Ask a question instead of making an accusation. You’ll learn more and they’ll have less to fight.

An accusation gives the other person a position to defend, and defending it becomes their whole job for the rest of the conversation. A question leaves them space to explain, and explanations contain information that accusations never produce. You also stay somewhere you can be wrong without losing anything.

Next time you are sure somebody did something, lead with the question anyway. What happened with the shift on Friday, rather than you left me with your shift. The facts come out faster, and if you were mistaken you will not have to walk anything back.