Dear Prudence,
I have a co-worker I don’t know how to handle. We’re friends who sometimes socialize together outside of work. She is very intelligent but becomes visibly upset when she is corrected or proven wrong, and she avoids taking anyone’s advice unless absolutely necessary, even when she asks a question! She won’t lash out, but she shuts down the conversation, which makes it difficult to get anything accomplished when we have to work together. As a friend, I’d like to level with her that her behavior isn’t OK. If she weren’t my co-worker, I would say something, but I don’t want to cause unnecessary drama on our team. But she’s struggling at work because of this. She won’t reach out for help, and she constantly complains about how she’s been forced into this bad position and can’t progress in her career, and that our manager doesn’t like her so she’s just letting her fail. Is there anything I can do to help her, or at least stop her from getting on my nerves?