Admitting the mistake at 9 a.m. costs a little. Getting caught at 5 p.m. costs everything plus interest.

Mistakes have a price that rises through the day. Early on, the conversation is about a problem; later, it is about a problem and a concealment, and the second part is what people actually judge. The delay is usually spent hoping it will resolve itself, which it rarely does.

Report it before you have fully figured out the fix. Say what happened, what you know, and what you are doing next, in that order, and skip the part where you explain why it was not your fault.