If you make a small mistake at work, whether you should tell your boss immediately usually depends on the nature of the mistake, the scope of impact, and the company culture. Here are some considerations and suggestions to help you decide whether and how to report to your boss: 1. **The severity and scope of the error**: - **Low-impact errors**: If the error has no substantial impact on the project progress, team collaboration, or the company's interests, and can be corrected by itself in a short period of time, you may not need to tell your boss immediately. However, you still need to record the error and take measures to prevent similar problems from happening again. - **High-impact errors**: If the error may lead to project delays, financial losses, customer dissatisfaction, or other major consequences, it is recommended to report to your boss as soon as possible so that solutions can be jointly developed to reduce negative impacts. 2. **Company culture and boss's attitude**: - **Encourage a culture of transparency and honesty**: In such an environment, proactively reporting errors is usually understood and supported, which helps to build a trusting relationship. - **More severe or blaming boss**: Even in this type of environment, concealing errors often has a greater negative impact, and once discovered, it may damage your credibility. Therefore, honest reporting is still a better choice. 3. **Corrective Actions and Learning Opportunities**: - When reporting an error, it is recommended that you also provide the corrective actions you have taken or plan to take, as well as suggestions to prevent similar errors from happening again. This demonstrates your sense of responsibility and problem-solving skills, and helps gain your supervisor's understanding and support. 4. **Personal Career Development**: - Being honest about your mistakes helps build a good professional image and contributes to long-term career development. Hiding mistakes, once discovered, may damage your credibility and affect your career prospects. **Summary suggestions**: Even for small mistakes, it is usually best practice to communicate with your supervisor in a timely and honest manner. This not only helps to correct the problem in a timely manner and reduce potential impact, but also demonstrates your sense of responsibility and professionalism. When communicating, clearly stating the circumstances of the error, the measures you have taken, and the plans to prevent it in the future can help your supervisor better understand and support you.