George Mason University: How To Repair Work Relationships After Making A Social Blunder

Press release from George Mason University:

February 24th, 2022

If you feel your social skills have gone downhill, you’re not alone. After nearly two years of working from home, and much less social activity outside of work, we’re likely to commit more unintentional lapses in etiquette, or social gaffes. This is true whether your organization is trickling back to the office or still mostly remote. Distilling decades of previous research on human emotions, Heather Vough, associate professor of management at George Mason University, recently published “Oops, I did it (again)! The emotional experience, personal responses and relational consequences of social gaffes in the workplace” in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, presenting frameworks for predicting the consequences of a gaffe. Vough said gaffes are a complex issue and not to be taken lightly. Even minor social gaffes like forgetting to greet someone in a Zoom meeting or not waving at someone that you don’t recognize because they’re wearing a mask can have consequences. “Even relatively minor gaffes can become what my [Mason] colleague Kevin Rockmann calls "anchoring events"—decisive moments that change a relationship's trajectory for better or worse,” she said. Vough theorizes that if both parties are on the same page and the gaffe-maker acts appropriately, initial awkwardness could result in a stronger emotional bond. So the next time you goof up in front of your colleagues, don’t kick yourself. Also, don’t make things worse by acting on impulse or allowing awkwardness to overwhelm you. Instead, take Vough’s research-backed advice on how to turn a faux pas into a fast friendship.

This press release was produced by George Mason University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.