And of course interns are just doing what interns do. In this case that's asking about why someone's job is being reassigned, something HR usually covers in orientation or training. If you're concerned that the intern's questions were out of line, you could let them know it was outside the norm and talk to them about how their questions could be perceived and how to ask better ones in the future. That would let them know it's important for them to be sensitive to this kind of thing. Or, you could not tell them and simply answer in a non-specific manner, "There are a number of reasons that could lead to this, but it's not my place to tell you." So basically, no, you're not wrong to answer that question and no, there's not a risk that this question will come back to haunt you. As long as the intern doesn't seem to be asking out of an intent to defame anyone, there's nothing about your answer that the intern can take any further, at least not in a way that hurts anyone. A: If I had a complaint about a former employee I would simply say no comment. I would expect anyone who might be considering going over my wall to ask to speak to me directly. In such a situation I think you can be rather firm and say No I don't wish to comment, you will have to ask the current employee or the CEO if you need to know. As a footnote, sometimes that kind of question is a fishing expedition. And while you should not answer such questions from a current employee that isn't their personal account it would be good manners to give the current employee or CEO a chance to say who they are and if they feel it is an appropriate question to ask. I do not think it is your place to interfere in that situation but if you don't already know who the new employee or employee is then perhaps you could leave a short message to the old employee notifying them of the change. As a second minor point. If it is a new employee asking then the new employee is already new and has not had any orientation and has not gotten your expectations and policies yet. They may not know of any of these things like employee health insurance or vacation days. Even if they were aware of these things you wouldn't expect them to ask about them. They just haven't had the time to start putting them in their personal calendars and don't know they even existed until now. When you are the new boss you have to give them time to get acclimated to their new position and you should not be so in-your-face as to mention any policy or procedure unless they ask. However, while there is no obligation for the new boss to give new employees "the run-down", there is a big risk you will simply tick them off. Especially in a large organization where "the run-down" can take hours or days to get through and where every employee has a personal pet peeve. And, I think, a potential complaint about you as their new boss. I would simply assume the best of the new boss in this instance and not mention this issue at all, if that is really appropriate in your situation. Say something like "The company is committed to making your experience a great one and we hope we will see many wonderful years of successful collaboration from you. In the meantime if you would like to speak to the person who you worked with on this project or need any other help or advice please don't hesitate to ask". I would not say "You will not be able to ask him anything about the project as I will not talk to him about it". That way you are telling them there is a person they can contact if they have a question, but you are not giving them directions on how to get ahold of that person. Your problem is that you have a new boss who will tell you they are just moving to a new office but then they never get around to it and you have to tell the new guy twice. It's like they don't care and don't bother or even try. A: It is a "private" business decision. You could add, but that would make it more obvious to the other coworkers who might eavesdrop or overhear you. "We are not at liberty to comment on HR matters" should be enough. If it's someone not in your own immediate team, or someone for whom you do not have an employment contract, you can politely decline to speak. Say you simply don't have the information needed to comment, or something more polite that indicates you are being asked outside the normal course of your responsibilities. I personally think in this situation you are perfectly correct. But, you could leave the door open to a later conversation about how your team operates, if that's what will make them happy. But as an ex-manager, the bottom line is that if you don't want to be asked or discuss things in an open forum, then don't ask people to do it in private. A: "I do not feel that it is appropriate to discuss HR or internal processes and will not be able to answer those questions in this instance." This way, you show that you care about their privacy without sounding rude. If the colleague who asked isn't the sort to spread gossip, then he'll be aware that you do not answer their questions. I understand the desire for more information on why, but I think saying it's none of your business with a simple "I don't wish to comment" is sufficient. It's best to avoid being negative, because it will only make the other person more curious. Instead, I find it most helpful to share things I've heard are effective to encourage the individual's success (for example, if the individual is trying to be a writer, it's best not to tell them it's "a hit or miss job", but rather point them to good blog posts for inspiration.) The real question is how to prevent your co-workers from asking because they assume it's okay to do so. You're not going to win the fight here; it's just a fact of life that co-workers talk to each other. However, the way that you win the fight is to change the way that your coworkers see talking to you about company processes. In short, make it socially awkward to say anything about company business outside of the HR department. Make a habit of answering questions such as "How does the company work?" with a one word answer such as "Privately." I suggest that instead, you say "My role is not to share information about the company's operations" or "That's not my job." This conveys that you don't intend to answer the question, and can convey an air of contempt towards them for wasting your time with their curiosity. A potential customer might have no intention of ever finding out about the company's operations, but when you put a one word answer in front of them, they will be reluctant to pester you about it. This keeps the potential customer from taking offense, yet still makes your co-workers aware that they're not supposed to be asking about those things. Make a habit of answering questions with, "I'm not permitted to talk about that. If you need to discuss the issue further, I'll be happy to explain my position." This is a good way to convey to co-workers that your private knowledge isn't public knowledge and that you intend to treat it as such. In the future, when people ask you questions about company policies or business operations, remember that you can say "I am not permitted to share that information with you" and then follow up with something more informative. "I cannot discuss HR issues outside of the HR department"