Method 40-1-5: How to become more sociable at work and make friends?

Colleagues don’t necessarily have to be your friends, but it’s more pleasant to go to work when you get along with colleagues.

It is not always easy to make friends and in the world of work it is sometimes even more complicated yet your mental health depends on it. Indeed, several studies show that getting along well with colleagues contributes to positive mental health. There is a method, dubbed 40-1-5 and invented by Ryan Jenkins and Steven Van Cohen, co-authors of “Connectable: How Leaders Can Move Teams From Insulated to All In?” that could help you to be more sociable at work.

Like other methods of any kind that are composed of numbers, each digit in method 40-1-5 corresponds to one step:

40: the number of seconds it takes to stop feeling alone when talking to a colleague

1: The number of friends you need to have at work to feel good

5: the number of minutes to tell an intimate anecdote to a colleague

So take your courage in both hands and try to apply the method, if only a friend at work will make you feel good, it is feasible!