"I'm really sorry this happened"
When things go wrong, our sense of justice cries out for an apology. For reasons of liability, the more wrong something is, the less likely you are to actually get one. This may be changing, at least in some places.
Saskatchewan is the latest jurisdiction to introduce changes to their Evidence Act explicitly to address and remove the liability attached to an apology.
British Columbia, California, and Australia already had something like this in place. We should have this everywhere, so nobody hides behind the fear of unwittingly creating a bigger problem just by saying "I'm sorry". Very often, this is all people really want -- a sincere apology. Without it, disputes can drag on and leave people feeling dissatisfied and deeply hurt.
People are less likely to sue their doctor over malpractice if they get a sincere personal apology. So it's not just the right thing to do, you can save money, too.
Let's get this going everywhere, and bring a little more humanity back into customer relationships.
References:
'Sorry' not enough for legal liability, Saskatchewan says, Globe & Mail, Nov 17, 2006 (free for 7 days after publication)
Apology a tool to avoid malpractice suits, Boston Globe, Nov. 12, 2004
The Sorry Works! Coalition, an organization promoting the use of appropriate apologies as a way to reduce medical malpractice suits, and increase disclosure in doctor-patient relationships. White papers, research summaries, and other resources
PS - we're not talking here about the popular fake apology, the public relations apology, or anything other than the real deal.
