The friendships tied to a workplace need new meeting places when the work ends.

Work friendships run on proximity. The daily contact does the organising, so nobody has to decide to see anyone, and the affection feels self-sustaining until the shared building disappears. When the job ends, the warmth is still real but the scaffolding is gone, and people drift without either of them choosing it.

If you have left a workplace or someone you liked has, name a specific time and place rather than saying you should catch up. A standing monthly coffee outlasts good intentions. Two or three of these are usually enough.