Apology Letter Samples For Hurt Feelings At Work

Apology Letter Samples For Hurt Feelings At Work

Hurt feelings at work can occur in various scenarios but apologizing for the same is the person’s duty (the one who caused such feelings). An apology letter for hurt feelings can be one way to show your sincerity. This can aid in smoothing things over (if you know the right way to write the said apology letter) and ensuring that emotional issues between people don’t cause a reduction in efficiency due to disruption in teamwork and collaboration. This article will cover Apology Letter samples, format, tips for writing an apology letter yourself, and sample apology letters to hurt people’s feelings at work at different designations.

How To Write An Apology Letter For Hurt Feelings At Work?

Your letter of apology for bad behavior or for unintentionally hurting a person should involve the following points;

  • Apologize – An apology at the beginning of the letter will be a good way to go about the letter. “I’m sorry about __________ that I said/did the other day.” 

  • Recap the event briefly – Concisely recap the event/incident that caused their feelings to get hurt. Make sure to be a little sensitive as you do so. There is no need to agitate an already hurt person. You need to let them know that you have recognized what you did to hurt them. 

  • Let it be known that you are sincere. Apologize once more – Letting in another, “I’m really sorry,” is more than advisable. It’s not that one. Sorry isn’t enough. It’s more than another sorry won’t take anything out of you if you’re sincere. Apologizing and recognizing your mistakes is a mark of professionalism. Other than that, a person’s hurt feelings are no joke, and they can influence their daily work– whether this work is done with you or without you.

  • Be humble in your request for forgiveness – Do not use words like “It’s only fair that after this apology, things get better between us.” A statement like that displays arrogance. Though this is a basic thing to keep in mind, it feels necessary to mention on the off chance that you don’t end up doing this unconsciously or, well… consciously. Let the person decide whether they should forgive you or not. The letter’s purpose is to help the person the letter is intended to know that you are sorry about your actions. Forgiveness cannot be forced out of a person.

  • Ensure they understand that you know you have hurt their feelings and are ready to face their reaction to your actions.

  • Let it be known that your actions were a mistake or an accident and were not carried out deliberately to hurt them. 

  • Mentioning what you’ve learned from this incident and assuring the person that it will not be repeated is also important. 

Non-Deliberate Actions or Accidents

Let the recipient know that your actions were not guided by any specific intention to hurt them but by your anger, stress, or fatigue. Generally, these are the reasons why people tend to get snappy. If there are other reasons for your behavior, then do mention them delicately but honestly. E.g., “I had a bad day at work and was very angry so ended up behaving like that.”

Lessons Learned

You should address the lesson you’ve learned from the incident and make sure to mention that you will try not to repeat it. You can say, “My anger was the cause of this, and I will make sure this does not happen again. Hurting anyone because of my issues is not fair.”

Conclusion

End with how you hope that you’ll be given another chance and you can get past this situation with them one day. This asserts that forgiving you is their decision and that you are humble in your apology by not presuming anything. 

Apology Letter Samples To:

  • Boss
  • Colleague
  • Client

Sample Apology Letter To Boss

An apology letter to your boss should be a perfect blend of formal and humble. The person is at a designation higher than you, and though the new corporate environmental trends insist on a friendly environment, it’s safe to be extra respectful in your wording. Say you said something rude to your boss when he was correcting you, you can write the letter in the following way. 

Dear Sir/John (since most people prefer being called by their name),

I was so sorry for my behavior yesterday. I realize that when you had said I wasn’t going about my work the right way, you had only said it as it was your duty as a boss. I realize that you are at a designation that demands the best from your subordinates, and I should have taken that into account before snapping at you to do the work yourself. 

I am a grown-up individual, and I should be more in control of my emotions. I had a bad day due to personal reasons, and it was not my place to snap at you the way I did. I am responsible for carrying out my work properly, and I should do it without anyone needing to correct me. I want to apologize for my behavior again.

I will be very grateful if I’m given a chance to redeem myself. I hope I can keep improving and contributing to this firm. Thank you.

Regards,

Julia Havens 

Sample Apology Letter To Colleague/Co-worker

A colleague is someone you have worked with but someone who is not on the same team or company as you. They can also be people who work in the same industry as you do. Here is a sample letter you can write to your colleague if you’ve hurt them. A co-worker is someone who works at the same company as you in the same department or some other department. Actually, your boss can also be your co-worker. You can get a more detailed difference between the two here. But the terms are often used interchangeably, so that we will club them in for now. 

Dear Samantha,

I’m really sorry about walking past you at the lobby even after you called for me so many times and declining your calls the other day. I know you had something work-related you wanted to speak of, and you got yelled at by the boss because of not getting the work done. I was incredibly upset about something and had an awful day. 

I know you had a bad day because of me, too, and I’m sorry for hurting your feelings. My duties as an employee come first at the office, and my attitude that day was unforgivable. However, please let me apologize still. I’m really sorry for getting you in trouble and hurting your feelings.

I understand you are angry, but I hope you can forgive me one day. You have been a great person to know and work with, and I won’t repeat this. I’ll be sure to behave more professionally and sensibly next time and think of how my actions will affect others.

Regards,

Jane Liverly

Sample Apology Letter To Client

Hurt feelings at work might not involve your colleagues and your boss but your company’s clients too. Generally, people are careful around clients (they are the source of business after all), but if you ever end up hurting the feelings of an important prospective client, here is how you can write an apology letter. It is better if this is a comparatively more formal apology letter.

Dear Sir/Mam,

I’m so sorry about displaying an unseemly attitude towards you at the meeting held on 14th June 2021. I know you were hoping for a better result, but I reacted rashly in my anger due to personal reasons. I lost control of my emotions and ended up pouring them on another person. 

However, I recognize that I am an adult, and such behavior is not excusable. I want to apologize again for being rude. I assure you that I will not display such behavior, and you’ll never have issues because of me while doing business at the firm again. 

I’ll definitely work on conducting myself with more professionalism. I hope you can excuse me this one time. Thank you.

Regards,

Clarese Gibson

Apology Letter Template

You can use this basic apology letter template to write your letter as per your scenario as well.

Dear Sir/Mam/Co-worker name/Colleague name,

I am really sorry about ______(Write about what you did that caused the person to have hurt feelings briefly)______. I should not have acted the way that I did. (You can further explain what caused such behavior in 1-2 lines). 

I realize that you were (write whatever it was that they were trying to do), and I acknowledge that I am the one at fault. I’d like to sincerely apologize for hurting you again and want to assure you that something like this will never be repeated. 

Please forgive me. I hope that I can /we can keep contributing to this firm (you can add “together” to this statement if it is being written for your co-worker) to the best of my/our capabilities. 

Regards,

Janice Havenheart

Apology Letter Samples For Hurt Feelings At Work

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