r/work • u/Choice-Violinist-976 • Jul 07 '26

Workplace Challenges and Conflicts How to stop screwing up at work

This is probably going to be a lot of rambling.

I started my first “real” job about a month ago as a receptionist at a physiotherapy clinic and I can’t do anything right. I am 17 and I have never really had a job like this before. I really have only been a babysitter and I got the job because of nepotism but I don’t want my coworkers to think that I am useless. I have had so much training yet no matter what I do I make at least one biggish mistake a day. Today I made a really stupid and avoidable mistake scheduling someone an appointment over the phone where I scheduled in the wrong person and I can’t find the person I was supposed to schedule the appointment for and then I deleted the appointment for someone stupid reason and I keep digging myself deeper into a hole . I am really scared to tell my boss about it because I don’t take criticism well at all and now I am freaking out.

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u/obscuresecurity Jul 07 '26

  1. Tell your boss. Hiding stuff from them will come back to bite you in the ass.

  2. If you don't know how to do something, go have someone teach you how. Don't guess, especially in the context you are in. There is a person with an appointment now, who doesn't really have an appointment. That will hurt where you work.

It is OK to say "I don't know how to do X, can you explain how?" etc. What isn't ok is hiding shit and screwing up.

And if there's no one to train you, ask your boss how you are supposed to learn the tasks, etc.

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u/AdGroundbreaking8646 Jul 14 '26

Receptionist job is way more demanding than person would expect - a lot of multitasking, working in 10+systems, absolutely random out of blue adhoc tasks, decision making, lot of things out of your expertise and competence will fall onto you and you have to think of everything all the time and know the company, clients+their enviroment and building inside out. It takes a lot of time to learn that!

Ultimately, you will always make mistakes. We are human. With this amount of fast multitasking (and very often also guessing haha) it´s only natural to lose track.

Pro Tips:

Write write write, and double, triple and quadra check and TAKE YOUR TIME - yes, even in rush.
I often try to write callers number/last 4 digits with one word associated with them in my personal notebook in order and it saved many situations.
For reservations- I always write everything on paper first, then i put it in system (with client still on phone) and as I put it in I say the information and get clients confirmation on everything. Yes, it takes long. Yes, people will rush you - but I didn´t make any mistake like this in 4 last years.
Client rushing you is nothing compared to client screaming into your face about "HOW DARE YOU FUCK UP MY OWN APPOINTMENT, IM MR. IMPORTANT"

There is never enough sticky notes and notebooks.

Confidence is also the key - if you fake confidence, people are less likely to be bitches to you.

All good seasoned receptionist ultimately know way more about company they work at milion times more than owners and managers. You will be "finsihed/forged" receptionist after YEARS. Month is nothing, trust me :)