Sharing repair mistakes: smart move or job danger?

My boss at the repair shop wants us to share every mistake we make on jobs. He says it helps us all get better and avoid repeat errors. But some techs think this is a bad idea. They fear that owning up to a blunder will get them punished or let go. I've seen a tech hide a wrong part order, and it caused a second visit that upset the client. But when we are honest, we often solve things fast before they blow up. I can't decide which side is right. How do you all deal with this in your shops?

4 comments

4 Comments

morgan_taylor331mo ago

Have you seen anyone fired for admitting a blunder?

robin_roberts1mo ago

Andrew_scott38's story about speaking up early building trust is ideal, but that's not every workplace. To answer morgan_taylor33, yes, I've seen people shown the door after admitting a serious error, usually when budgets are shrinking. In my experience, it comes down to whether management values learning over blaming. Some bosses appreciate the honesty and fix the problem, others just see a cost to cut. Take that with a grain of salt, but it's a real worry in some spots.

andrew_scott381mo ago

At my last shop, the manager made us log every error in a shared spreadsheet. It felt scary at first, like you said, worrying about getting in trouble. But then I saw how a missed torque spec on a brake job got caught before the car left. We fixed it fast, and the customer never knew. That experience showed me the value of speaking up early. It builds trust in the team.

the_joel1mo ago

Yeah that caught brake job is lucky, but it assumes managers always use that info to help. I mean, a shared log just becomes a list of who messed up, and during slow times or layoffs, that list decides who goes. It turns a safety net into a weapon.