DEAR HARRIETTE: A good friend of mine hired my older brother as security for an event she was hosting, and apparently he did a horrible job. According to her, he was drinking on the job, wasn’t paying close attention to the guest list and let people into the event who were not supposed to be there. She called me and told me that she thinks it’s necessary to dock his pay. While I don’t necessarily think it’s right to pay him less than the agreed-upon amount, I support her decision because he should’ve done a better job. There is now tension between the two of them because he sincerely believes that he didn’t do anything wrong. He says he worked longer than he initially agreed to work and didn’t drink anything with alcohol in it. I don't know who to believe or how to make them resolve this issue. How do I help them resolve this, and how do I avoid taking sides? -- Caught in the Middle
DEAR CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE: You need to stay out of this entirely. Even supporting her decision to dock his pay is more than you should have done because you were not there, you were not involved and they need to handle this themselves.
Speak to each of them. Express your disappointment that things didn’t go smoothly. Let them know that you do not want to be in the middle. Tell them that they need to resolve this matter independent of you.