When something goes wrong at work and it affects a colleague, a client, or a customer, it’s important to admit the mistake and apologize for it. Getting your apology right can make a big difference to the way the other person reacts to the problem.
If you’re wondering how to apologize professionally – via email, on the phone, or in person – we are here to help with plenty of examples to suit specific situations.
Whether you need to apologize at work for your personal mistakes, or you need to make an apology on behalf of your team or your company, we hope these apology phrases for business English help you craft the right message.
How to apologize professionally
There are six main steps to creating a professional apology:
- Time it well: In most cases, it is better not to delay when you need to apologize about something. Leaving it too late may make it seem less sincere. However, in some cases, you may wish to wait until a matter has been properly escalated or until the other party has calmed down enough to receive the apology well.
- Apologize sincerely: This means addressing the person by name, calling out the mistake, and not trying to gloss over what happened.
- Explain without excusing: Briefly explain what happened and how the mistake occurred, but be careful not to move into the realm of making excuses for it.
- Admit responsibility: Even if the mistake didn’t come from you personally, if it happened in an area for which you are responsible, it’s yours to own. This is especially true when you are the company representative for a client.
- Acknowledge repercussions: Rather than just saying sorry, it shows a greater level of awareness and professionalism if you can acknowledge how the mistake affected the other person and empathize with them.
- Explain any corrective and preventive action: Your apology will have the most impact if you can show you have taken steps either to remedy the matter, or to reduce the chances of it happening again. For example, you may offer a customer a refund for an order or put new processes in place in a workflow.
In a moment, we will give some helpful phrases to use in each of these parts of your apology.
Is it ok to apologize for a mistake at work in an email?
Email is the least personal way to apologize, but it does have the benefit of letting you take your time and plan exactly what you want to say.
It is perfectly acceptable to apologize in an email in certain situations, for example:
- When you can’t easily meet the person face-to-face or arrange a phone call
- When you want to apologize to a group of people
- When the apology requires a detailed explanation that is easier to communicate in writing (although we would recommend keeping it as short as possible)
- When the matter is fairly minor and a face-to-face meeting is unnecessary (e.g. being late to work one day)
Otherwise, a spoken apology face-to-face or over the phone may be better received and will allow the other person to respond with any questions or comments they have. Check out some good telephone conversation phrases if you need to build confidence with this.
It may be more awkward to apologize in person, but that is partly why it is more sincere.
Prepare yourself to make a spoken apology by running through what you want to say, following the steps above.
How to apologize professionally in an email
If you do decide to apologize in an email, here are some tips for making it authentic yet professional:
- Include ‘apology’ or ‘sorry’ in the subject line so it’s clear what the email is about.
- Address the person or people by name. Only send it to those to whom you are apologizing.
- Get straight to the point: state that you are apologizing and explain what for.
- Follow the points above, keeping each one brief but not rushed.
- Finish by repeating the apology or with a positive sentiment about how things will change. Offer to have a call or meeting if they wish to discuss things further.
If you are writing your apology, we recommend using a tool like Grammarly that checks your writing for errors and highlights them as you type. With the premium version, you can also check your tone of voice so you know how your apology email will sound to the recipient.
Now, let’s look at how to apologize professionally in an email or when speaking to someone directly.
How to apologize professionally: helpful phrases
The most common way to apologize is with the word ‘sorry’, and this works just as well in professional settings as it does in casual ones.
Here are some phrases with ‘sorry’ that you can use to apologize professionally in an email or in person:
- I’m sorry to hear this has happened.
- I’m sorry for …
- I’m sorry that …
- I’m sorry to have to inform you that …
- I’m so sorry about …
- I am very sorry for …
- I’m getting in touch to say sorry for …
Keep reading for more specific ways to apologize in different situations.
How to apologize professionally without saying sorry
Often, the word ‘sorry’ is overused in the workplace. You might say ‘sorry’ if you bump into someone in the corridor, if you need to excuse yourself for a bathroom break, or if you don’t understand something and need to ask for clarification.
So, when you need to apologize professionally and sincerely, you may wish to skip ‘sorry’ and find another way to express your remorse. Here are some ways you can do this:
- I would like to apologize for …
- I regret to inform you that [something happened] and I would like to apologize for this.
- Please accept my apologies for …
- I owe you an apology for …
- I regret …
- I apologize for …
- I am writing to apologize about …
For more serious situations, you can use these phrases to apologize without saying ‘sorry’:
- I would like to sincerely apologize for …
- I truly regret …
- I would like to express my deep regret …
- I want to offer a formal apology for …
How to professionally apologize for a mistake at work
Here are some ways to apologize for a mistake professionally:
- I am very sorry for this mistake.
- Please accept my apologies for this mistake.
- I’m sorry for the oversight on my part.
- I sincerely regret that this has happened.
- I apologize for any inconvenience this mistake has caused.
- I hope you can forgive me for this error.
- I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have …
- I apologize for mistakenly …
- I’m sorry to have let you down on this.
- We are working to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
- I have already [explain remedial action] to prevent this from reoccurring.
See also: Recurring vs reoccurring – what’s the difference?
Explaining what happened without making excuses
If you need to explain what happened as part of your apology, try to explain the facts without making excuses. Also avoid naming the specific people involved, as this can be seen as trying to shift responsibility to them.
You can say things like:
- There was a miscommunication between our HR and Legal teams which led to …
- Due to a misunderstanding with one of our team members …
- As the result of a manual error …
- I have spoken to the person involved to clarify …
- Unfortunately, there has been a problem with …
- It has been brought to my attention that …
- We are experiencing some issues with …
You’ll see that we often use the passive voice in situations like this, especially when we want to avoid naming the person involved.
Check out some more transition words for cause and effect to help with this kind of explanation.
Acknowledging repercussions
Here are some ways to show you understand and empathize with the effect the problem or mistake will have:
- I know this will cause problems with …
- I realize that …
- I apologize for the impact this will have on …
- I know this means that …
- I realize this made you feel …
- I’m sorry that this places you in a difficult position.
- I’m aware that there will be serious repercussions from this.
- I’m sorry for the inconvenience this will cause.
One specific scenario where you might need these phrases is if you are writing a letter of resignation but do not intend to work your full notice period.
Explaining corrective and preventive action
To show that you want to prevent the same thing from happening again, use one of these phrases to explain the action you have taken or are going to take:
- In order to prevent any recurrence of this …
- We have put preventive measures in place to stop this from happening again.
- Our … team has … to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
- We should not have allowed this to happen.
- I am going to … to help me change my behavior at work.
- I am speaking to … about ways that we can improve our processes.
- We will investigate ways that we can …
- I realize it’s important that this doesn’t happen again so I’m going to …
- I have raised this matter with … so that we can address the problem together.
- We have escalated this to … and will notify you of any updates.
Brining all of these elements together, a simple apology email could look something like this:
Dear David,
I would like to apologize for accidentally sending this morning’s sales report to James Miles at [other company name] instead of to James Mills.
I emailed James Miles and asked him to disregard and delete the email sent in error, and he has confirmed that he has done this.
To avoid the same thing happening again, I have now set up an email distribution list for the daily and weekly reports I send your team.
I do apologize again for this error.
Kind regards,
If you’re quite new to using English at work, a business English course may help you feel more comfortable with how you communicate.
How to apologize at work in different scenarios
How to apologize to a customer or client
Research shows that customer satisfaction decreases if an employee apologizes too many times or focuses on trying to raise the mood rather than trying to find a solution to the problem.
Therefore, the best way to apologize to a customer or client is to offer a quick but genuine apology for what has happened, and then work on solving the problem.
Some phrases you can use to apologize to a customer are:
- I’m sorry to hear this has happened.
- I apologize for …
- Let me see what I can do about this.
- Let me check how we can resolve this for you.
- Please wait a moment while I check …
If you are able to offer the customer more than one way to resolve the matter, this can also increase their level of satisfaction as it puts them back in control of the situation to some extent, even if things have not gone as they expected.
How to apologize for a late email or for missing an email
Here are some phrases to use if you need to apologize for missing an email or replying late to an email:
- Apologies for the late reply.
- Sorry for missing this the first time.
- I’m sorry I didn’t see your email until now.
- Sorry for not replying sooner.
- Apologies for not getting back to you sooner.
- Thank you for following up; I seem to have missed the first email you sent.
As long as there were no serious consequences of you missing the email or replying late, there is no need to elaborate beyond this. Just continue with your reply as normal.
How to apologize for being late to work
This is something that happens to most people from time to time, and usually it’s sufficient to say “I’m sorry I’m late” and perhaps offer a quick explanation as to why you are late.
If you were significantly late, or your tardiness meant you missed something important, you may wish to make more effort with your apology.
In cases like this, it’s probably helpful to try and contact your boss or another colleague in advance to let them know about the delay. This at least shows that you are conscientious and don’t want to leave them wondering what has happened to you.
Although many managers will forgive occasional lateness, try not to make it a regular occurrence. You may need to make adjustments to your alarm or your morning routine to ensure you don’t end up having to apologize for being late to work too often.
How to apologize for missing a meeting
The way you apologize for missing a meeting may depend on how many other people were present and how important your role was. If it was a one-on-one meeting and it couldn’t go ahead without you, be sure to acknowledge this when you apologize.
You could use one of these phrases to apologize professionally when you’ve missed a meeting:
- I’m very sorry I couldn’t make it to the meeting.
- I apologize for missing the meeting.
- Sorry to have missed our appointment.
- I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience I caused you by not attending.
If the meeting needs to be rescheduled, try to be flexible with the timing to make it as smooth as possible. Also make sure you definitely can attend.
If the meeting went ahead without you, ask for a copy of the minutes or for the opportunity to meet with someone who was present to go over any key points you missed. Show that you care about what was being discussed and you genuinely are sorry to have missed it.
How to apologize for missing an interview
Missing an interview is likely to seriously affect your chances of getting the job, but it’s still worth following up with an apology (and, hopefully, a very good reason for missing it). If the company is really interested in hiring you, perhaps they will reschedule.
This is one occasion where a more formal apology is called for, such as:
- I’m very sorry that I missed the interview.
- Please accept my deepest apologies for not being at the interview.
- I understand this has wasted your time and created a bad first impression.
- I am still interested in the role and hope you are willing to give me a second chance.
As with apologizing to your boss for being late for work or missing a meeting, it’s helpful if you can contact the interviewer and tell them you will miss the interview, rather than just not turning up. Any advance warning is better than nothing.
How to apologize for not being able to attend an event
Here are a few ways you can apologize professionally for not being able to attend an event you have been invited to:
- Sorry, I can’t make it. (fairly casual)
- I’m afraid I am unavailable on that date.
- I regret that I am unable to attend.
- Unfortunately, I have a prior commitment on that date.
- Sorry, I won’t be able to attend.
In all cases, it’s polite to thank them for the invitation before giving this apology. You may wish to end by offering wishes for the success of the event.
Why is it important to apologize at work?
When something goes wrong – whether or not it is directly your fault – it’s important to acknowledge the problem, admit responsibility, apologize, and find ways to remedy what happened or prevent it from happening again.
Doing this can have an overall positive effect on your relationships with co-workers, clients, and customers, even when something has gone wrong. It helps to rebuild trust and may actually gain you respect. Conversely, failing to apologize can damage relationships further.
Taking responsibility for your actions and openly apologizing can also help reduce workplace stress, as you’ll have better communication and more trusting relationships with your co-workers and clients.
On the other hand, if your boss can see that you rarely own up to your mistakes and you are slow to apologize for errors or take action to correct them, it may hinder your chances of career progression as it shows a lack of integrity at work. Similarly, clients may be reluctant to renew contracts or recommend your company if they don’t feel that they can trust you to communicate openly.
