You’ve suffered the ultimate humiliation at work and resigning seems to be the next logical step.

You didn’t mean to press ‘reply all’, you thought your phone was on mute, you should never have worn that outfit. What were you thinking?

But do you really need to pack a bag and leave the country, or can you recover your dignity just enough after an embarrassing moment?

We went to question and answer site Quora for some insight to make us feel better so what is the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you at work?

Digital marketer, Calum Hall, once worked for a well-known car dealership in the UK.  Just three days into his new job he collected a vintage Bentley from a customer to drive to the firm’s garage but panicked when he couldn’t start the engine. The owner told him to turn the key, and then press the button next to it.

 “Nothing was happening,” Hall wrote. “I could hear a distant clicking, and I thought it must have started, but no, my efforts were in vain. I turned the key yet again, and pressed the button, and now I was a little frantic and starting to blush.”

Hall turned to see the owner doubled up with laughter on the other side of the road. 

“The button I had been pressing was the boot (trunk) release, so he had been watching me open and close the boot with more and more vigour and increasing frustration,” wrote Hall. “He said ‘My dear boy, you have been opening and closing the boot for the last five minutes, and even though I could stand here all day watching you do that, I really must get back to the office!’. He kindly came over and pointed to the correct button.” 

Jeff Kesselmen, a computer game programmer said: “My first few weeks as a street magician probably qualify as the most awkward thing I've ever done.” The humiliation paid off, however, and he “was soon pulling in decent money.”

We’ve all had public wardrobe malfunctions.  Frank Ferriss  revealed a little too much of himself in his new workplace tearing his pants “from bending down while working in a crowded supermarket. Fun times.”

Technology malfunctions, too, can lead to some sticky situations. One anonymous Quora user once took a call from a colleague at a company at which all meetings were conducted online using laptops with headsets. The user said: “(I) proceeded to tell him in detail about another colleague that was underperforming and her dramatic reaction to us removing some of her responsibilities (a demotion of sorts). We were both laughing, neither of us really liked her so I was enjoying sharing this story. 

“Well... I thought that I was muted on the web meeting. I get an instant message from someone on the web meeting that is like "We can hear everything you're saying". My stomach sank... I still feel terrible about it to this day.”

What is the most embarrassing thing you’ve done in the workplace? Share your experience, if you dare, in the comments below.