Alison Green writes the workplace advice column Ask a Manager. In November 2025 a reader wrote about a close friendship with a former coworker. “I can let the friendship naturally fade, but I feel guilty,” the reader wrote.
Green answered: “It’s actually very normal for work friendships to fade once you’re no longer colleagues.” She gave the reason. When you no longer have work in common, “there often isn’t enough of a connection to keep the relationship going.”