At the beginning of the meeting, the GC looked into the eyes of the former employee and deeply thanked her for her contributions to the company and genuinely apologized for what had happened to her at work. The GC gave me authority to settle the case (I was representing the employer) and then flew back home. The case settled later that day for a reasonable amount. That apology saved everyone a lot of time and energy and it was meaningful to the former employee. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that before or since in more than 20 years.
So often apologies can be misinterpreted, and many people apologize simply when they feel uncomfortable or awkward. Have you ever seen or received a meaningful apology at work? I’m not talking about those “I’m sorry you feel that way” comments but something real and powerful that helped to end a dispute.
