Oops! Editors Reveal Some of Their Biggest Office Mistakes

By Kristin Granero

Make a big mistake at work? The good-ish news is you’re not alone. In an attempt to make you feel better (or at least more normal), and perhaps avoid another one in the near future, we asked editors who’ve been there to share their biggest, most embarrassing (some are downright cringe-worthy!) office fails. The best part? They all managed to come out of them unscathed.

“I was going back and forth with a publicist from a brand we frequently work with, and they asked if my coworker and I would be available to meet on a day when I would be out of the office. I clearly explained that I would be out of the office that day, so we would need to find another date to meet. The publicist came back twice more with the exact same date, but just a different time. Clearly this still wouldn’t work for me. I hit reply to privately message my co-worker who was cc’d on the email and said something along the lines of, ‘What part of I am not going to be in the office that day does she not understand?!’ Of course, I hit reply-all, and the email went to my coworker and the publicist. I was able to quickly clear the air, but now I triple check who every email I send is going to.” —Melissa, Senior Editor

“I was a freelance assistant at a major magazine and was tasked with buying food and drinks for an office party. The next day, my boss asked me for the corporate card, but I couldn’t find it. I thought it was still in my pants pocket from the day before, so I told her I’d left it on her desk, thinking that I’d get it that night and actually put it on her desk the next morning. Unbeknownst to me, she tore her office apart looking for it. The next morning she asked me where I put it. After confessing that I didn’t know where it was (at this point, I’d looked in my pocket), she said someone called her about finding the card. I should have fessed up in the beginning, but I panicked. Now I stick to what my mother always said: ‘Honesty is the best policy!’” —Kate, Social Media Editor

“When I was an editor at Cosmo, we had to cut a story down from 6 tips to 5 to fit the layout. It was a sex story; something like 6 Signs He Loves Your Sex Moves. The editor of the story — who is still a good friend of mine — cut the 5th sign, but forgot to renumber the story. So it went 1,2, 3,4,6 on the page. I was her top editor and signed off on it. It went to press. But the worst part was that it was also a coverline — so it still said 6 Signs on the cover. The printer found the error, but only after printing off a few hundred thousand copies. We were told that they sent those to Canada.” — Chandra,  recruiter

“One time, I had arranged a phone interview with a high-profile celeb and thought she was standing me up. It turns out her publicist had been calling the conference line, but the ringer was off. Now I always double check!” —Lauren, Entertainment Editor

“I used to have to take three trains and a bus to get to work, and sometimes there were transportation delays, which led to me walking into meetings late. I learned to leave really earlier to avoid the stress.” —Kourtney, Entertainment Editor

“When I worked for a celebrity magazine, I was always emailing publicists for quotes from their clients to use as sidebars in my articles. Sometimes I’d wait until the very last minute to send these requests, causing myself extra deadline stress waiting for the replies in my inbox. Now I work in public relations and the tables have turned!” —Joy, Former Editor

“A while back, as an intern, I was invited to a big magazine party. I was so nervous, so I relied on drinks for some liquid courage. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much food. I must have gotten out of there just in time because I ended up puking on the way home.” —Nicole, women’s magazine editor