Apology Letter to Boss

Making mistakes in the workplace is not uncommon, but it is a mark of professionalism to own up to your mistake, apologize and resolve to do better. Depending on the relationship you have with your immediate supervisor, you can couch the letter in a formal or casual tone, but make sure that you are respectful at all times. Format the letter as you would a business correspondence. The message should be brief and to the point, making sure to include details that clearly state the issue you are bringing up. Acknowledge your error in simple terms, offer a quick apology and include the possible causes of the breakdown without blaming anyone. Acknowledge your part in the error and offer an actionable plan to prevent future mishaps. The tone should be sufficiently contrite, sincere and respectful even when you are trying to make light of the situation.

Sample Apology Letters to Boss – Acing the Art of Professional Apologies

• I am writing this note to apologize for failing to meet the deadline on the ______ project. I realize that this failure on my part may cost my team their favorable reviews and may end up costing the company money. I take full responsibility for this failure as I was going through some difficult matters that required taking some time off to attend to. My ___years with the company will demonstrate that I have been a reliable team player in the past. Please know that this is a temporary glitch in my performance, and I fully intend to rectify this mistake if I am given the chance. In the future, I will strive to be more open about my personal challenges especially those that will have an impact on my job. Thank you for giving me wonderful opportunities to grow with this company. I am grateful for the support and the experience I have gained in this field. I hope to continue contributing to the success of the company.
• Formal Apology Letter Samples
• The _____project did not proceed as planned, and I am taking responsibility for my part in the problem. I sincerely apologize for not approaching you and the other executives sooner when I realized that the presentation and bidding process was not going our way. I proceeded under the assumption that my team had faced similar situations before, but we managed to pull through. I apologize to you as my supervisor and to everyone on the team who gave their best efforts given the time pressure we were under. I would like to revisit our strategy to see what we could have done differently and more efficiently should we have the opportunity to resurrect this project. Over the years, I have been given many opportunities to prove myself in this organization. I hope that I will be granted another chance to show my commitment to the company, my fellow employees and all the clients that we serve.
• How to Write a Business Apology Letter
• Dear Sir, I would like to sincerely apologize for my actions these past few days. I have endangered the success of our company by not being present when the company really needed me. I know I had my reasons for being absent, but all of these don’t matter when our entire company is at stake. I am truly grateful for the position I’ve been given, and any other person would have fired me at that instant for not being present at such an important meeting. You have always been a kind and thoughtful person, and for that I am thankful. Yet, I am fully aware that behaviors like these are not condoned by the standards of the company, and thus, I want you to know, that I am fully prepared to face any consequences, and do everything in my power to make it up to you and the rest of the company.

• Dear Sir, I am fully aware that my performance these past few days have not met company standards, and have been, by all means, poor. Not only have I been unable to bring in results, but also done countless other things that have cost us the trust of some clients, and also hurt the reputation and success of our company. Truth is, that some personal reasons had been ruining my focus, making my productivity meter hit rock bottom. But now, with everything sorted out, I am ready to do everything in my power to bring profit to our company. So I sincerely thank you for being tolerant towards my lack of productivity, and understanding towards my situation. I don’t know what I would have done if I did not have such an amazing boss, that understands the needs and problems of his/her employees.

• Dear Sir, I have a burning desire to express my regret towards my recent actions, that have caused a great deal to our company in terms of profit. I know that my behavior was extremely unprofessional, and my actions did not meet company standards. Yet, I also need to tell you how much this job means to me, and that I am willing to do whatever it takes to keep it. The reasons for my recent misbehavior are personal, and to be completely honest I am not willing to share them. But what you need to know is that these reasons are no longer clouding my judgment, and I am going to bring my A-Game from now on. I also want to thank you for being so considerate, and not firing me when I first started not bringing in results, as I had promised when I first joined the company. I know that what has been done cannot be changed, but what can be changed is the future, in which I promise to be the best employee this company has ever seen.
• I am extremely sorry for my role in failing to de-escalate a difficult situation with one of our clients. ___ always seemed like a reasonable businessperson in all of my dealings with him, and I mistakenly assumed that he would be easily placated with the same incentives this time. I certainly did not expect him to contact our corporate office to communicate his displeasure at the service he was getting. As a long-time customer service representative at this company, I have had the pleasure of serving many of our customers, all of whom have their own personalities and preferences. I received excellent training in customer service and in handling various sensitive and controversial situations. I would like to sit with the training and human resources teams to discuss better ways to handle situations like this. I look forward to continuing to be a valuable member of the team.

Tips on How to Write an Apology Letter to your Boss:

• Keep it short and simple.
• Let your boss know that you are actually feeling sorry for what you have done.
• Let him know that you are prepared to do whatever it takes to fix the problems you have created.
• Be positive and kind.
• Thank him for his time and consideration.