coworker zone
Similar to the Friend Zone, the coworker zone is a lonely state you find yourself in after your attempts to initiate an outside-of-work friendship with a coworker are rejected. Can also be used as a verb – to be "coworker zoned" is to be denied friendship by a coworker, thereby placing you in the coworker zone.
I asked Charles if he wanted to hang out and work on the project some time, but he totally missed the point that I wanted to hang out and just said he wasn't really interested in working on the project. He totally put me in the coworker zone.
The Coworker Zone
Pretty much the brother of the friend zone, but indeed worse. She only wants to socialize with you at work. Say goodbye to any plans that you might've had with her, because she won't be seen with you unless it's at work.
Billy: I've tried to set plans up with her outside of work, but she never comes through. She agrees to while we're working together, but then she leaves me in the dark afterwards
John: You, my friend, have just been thrown into "The Coworker Zone".
John: You, my friend, have just been thrown into "The Coworker Zone".