I agree with the expert, Elizabeth should immediately seek other and better opportunities, leveraging all her strengths and connections to negotiate competitive compensation. Even though it wasn’t her fault that things didn’t end well with Brad, she’s clearly bothered to the point of being unwilling/unable to perform her required tasks (e.g. mentoring Claudia). She should leave before her performance is affected. I found myself in a similar situation last year where I chose to drop a class I was excited for rather than deal with a classmate who was making me feel uncomfortable and trapped. If I had stayed in that class, I would’ve been constantly on edge about where he was in relation to me, how I was going to try to avoid him, excuses I could make, etc. That mental drama was just not worth it for me, and Elizabeth’s situation is even more extreme. Just leave girl.
If I was a manager, I would ask Elizabeth to tell her whole truth and why she feels so upset/hurt by Brad and Claudia. I would ask her to explain what her ideal path forward would be within the company, and if it’s not something I could make happen (such as not giving Claudia those opportunities), I would discuss with Elizabeth other options. I would give her a compassionate but slightly “well this is what happens when you…” talk about the nature of work relationships but assure her that it’s not her fault that things happened this way. I would be realistic with her about the expectations she would need to meet if she chose to stay (you have to still go on these trips, you have to still mentor Claudia, you can’t let this get in the way of your performance, etc) and offer all of my support should she find work elsewhere.
