What to do if you get blamed for someone else's mistakes

"During last week's game, there was a penalty on the Longhorns' defense. The referee called the penalty and mentioned the player who committed the infraction. Watching the replay, it was clear that the penalty was actually on a different player. No big deal, of course, because there was clearly a penalty. But, one player got called out on national television for the mistake of another."

"And that got me thinking about the times when someone makes a mistake at work, and then you get blamed for it. Not only can that be frustrating, but it may have implications for your annual evaluation or your job. So what should you do? The ideal way to react depends on a few factors. One is why people above you in the org chart think you're to blame. Another is your overall seniority in the organization."

A misidentified penalty on the football field serves as a parallel to being wrongly blamed at work. Appropriate reactions depend on why others assume responsibility and on employee seniority. If responsibility is uncertain and management speculates, meet with your supervisor to explain any involvement and to propose process changes that prevent or detect errors. If not involved, clearly state lack of participation and volunteer to help locate the true source of the problem. Taking these steps can reduce frustration, protect performance evaluations, and improve organizational processes to avoid future misattribution.

Read at Fast Company