This article explores "disenfranchised grief"—the unacknowledged emotional toll when close workplace friendships end through colleague departures, promotions, or team transitions. Drawing on research from Aalto University and psychology, it explains how social networks naturally contract in careers, especially as life trajectories diverge. The piece identifies two relationship-breakdown patterns (hard ruptures vs. rank demotions) and notes that without proper recognition of this loss, suppressed feelings can harm productivity and lead to burnout. Key insight: workplaces lack formal "goodbye rituals," forcing employees to mask grief and continue functioning while emotionally depleted.