Given enough rope to hang

Here's a suggestion -

Tell your employees one thing (i.e. make a nighttime shelter happen but it is to be overseen by Dept. X, not Dept. Y)

Then, tell employee of Dept. Y something otherwise.

Then all employees related to project proceed to dump on employee of Dept. Y. Said employee's stress begins to overwhelm her in the contradictory communications re: said project.

Employee of Dept. Y directs complainants to the Dept.X employees and then Employee Y receives e-mail from Employee X saying, "You put us in a tight spot, making us look like the bad guy" for such direction.

Employee Y crafts e-mail in response - copies everyone who was on the original e-mail, adds supervisor and city mgt who have been out of the loop - hoping to get direction and clarification.

Employee Y is somehow the bad guy who overstepped her position, went above her supervisor, and could have avoided all of this if she'd only had better boundaries.

Employee Y is thinking, "Well, f!@# me if I was damned if I did and damned if I didn't. I shall now call myself the Fall Guy."

The nighttime shelter folks brought a dog into the shelter and it shat all over, starting this whole series of events. Seems to me there is responsibility that needs claimed at baggage check, as it ain't ALL mine.