How to greet when you meet
A new survey reveals that employees suffer a great deal of embarrassment when deciding on how to greet a colleague. Whether it's planting a kiss on one or two cheeks, or if it's right to deliver a firm handshake, the confusion out there reaches far and wide.
How to greet has become more and more difficult. Going "continental" in the incorrect situation or shaking a hand so firmly as to give the wrong impression to a prospective employer or client are just some of the greetings that have left the majority of staff shrinking away over a lack of situational intuition. The latest survey of 1,500 UK office staff suggests that almost ? of employees have made some form of gaffe when greeting a colleague. OF these, 68% said that faux pas left them embarrassed, and just over half had said that the botched greeting had badly affected the relationship.
Of the mistakes listed, some of the respondents said going "continental" (32%), planting a two-cheek kiss while the other person only kissed once, and shaking the other person's hand inappropriately hard (27%). Over eighty percent said they did not know how long is was OK to take before moving from a handshake relationship to a kiss on the cheek. Nearly half (45%) claimed that greeting members of the opposite sex was more uncomfortable than those of the same sex.
There were also traditional practices reported, depending on the industry of the person greeted. Those in media, fashion or publishing were best greeted with a "two-cheek" kiss, while lawyers were more traditionally bound to the affirmative handshake. One third said they felt getting a greeting right was vitally important as any blunder could be remembered for as long as they were at the firm, while 78% said that it was vital to future professional relationships. The lack of clarity was blamed on the cultural looseness and lack of definite rules. Nearly 60% said they were most confused by the lack of clear etiquette, and a quarter said that traditional handshakes should remain the standard workplace greeting.
Paul Jacobs, of Office Angels, the group that organized and collected the survey data, holds that if there's any doubt about the correct greeting practice, the rule of thumb is to remember that it is better to be too formal over being caught as too informal. "You can't really go wrong with a handshake," he said, and suggests that the confused greeter remember the following:
- If you're unsure of how to greet someone, follow the lead of the other people present
- When meeting someone for the first time, stick to tradition and shake hands
- One kiss or two? If in doubt, opt for one, but make sure you're aware of what the other person is doing so you're ready for a second one if necessary!
- In an interview situation, always shake hands - even if the interview has gone really well and you really want the job!
- Be aware of your own strength - you may be enthusiastic about your work, but there is no need to crush the other person's hand - a firm handshake will suffice. Equally beware the "wet fish" handshake, there's nothing worse.
Whether it's planting a two-checked smooch, when a handshake would have been called for, or a "bone-crusher" during a hand-to-hand, most employees have a tale of going to far, and perhaps getting hot under the collar