The Myth of Correcting in Private

Your employee just bombed an off-color joke in a team meeting. Every head slowly turns to you. What do you do? In an EEO training, the instructor shared a real case where a supervisor corrected an employee in public. The employee filed a complaint, feeling the correction was harassing and discriminatory. The deeper reasons behind the complaint are a conversation for another day. What caught my attention was how quickly the class reacted to the idea of public correction. “Supervisors correct in private and praise in public,” one person recited like an absolute standard. Solid advice. Tattoo-worthy, even. But like most clean rules, life gets messy around the edges. Some situations demand immediate correction, with that off‑color joke being one of them.

So When Do You Step in Immediately?

Most corrections can and should wait for a private conversation. But a few situations call for real-time action, which keeps your team safe, your credibility intact, and your organization out of legal hot water. Let’s talk about some of them, shall we?

• Stop inappropriate humor the moment it lands. This covers jokes that are off‑color, demeaning or targeted at groups or individuals. Inappropriate humor does not get a grace period. Letting it sit, even for a few seconds, signals tolerance. A calm, direct redirect, “Let’s keep it professional, folks,” takes three seconds and closes the door before anyone else walks through it.
• Shut down sexual innuendos immediately. Comments with a sexual edge, even implied or framed as harmless, create instant risk. They undermine psychological safety, violate professional norms, and can expose the organization to legal consequences. A swift, steady redirect signals that the workplace is not a place for sexualized commentary of any kind.
• Correct safety violations on the spot. If someone bypasses a safety protocol, that correction belongs in the moment, which is the only moment that matters when someone could get hurt. Document it privately afterward but act immediately.
• Address misinformation before it spreads. If an employee states something factually wrong in a meeting, especially in front of clients or senior leadership, a gentle course correction in real time protects everyone, including the employee who got it wrong.
• Intervene when conflict is escalating. A tense exchange that is heating up does not improve with time. Step in, cool the room, and save the deeper conversation for when emotions are no longer running the meeting.

The “praise public, correct private” rule is a great default that protects dignity and builds trust. Just know when the situation is bigger than the rule. Public correction should be rare, but when the moment calls for it, correct the behavior in a way that keeps the situation from spiraling, then follow through privately. The room will remember how you steadied the moment, which is what ultimately sets the tone for the culture you create.

Adeline (Addy) Maissonet is a senior advisor on contracting policies and procedures within the Office of the Secretary of War, U.S. Department of War (DoW) and the agency’s representative on the Department’s views on proposed legislation to Congressional members, their staff, and committee staffers. She leads the development and implementation of Department-wide procurement policies for commodities and services, within her portfolio. Prior to her current role, Addy served as a Division Chief and Contracting Officer with unlimited warrant authority for the U.S. Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) – Fort Eustis, Virginia. Prior to joining the MICC, Addy served as a Branch Head for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Maintenance Center (MARMC), Norfolk, Virginia, with unlimited warrant authority. She also held other procurement positions with the U.S. Navy. Addy holds an MBA in Management and Contracting Level III Certification under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act. She is a graduate from Cornell University’s Executive Leadership Certificate Program and Harvard University’s Business Analytics Certificate Program. In her free time, Addy enjoys hiking and overlanding with her family and friends.

Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Department of War.

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