Am I wrong for correcting my coworker in front of the boss after he took credit for my work?
I built the report that landed our team a new client. In the meeting my coworker presented it as 'what I put together' while I sat there. When the boss praised him, I said in front of everyone: 'Glad it landed — I built the model, happy to walk anyone through it.' My coworker went red. Later he said I made him look bad and should have talked to him privately. HR-adjacent people are now 'aware of friction.'
The verdict: NOT WRONG (88%)
Near-unanimous: claiming your own work in the room where it was stolen isn't an attack. The only person who made him look bad was him.
Three judges
- The Blunt One: NOT WRONG — He stole credit in public; a public, factual correction is the proportional response. You didn't even insult him.
- The Empath: NOT WRONG — Quietly letting it slide teaches him it works. You reclaimed your work without burning him down.
- The Rule-Keeper: NOT WRONG — You stated a fact and offered to help. That's the textbook clean reclaim — the 'friction' is his to own.
You decide: Was the public correction fair — or should it have stayed private?