My beliefs align closely with expert Wendi Lazar in that Elizabeth should attempt to remedy the situation at her current company while paying close attention to company culture related to employee fraternization.
First, Elizabeth needs to decide if she can move forward at her current company without damaging her performance or professionalism. So far, we have not seen a decrease in her performance, though she has been icy to Claudia in the workplace. Elizabeth needs to reflect and ask herself if she can move on psychologically with time, while preserving her professionalism in the meantime. However, this is not to say that Elizabeth needs to deal with the breakup and her emotions by bottling them up. In fact, it may be helpful for Elizabeth to talk with her friends (like Aba) about her feelings, work with a therapist, or focus on other things. Elizabeth has ignored other offers so far, so she clearly likes her work and excels at her job. She may even end up in a C-suite position at this company, so it is not wise to start looking for other jobs if she can see herself moving past the issues with Brad and Claudia with a proper plan to do so.
That being said, Elizabeth must cautiously evaluate the company culture at large. To me, the main cultural issue is that Brad, a C-suite employee, is not sensitive to Elizabeth’s situation. How do his actions reflect the company culture and policies? Brad and Claudia – or any coworkers for that matter – should probably not be flaunting their relationship in the office. Expert Wendi Lazar says that “women who run astray of corporate socializing rules are often demonized, while men behaving the same way are celebrated.” Is this true at Elizabeth’s current company? It doesn’t seem like Claudia is being treated any differently – she is even being sent on an important business trip. Wendi also makes an important point: Elizabeth has (possibly rightly) been told to keep her personal issues out of the office, but has Brad experienced the same counseling? These are questions Elizabeth needs to understand before choosing to stay or search for other jobs.
If I was a manager and found out about this situation, I would not do anything about it unless it was affecting the employee’s performance or professionalism. While I believe that companies should have certain disclosure policies, rules against supervisor-subordinate relationships, and rules to maintain professionalism at work, I do not think that managers should intervene in personal business unless there is a tangible reason to do so.
