Brian, a very productive customer service representative for an insurance company, lied to his coworkers about the date of his mother's funeral so that he could extend his leave for a few extra days. When they discovered Brian's lie, his coworkers felt wronged and bitter. Brian apologized sincerely for lying when he was confronted. His supervisor docked his pay for his unauthorized absence and placed an official reprimand in his personnel file. Brian's work continues to be of high quality. What is the best way for the coworkers to overcome their negative feelings toward Brian?

The options are the following:

a. Encourage Brian to leave the company by ostracizing him at work.

b. Accept Brian's apology and forgive him for having wronged them.

c. Reject Brian's apology and try to have him fired.

d. Reject Brian's apology until he proves repeatedly that they can trust him.

The correct answer is b. Accept Brian's apology and forgive him for having wronged them.

Explanation:

It may be difficult to forgive someone who apologizes for saying or doing something wrong. Perhaps this is because you are not sure that the apology is sincere or that you need time to evaluate and think about the explanation. Once you have decided to accept the person's apology, you can demonstrate it with words and actions. If the explanation seems genuine and sincere, it is advisable that you try to accept it and then act accordingly, practicing forgiveness.