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People share their biggest job 'oopsies' and it's a celebration of human imperfection at work

Always nice to know we're not the only ones to mess up royally.

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So many of us have had "oops" moments in our jobs.

Nobody wants to mess up in their jobs, especially in a way that's highly visible or embarrassing, but it happens even to the best of us.

And while it may not take away the red-faced embarrassment that inevitably follows a major mistake, it is always good to hear that other people have royally screwed up at work, too.

That's why a 2021 tweet from HBO Max's helpdesk about an intern sending a blank test email prompted a celebration of human imperfection as people shared their own biggest work "oopsies."

The original post on X read, "We mistakenly sent out an empty test email to a portion of our HBO Max mailing list this evening. We apologize for the inconvenience, and as the jokes pile in, yes, it was the intern. No, really. And we’re helping them through it." The ended their message with a heart emoji.

Responses to the tweet included a flood of "Dear intern," messages with people sharing encouraging words and personal faux pas, such as the 37-year-old woman who realized she'd accidentally been putting her menstrual cycle start on the company's work calendar.

Swipe through for more:

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The share of the MaxHelp thread on Upworthy's Instagram inspired even more people to share their work mistakes.

Here's a sampling of the oh-so-very-human stories people shared:

"Sent a press release with Pittsburgh Pubic Schools in the headline."

"I was in charge of creating tags for a local grocery chain. I proudly typed up 'Colgate Cum Comfort Toothbrush.' It should’ve said 'gum comfort.' This tag went to 200+ stores. I came in late the day after they hit stores and couldn’t figure out why I had roughly 80 emails. After dying inside at least 3x, I finally went to my boss to apologize. She was laughing harder than I expected. I was 30. I had been there for 5yrs. This tag is now framed in my living room."

"I once worked for a large, very high quality (and high fees) childcare company…many of our parents were high profile people. I sent an email to an entire centre with over 700 families telling them about some new activities we had planned for the Tiny Tits room…instead of the Tiny Tots room. Thankfully most the parents had a sense of humor about it 😂😂"

"I made a huge mistake at work yesterday and informed my boss via email. He never responded, and I was nervous all night. This morning, he sent me a quick email in response: 'Do not worry about this… we will fix it together when I come in.' Not only did his kind response make me feel much better, but he ended up screwing up even worse than I had lol it was great."

N"ot an electronic mistake but - my first night as a waitress I dropped a hot fudge sundae on a man's lap and proceeded to grab a rag and wipe his crotch to get the whip cream off. It took me a few seconds to realize what I was doing and the whole table was laughing at me but I thought I would die. I did get a decent tip out of it, though. 😂"

"I once worked for a visitor’s center in a small town. I was in charge of mailing out a monthly calendar to the community of the different groups in town. I put that 'Bikers Against Child Support' we’re in town for a weekend rally. The name of the group is 'Bikers Against Child Abuse.' I found out when a couple of big names in the community got their calendar and called my boss. Everyone laughed at the mistake and the biker group got a kick out of it. I haven’t worked there in 15 years and it is still brought up each year at their rally."

"I work for a rock radio station in Canada and once deleted ALL of the Canadian music out of the system. On a Friday. At 4:30. Good times. Still employed though!"

"Dear Intern, I did a search and delete for soft returns in a word doc and when I reviewed it with the lead engineers at Hewlett-Packard they noted 17 instances of the word penis inserted, where it should have been pen is inserted."

"Dear Intern, I once sent out a confidential email about an upcoming stock plan to all our European employees. I was a 33 year old lawyer. We all survived and you will too. 😘"

"Dear Intern, I used to type retail ads for our local newspaper. One ad was for part-time work, and I didn't find out until it was published in the paper that I had typed the heading as 'Fart Time'. A local radio DJ took it upon himself to shout that out far and wide. He thought it was hilarious. I was mortified. However... no one actually knew I made the typo except my immediate co-workers. (Thank God.) But afterward, the owner of the advertising agency withdrew all of her commercial time from the radio station because of it, so, he lost out, and I was vindicated. 😏 🙌"

People loved reading through all the examples of humans not being perfect and others being understanding and compassionate about it:

"I ❤️❤️❤️ this. Let’s normalize making mistakes. We all do it. So nice to see humans uplifting other humans dealing with their human-ness."

"Without the mistake, all these very genuine human connections would not be possible."

"So much humanity and compassion…Am i living in a parallel world? I even smiled sincerely."

Here's to us all being being human, in all our embarrassingly imperfect glory.

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Well Being

Photos of the world's flags being projected onto Switzerland's Matterhorn are just stunning

Zermatt.Matterhorn/Instagram

The Matterhorn is a sight to behold all on its own, with its near-symmetrical pyramid peak jutting out from the earth. But when the village of Zermatt at the foot of the mountain projects flags from countries around the world onto its snowy slopes, the effect is breathtaking.

Since March 24th, light artist Gerry Hofstetter has illuminated the mountain side with flags in solidarity with countries that have been hit hard by the novel coronavirus, and the village has been sharing the stunning photos on Instagram.

The town's tourism website states:

"With this light projection, Zermatt wants to give people a sign of hope and solidarity in these difficult times. The village shows solidarity with all the people who are currently suffering and is grateful to all those who are helping to overcome the crisis."

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"Our thoughts are with all the American people," the village wrote on Instagram with a photo of the stars and stripes illuminating the mountainside.

India got a message of "hope and strength."

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Japan was sent "a sign of hope."

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In French, one of Switzerland's four national languages, Zermatt wrote "Hello from the Matterhorn to the Eiffel Tower!"

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The U.K. received a "sign of hope" as well.

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Before the U.S. overtook it, Zermatt acknowledged that Italy had been hit the hardest by the virus.

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Messages of hope and peace have also been projected onto the Matterhorn in recent weeks, as the whole world battles their way through this pandemic.

It's been said that nothing unites people like a common enemy, and we now face one that knows no borders and attacks without prejudice. Let's all encourage all nations to stand in solidarity, pool our knowledge and resources, collaborate on solutions, and present a united front to defeat this virus.

Thank you, Zermatt, for the beautiful reminder that we are truly all in this together.

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You probably know Mindy Kaling from her work on shows like "The Mindy Project" and "The Office."

On June 10, she delivered the commencement address at Dartmouth College, where she graduated in 2001. Speaking from behind a giant tree stump like, as she said, "some sort of female Lorax with an advanced degree," Kaling dropped truth bombs about life, living, goals, and dreams.

The entire speech — which you can read here — is chock-full of advice for people of any age or background.

Here are nine of the best moments.

— (@)

1. Speeches like this probably won't single-handedly change your life.

It'd be great if the key to success were as simple as listening to a few wise words from a successful stranger, but it takes drive and effort to actually create the change you want:

"In general, advice isn't actually an effective way to change your life. If all it took to make your life great was hearing amazing advice, then everyone who watched TED Talks would be a millionaire. So don't trust any one story of how how to become successful."

[rebelmouse-image 19478322 dam="1" original_size="500x281" caption="All GIFS from Dartmouth/YouTube." expand=1]All GIFS from Dartmouth/YouTube.

2. Treat your romantic partners with respect.

This one should be obvious, but apparently some people need reminding.

This point seemed like a nod at the babe.net article, "I went on a date with Aziz Ansari. It turned into the worst night of my life." While Kaling, who is friends with Ansari, never publicly spoke out about the accusations leveled against him, this seems like a pretty clear reference:

"This one is just for guys: When you go on dates, act as if every woman you're talking to is a reporter for an online publication that you are scared of. One shouldn't need the threat of public exposure and scorn to treat women well, but if that’s what it's gonna take, fine. Date like everyone's watching — because we are."

3. Sometimes not knowing your limitations can be a good thing.

Sometimes the only thing standing in the way of success is ourselves:

"I'll tell you my secret, the one thing that has kept me going through the years, my superpower: delusion. This is something I may share with our president, a fact that is both horrifying and interesting. Two years in, I think we can pretty safely say that he's not getting carved onto Mount Rushmore, but damn if that isn't a testament to how far you can get just by believing you're the smartest, most successful person in the world.

My point is, you have to have insane confidence in yourself, even if it's not real."

4. Others don't need to fail in order for you to succeed.

There doesn't need to be a loser in order for a winner to exist. We can all succeed at once, so let's take care of each another:

"I'm giving you permission to root for yourself. And while you're at it, root for those around you too. It took me a long time to realize that success isn't a zero-sum game."

5. The world wants women to fight each other.

At the annual United State of Women conference in May, Michelle Obama talked about the importance of women fighting for more than just one seat at the negotiating table in life: "I think so many of us have gotten ourselves at the table, but we're still too grateful to be at the table to really shake it up."

Kaling touched on that same theme in her speech:

"Hey girls, we need to do a better job of supporting each other. I know that I am guilty of it too. We live in a world where it seems like there's only room for one of us at the table. So when another woman shows up, we think, 'Oh my god, she's going to take the one woman spot! That was supposed to be mine!' But that's just what certain people want us to do!"

6. There's nothing wrong with a little self-promotion.

Kaling made a great point about women being afraid to brag a bit by working in references to her latest movie:

"Wouldn't it be better if we worked together to dismantle a system that makes us feel like there's limited room for us? Because when women work together, we can accomplish anything. Even stealing the world’s most expensive diamond necklace from the Met Gala, like in 'Ocean's 8,' a movie starring me, which opens in theaters June 8th. And to that end, women, don't be ashamed to toot your own horn like I just did."

7. Your goals may change as you go through life, and that's OK.

Kaling lists the goals she had for herself as she entered college, noting that just 1 of the 6 came true. Still, she's not disappointed:

"I just want to tell you guys, don't be scared if you don't do things in the right order, or if you don't do some things at all. I didn't think I'd have a child before I got married, but hey, it turned out that way, and I wouldn't change a thing. I didn't think I'd have dessert before breakfast today, but hey, it turned out that way and I wouldn't change a thing."

8. Find what works for you and let go of what doesn't.

Her example centers around the idea of checklists, but it could be applied to pretty much anything:

"So if I could impart any advice, it's this: If you have a checklist, good for you. Structured ambition can sometimes be motivating. But also, feel free to let it go. Yes, my culminating advice from my speech is a song from the Disney animated movie, 'Frozen.'"

9. There are a lot of people who'll try to stand in your way. Don't become one of them.

Life's hard enough without putting up additional obstacles to your own success:

"I was not someone who should have the life I have now, and yet I do. I was sitting in the chair you are literally sitting in right now and I just whispered, 'Why not me?' And I kept whispering it for 17 years; and here I am, someone that this school deemed worthy enough to speak to you at your commencement.

Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something, but especially not yourself. Go conquer the world. Just remember this: Why not you? You made it this far."

Watch Kaling's moving (and very funny) speech below.

"We need to be united because Laverne Cox’s struggle may look different than mine, but the pain we feel is the same."

During her acceptance speech at the GLAAD awards, "Master of None" star Lena Waithe delivered an impassioned plea for unity.

Waithe won the award for Outstanding Individual Episode as the writer of "Master of None's" "Thanksgiving." Moments into her speech, she touched on a really sensitive subject: divisions in the LGBTQ community.

"A lot of people ask me why I say I'm queer," she said. "I say that because I think it's a big umbrella. I don't want to separate myself from my trans family, my non-binary, bisexual — sometimes we can be a little segregated. You know what I mean?"

Lena Waithe delivers a speech at the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards Los Angeles. Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for Ketel One Family-Made Vodka.

There are tensions within the LGBTQ community, and reluctance to discuss them only deepens the divisions.

It's hard being on the outside looking in and fighting just to have the same rights as anyone else. Throughout the history of the larger LGBTQ movement, there have been a number of attempts by some to cut out "undesirable" segments of the community for the sake of easing that fight for the rest.

Just a few years after the Stonewall uprising (one of the movement's defining moments), some of its most prominent leaders found themselves sidelined as the growing movement tried to give off a more palatable appearance to straight people — as if to say, "See, we can be normal, too!"

Trans women Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were once banned from New York's annual Gay Pride parade. They were outsiders among outsiders.

Many of those divisions remain.

People march in the 1983 Gay Pride Parade in New York City. Photo by Peter Keegan/Getty Images.

"That's how come I've been walking for gay rights all these years instead of riding in cars and celebrating and everything, 'cause you never completely have your rights, one person, until you all have your rights," Johnson said years later, explaining why she continued to work so hard for a movement that sometimes didn't appreciate people like her. "I think that as long as there's one gay person who has to walk for gay rights, then all of us should be walking for gay rights."

Waithe's speech hammered home the idea that we can't leave anyone behind and that the LGBTQ community has to take an intersectional approach to equality.

"We need to be united, because Laverne Cox's struggle may look different than mine, but the pain we feel is the same," Waithe said. "Someone who may be asexual may have a different journey than mine, but ... there's things that we have in common."

[rebelmouse-image 19477531 dam="1" original_size="500x281" caption="All GIFs from GLAAD Media Awards." expand=1]All GIFs from GLAAD Media Awards.

She continued, "At the end of the day, we're already 'othered,' so why should we 'other' ourselves even more than we already are? We have to support each other, we have to talk to each other, we have to educate each other about our own individual journeys, because at the end of the day, we all we got."

"So let's hold onto that, hold onto each other. We gotta be one big family, because at the end of the day, we all got people trying to come against us. So when we stand together, there's no weapon they can form that can harm us.”

Injustice for one is injustice for all, no matter what form that takes.

Homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, misogyny, racism, ableism, and classism hurt us all. The LGBTQ community is relatively small in numbers, making it that much more important that those of us within it (and our allies) have each other's backs in the fight forward.

Whether that means fighting back against businesses that want to effectively say "No Gays Allowed," demanding that trans people can't be turned away by doctors simply for being trans, or acknowledging that yes, black lives do matter, it's a group effort.

Waithe's speech was a powerful call to action. Watch it below:

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Laverne Cox makes history as first transgender Barbie doll - Upworthy ›

#IllWalkWithYou

Thara Uddin used to water his own garden — and then his neighbors', too. That's just the sort of thoughtful person he was.

On Aug. 13, 2016, moments after saying prayers and leaving his place of worship, Uddin was shot and killed alongside Imam Maulama Akonjee, the leader of the mosque he attended.

Their deaths have rattled the Muslim community in Queens, New York — and beyond.

Folks mourn the loss of two Muslim community members in Queens. Photo by Kena Betancura/AFP/Getty Images.

Although the investigation is ongoing and a motive has yet to be established, many believe it was a hate crime — they believe Uddin and Akonjee were murdered because they were Muslim.

It's not an irrational thought, either, seeing as Islamophobia is anything but a dying form of bigotry in America. Last year, there were triple the number of anti-Muslim hate crimes compared to the year before, NBC News reported in December 2015.

In response to the murders, #IllWalkWithYou started cropping up across the internet.

The viral hashtag — created and shared by allies who are committed to standing in solidarity with their Muslim friends and neighbors — has been a shining ray of hope in the wake of a very dark situation.

The simple phrase packs a whole lot of love into four little words.

— (@)

For interfaith couples, the hashtag might mean something a little bit more.

— (@)

Some used the hashtag to point out that sometimes justice fails, and that's not OK.

— (@)

While others noted that the hashtag was really humanity at its finest.

— (@)

**Many people, however, used the hashtag in a literal sense — to let their loved ones and Muslim neighbors know that they're only a phone call (or tweet) away.**

— (@)

From Washington, D.C. ...

— (@)

...to Minnesota...

— (@)

...and all the way to Tennessee.

— (@)

The hashtag popped up from coast to coast, letting Muslims know there are plenty of people who'd walk with them around town, to provide safety in numbers wherever they need to go.

— (@)

Even a few friends across the pond — who've witnessed their own recent wave of Islamophobic violence — got wind of the message and threw their support behind it.

— (@)

In the wake of senseless violence, the hashtag made hearts a little bit fuller and the world seem a little less threatening to Muslims everywhere.

— (@)

The hashtag also spurred conversations about what needs to happen in order for a viral hashtag to make lasting change.

Like calling out the fact that, in order to curb anti-Muslim violence, we need elected officials who will actually do something about it — not help perpetuate the bigotry.

— (@)

After all, you don't have to be Muslim to understand what it's like to live at a greater risk of discrimination and violence in the U.S.

Women, the LGBTQ community, immigrants, people of color — the list goes on and on when it comes to the groups and communities who know what it's like to be targeted and what it's like when someone has your back.

When we all commit to having each other's backs, it makes the whole world a safer — and more beautiful — place to call home.

— (@)

'Yes my name is Mahmoud a proud Muslim American.'

On June 12, 2016, the deadliest mass shooting in American history unfolded at an LGBTQ nightclub in Orlando, Florida.

At least 50 people were killed with dozens more injured. The terrorist act — committed by a homophobic, religious extremist — sparked reactions from President Barack Obama and leaders from around the world.

Unfortunately, a knee-jerk response from some people was to condemn the violence with misinformed fear — to blame all Muslims for the ideology a very small group promotes.

It's a dangerous response to have — especially if you're a presidential hopeful with a platform — because implying all Muslims are capable of committing (or sympathizing with) such an atrocity only further divides our communities and justifies prejudice.

That's why one Florida man's viral Facebook post in the wake of the tragedy is all the more important.

Mahmoud ElAwadi, a Muslim who lives in Orlando, shared a photo of himself giving blood on Sunday. In the post — which within a day was shared more than 110,000 times — ElAwadi points out several truths every American should keep in mind while processing what happened.

Here is ElAwadi's post in full:

-Yes my name is Mahmoud a proud Muslim American.
-Yes I donated blood even though I can't eat or drink anything cause I'm fasting in our holy month Ramadan just like hundreds of other Muslims who donated today here in Orlando.
-Yes I'm angry for what happened last night and all the innocent lives we lost.
-Yes I'm sad, frustrated and mad that a crazy guy [claiming] to be a Muslim did that shameful act.
-Yes I witnessed the greatness of this country watching thousands of people standing in 92 degree sun waiting on their turn to donate blood even after they were told that the wait time is 5-7 hours.
-Yes this is the greatest nation on earth watching people from different ... ages including kids volunteering to give water, juice, food, umbrellas, sun block. Also watching our old veterans coming to donate. And next to them Muslim women in hijab carrying food and water to donors standing in line.
-Yes together we will stand against hate, terrorism, extremism and racism.
-Yes our blood all [looks] the same so get out there and donate blood cause our fellow American citizens are injured and need our blood.
-Yes our community in central Florida is heart broken but let's put our colors, religions, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political views all aside so we can UNITE against those who are trying to hurt us.

Here are three crucial reminders ElAwadi highlighted in his post.

1. This terrorist's actions do not reflect Islam in the slightest.

Like the vast majority of Muslims, ElAwadi is "sad, frustrated, and mad that a crazy guy [claiming] to be a Muslim did that shameful act."

Muslim leaders in the U.S. were quick to condemn the motives behind the ISIS-inspired massacre. Nihad Awad, national executive director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said these extremists "do not belong to this beautiful faith."

2. Muslim Americans are just as devastated by this attack on our country as anyone else.

"I'm angry for what happened last night and all the innocent lives we lost," ElAwadi wrote. "Together we will stand against hate, terrorism, extremism and racism."

ElAwadi is not the exception. You don't have to look far to spot Muslims showing their support for the victims and rejecting the senseless violence.

3. America is at its greatest when all of us — regardless of skin color, religion, or sexual orientation — rally together to help those in need.

"I witnessed the greatness of this country watching thousands of people standing in 92 degree sun waiting on their turn to donate blood even after they were told that the wait time is 5-7 hours," ElAwadi wrote. He noted that people of all ages — including veterans and women wearing hijabs — pitched in to do their part.

As ElAwadi's post demonstrated so well, the more we stomp out hate and replace it with solidarity, the better off we'll all be.

"Our blood all [looks] the same," ElAwadi concluded. "Yes, our community in central Florida is heartbroken, but let's put our colors, religions, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political views all aside so we can unite against those who are trying to hurt us."

Seeing as love tends to conquer all, I'd say that's a pretty good plan.