A work friend, about to make a big financial decision, asks you straight out whether layoffs are coming. You were told in confidence that they are — what do you do?

The dilemma has no free exit: lying betrays the friend, leaking betrays the confidence, and a clumsy dodge leaks anyway. The answer shows whether the candidate has an actual line between what they won't share and what they'll still do for the person — and it needs no work history to answer.

• What do you actually say to them — the words?
• Is there anything you can do for them without breaking it?
• Do you tell the person who confided in you what's happening?
• What if they read the answer off your face anyway?

Declines to confirm or deny without pretending ignorance, gives the friend the same refusal anyone would get — that consistency is what a confidence is — separates what they can't say from what they can do, such as pressing the confider to communicate sooner, and accepts the cost to the friendship rather than splitting the difference.

Tells them "unofficially" and swears them to secrecy, lies outright that nothing is coming, treats the confidence as negotiable once the friend's stakes feel high enough, or performs a wink-and-nod dodge and calls it discretion.