Crazy Workplace Mistakes: Can They Be Fixed?

Did you make a major blunder at work? Don't despair -- there are ways to limit the damage.

(ABC News)

Dear Boss, I Think You're a Bonehead

When Theresia Whitfield was a TV news producer in Washington, D.C., she was once out in the field with a reporter and photographer from her bureau who made some unflattering headlines of their own.

"The two men started complaining about the bureau chief," said Whitfield, who's now an independent business writer in Indianapolis. "We later found out that the reporter's cell phone, which was in his coat pocket, had somehow gotten bumped and dialed the bureau chief's direct line."

Unbeknownst to the two gripers, the chief heard every word.

"Both were written up and put on probation," Whitfield said.

So what should you do if you, too, get caught bashing the boss?

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"If you have the courage to complain about your boss in public, then you have to have the courage to go to them and talk about it once you've been caught," said Cynthia Shapiro, career consultant and author of "Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know -- and What to Do About Them."

In other words, if you want to keep your job, you need to transition from traitor to team player -- and fast. To do so, Shapiro said, apologize in person, as soon as humanly possible (hiding behind e-mail won't cut it).

Tell the big cheese, "My frustrations have been boiling over and I didn't know how to talk to you about it," Shapiro advised. Diplomatically lay out your gripes. Then offer, "I'd love to work this out with you and I'd like to start fresh if we can."

Otherwise, don't be surprised if you find yourself at the top of the layoff list next time budget cuts roll around, if not sooner.