As soon as we learn to speak, we are taught to say Please and Thank you.  Followed closely by I’m Sorry. From a very early age, we learn that if we do something wrong, we should apologize for it. And that’s still true.  If you show up late to an important function, or offend a friend, saying you’re sorry is often an important step to mending the wrong.  BUT, there comes a point, especially in the workplace, when being too apologetic or apologizing for the wrong things doesn’t help at all. And, in fact, it can backfire. Apologizing unnecessarily can actually undercut your professionalism by introducing doubt and diminishing others confidence in you. So, stop apologizing for the printer not working (unless it’s actually your job to get it fixed) or for the UPS guy being late.