, owning to your responsibility and ask to be properly trained...Unless you did something that was an absolute No No, you got nothing to worry about.

I agree. As a supervisor in a different field, I find that people sometimes don't ask when needed almost like is shameful to admit that one is not sure of what to do.
Don,t be hard on yourself and mistakes will always happen but just new mistakes are allowed. No repeating of old mistakes
Good luck and I'm positive things will improve

 

[The Nid Hog]

Hang in there, my friend. You've got a lot of good advice here. Be proactive, keep trying to do better. Keep yourself focused and make sure that you're always as "present" as you can be. Don't be too hard on yourself. Too much guilt not only makes you feel bad--it will affect your performance. Try to stay positive. Everybody has to start off somewhere. If you keep trying your best, things will get better.

 

[BCatl]

One Summer when I was in graduate school, I got a job working for a friend of my father's. He was a job superintendent for a large construction company. We were out on a job site at the very beginning of a construction project. I'm telling you, this man was old school, and it really scared me to look at him! Man's man type of fellow that you don't run into as much these days.

Well we were measuring things to situate the building on the site. I was taking a rather casual approach to the proceedings. Well I made the mistake of saying that something was "about this long". I'm not kidding you, this guy came at me. He didn't hit me, but it came too close for comfort. Anyway, he told me in no uncertain terms that I was in the real world now and there was no "about" anything. I've cleaned it up a lot.

Well I was a pissed at the time, as well as being a scared sh**less! However, the guy did me the biggest favor of my life, and I wish he was still around for me to thank him.

Perhaps we all have to go through something like this and I suggest that you make a learning experience out of it and actually try to benefit from it.

Bring your whole mind to the job. Pretty soon you will learn the ropes. Ask questions. Keep a notebook at home where you write down the answers so you don't have to ask twice. If nothing else, you have learned important life lessons you can take with you anywhere. Good luck. You'll do fine.

 

[DE Shaver]

I can appreciate your frustration as no one wants to lose their job and wants to be perceived as valuable. I would offer the following tips...

- Try not think about past mistakes but focus on not making new ones
- Be pleasant, accept fair criticism and no complaining (at work)
- Understand that your employer wants a good ROI in paying you so give it to him
- Always ask "Is there anything else I can do?" before you leave work

That last point is an important one. I had several employers compliment me on my offer of end-of-day assistance and it's not often I'm taken up on it. One of them even went so far as to say "That's a powerful statement you've just made. I'm impressed."

 

[BCatl]

Another thing is to try to eat a good breakfast. I know some people don't like breakfast. But a protein and a starch is ideal. The protein will stay with you until you get to lunch and you'll perform better.

 

[mskembo]

That about happened to me too, as. Research technician as well! I blew up some stuff in the lab, and things were not going well at all.

Buckle down, ask questions about how to do thing correctly. Learn all you can from the people around you, and anywhere else you can as well.

I'm still at the same place ten years later....

Hang in there.

+1

Remember don't try to act like you know everything. The only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask. I will say that I've been in very similar situations, and the only thing you can do is put your nose to the grind stone. Good luck!

Mike

 

[LarryAndro]

What works best for me is to accept the least acceptable. What is the worst thing that can happen? Lose job. Lose house. Whatever is the least acceptable course of events, emotionally I accept it. I own it.

Now, I know this flies in the face of all positive thinking mantras. All I know is that thinking positive for me doesn't work as well as accepting the worst possible outcome. When I do, the current worry loses its venom and fangs. And, I think more clearly, and perform better.

(Despite my big talk above, I still worry and screw up. Just less!)

 

[icedoverfire]

Hi everyone,

A huge huge huge thank you for all your advice.

I spoke to my supervisor today and his words were, understandably "make sure it doesn't happen again." Luckily, he was not as angry as he could have been because the test we were doing yesterday worked (!). I've put a sticky on my computer screen reminding me to thaw out my stuff on ice and to place thawed samples on ice ASAP, and told my supervisor that I'd remind myself to keep an ice bucket on my work bench. I've also been sure to stay mindful of what I'm doing.

Now, time for me to get off B&B before I get caught!

- ice

 

[BladeRunner001]

Hi everyone,

A huge huge huge thank you for all your advice.

I spoke to my supervisor today and his words were, understandably "make sure it doesn't happen again." Luckily, he was not as angry as he could have been because the test we were doing yesterday worked (!). I've put a sticky on my computer screen reminding me to thaw out my stuff on ice and to place thawed samples on ice ASAP, and told my supervisor that I'd remind myself to keep an ice bucket on my work bench. I've also been sure to stay mindful of what I'm doing.

Now, time for me to get off B&B before I get caught!

- ice

Why? For what it's worth, he may be a B&B member . If not, then he should be. Your next conversation with him should be about wet-shaving...maybe you'll get a raise too

 

[professorchaos]

We all make mistakes, your boss included. As someone smarter than me said, if you aren't making any you aren't trying hard enough. Learn from it and move on.

 

[furious1]

I work with irreplaceable stuff, and occasionally move things around (although normally I try to leave that to the staff--they certainly prefer it that way). I find that it helps to visualize all steps I need to take before I start moving-is the path clear, where am I setting the piece down, etc... Maybe this would help in a lab setting during experiments? And, I'm sure you could not possibly screw anything up in your lab as bad as the grad students do everyday.... But remember, don't make fun of grad students, they just made terrible life choices.

 

[icedoverfire]

Hello fellow gentlemen,

I have a very sobering update to bring to you about the whole fracas.

I was fired yesterday afternoon.
Without warning.

The first 90 days of employment with this employer are a "probationary period" in which they can choose to retain you or let you go without giving any reason whatsoever. My feeling is that one of the post-docs chewed me out and essentially screwed me to the wall. This is after doing all that I possibly could to correct my errors....

- ice

 

[LarryAndro]

You are obviously a conscientious person, or you wouldn't have sent this type message to us. Even though things didn't turn out well for this job, you are a capable and hard-working type. Someone who will be appreciated by most.

Remember that!

 

[Tripnastic]

As long as you learned something that's going to help you in the future, then you're not leaving empty handed. It's hard to see now, but in the future you'll see this isn't nearly as bad as you probably think it is.