Member Article

A shake or a kiss?

Kiss or shake hands with a client or colleague? This is a dilemma faced by workers around the country every day, a study is claiming. They wonder whether they should appear cold and aloof - or risk an embarrassing grope or clash of cheeks, according to Office Angels. Its survey of 1,200 staff revealed surprising concerns about the issue, with one in eight even forgetting the name of the person they were greeting because they were so worried.

A fifth of business people questioned said they had accidentally clashed faces, while one in 10 were so flustered that they ended up waving like an idiot. A similar number had actually allowed a colleague to sit through a meeting with lipstick on their cheek.

There was an over-enthusiastic few who said they had ended up groping a colleague or client after opting for a kiss while the other one tried to shake hands.

Londoners were most likely to be concerned about the issue, compared with workers in Northern Ireland, where most always went for a handshake, according to the research by the recruitment firm.

David Clubb, managing director at Office Angels, said: “If you feel struck by the kiss/shake dilemma, take your lead from the most senior person in the room. My advice would always be, if in any doubt, go for a handshake. A handshake is always considered professional and courteous, and being on the safe side of formal is never a bad thing in a workplace situation.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .