This week I received several panicked e-mailers asking my advice and help about what they should do being they had sent e-mails to the wrong person. “Can I get the e-mail back?” In short — nope.
One was typing about the “wrong person” in a not to kind way to another friend and inadvertently copied the “wrong person” on their diatribe (Poetic justice?). The other hit Reply to All and one of those included in “All” was the topic of the reply. Oops.
Once you click Send the e-mail is officially and irretrievably on its way. There is nothing you can do when these type of things happen but to grovel and humbly apologize. If it involves someone you really care about you’ll call them on the phone and/or apologize in person.
This situation, which surprisingly happens often, can easily be avoided by following two simple steps:
1.Don’t be a gossip in your e-mail. If you can’t type something nice about someone whose address you do have in your address book; then don’t type anything at all. Talking (in this case typing) behind someone’s back is just as dishonorable online as it is off-line.
2.Do not add any addresses in the To field until after you have composed the message to your satisfaction. Ignore the Reply to All button all together; never use it.
The onus is on you to decide how to handle the aftermath. You can regain some of the lost trust and lack of character your actions exhibited by being sincere and swift with your apology.
Do not offer excuses. There is no excuse for you not paying attention to details. Do the right thing by offering your apology and then make a point of never being in too much of a hurry to not pay attention to what you are doing again!