How to stop saying sorry at work
How to stop saying sorry at work. Are you or your colleagues guilty of saying “sorry” a bit too much at work? You’re not alone – over-apologising is a common habit and it can undermine our authority and confidence without us even realising it.
When we constantly say sorry, we subtly communicate that our needs, ideas or presence are less important.
This habit is regularly an issue for women at work, who may feel the need to apologise just for speaking up or taking up space. It’s a subtle but powerful behaviour that can hold us back professionally.
I was discussing workplace confidence in a webcast this week with 400 colleagues at a global engineering firm and one director admitted she kept finding herself apologising – for asking a question, for interrupting, even for offering her own opinion! It made me think: Why do we say sorry so much, and what can we do about it?