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Saying sorry is: always the right thing to do not an admission of liability acknowledges that something could have gone better the first step to lea
by bshimmin 9y ago
Saying sorry is:
always the right thing to do
not an admission of liability
acknowledges that something could have gone better
the first step to learning from what happened and
preventing it recurring
This is very, very wobbly advice if you're dealing with a difficult client. I have had a number of situations where my natural English politeness has led to my offering apologies for situations that are 50% or less my own fault, and clients have leapt on this and translated it into everything being my fault. I very much steer clear of using the words "I'm sorry" or "I apologise" now, and usually opt for fairly bland passive voice phrases like "I appreciate that there has been some degree of frustration", followed by a summary of what both parties can do to improve matters.
I also just flat-out disagree regarding liability, though I presume this must refer to a specific legal perspective in this particular context.
- taejo 9y ago> I also just flat-out disagree regarding liability, though I presume this must refer to a specific legal perspective in this particular context. The OP cites the Compensation Act 2006: > 2 Apologies, offers of treatment or other redress > An apology, an offer of treatment or other redress, shall not of itself amount to an admission of negligence or breach of statutory duty.
- jaimex2 9y agoYep, you usually know your clients enough though to know if they are completely toxic ass hats or someone you can build a sincere partnership with. Bureaucracy works wonders for ass hats, give them a vague, inconclusive report with worthless action points instead of an apology.
- bshimmin 9y agoAbsolutely. A decent client who sees you as a key partner in the success of whatever they want doing is absolutely worth apologising to - and they will apologise to you too if they get things wrong. A monster of a client will never apologise to you, and you should never apologise to them. And once whatever it is you're trying to do for them is done, walk away (after having done the usual "Hassle of dealing with this client" vs. "How much of the mortgage it will pay off" dance, of course).
- zimbatm 9y agoIt's fitting that the document has been issued by the NHS. In the UK it's used so much that it doesn't mean anything anymore. It's just a way to get away with bad behaviour or incompetence. One fun example is https://www.sorryfortheinconvenience.co.uk/tfl https://www.sorryfortheinconvenience.co.uk/tfl