Their eyes meet across the room; he approaches her, they wonder, will they, wonít they, should I? No, this isnít the beginning of a Mills and Boon novel but the daily reality for almost half (46%) of British office workers as they worry whether to kiss or shake hands when greeting clients and colleagues.
Research of 1,219 UK office workers, inspired Office Angels, the UKís leading secretarial recruitment consultancy, to coin the phrase kiss/shake dilemma.
It started with a kiss...
The research also exposed the most embarrassing ëintimateí moments encountered by the UK PLC:
One fifth (19%) have embarrassingly clashed faces with a colleague or client when aiming to kiss opposite cheeks
An eighth (13%) become so concerned about whether to kiss or shake that theyíve forgotten the name of the person theyíre greeting
One in ten (12%) have become so flustered about the kiss/shake dilemma that theyíve ended up waving like a loon instead of kissing or shaking
One in ten (10%) have allowed a colleague to sit through a meeting with lipstick on their cheek as a result of pre-meeting peck with a female client or colleague
A very embarrassed 6% have even accidentally groped their colleagues or clients - one party has gone in for the kiss, the other the shake!
Liberal Londoners
The research shows that while a brazen 3% of London lovies have no concern, admitting ìI donít worry, I always kissî, the capital's work force are stuck in the biggest quandary over kiss/shake etiquette, with levels of concern higher than in any other region. The pressure of the ëmedia daahlingí stereotype leaves one fifth (19%) of Londoners in fear of coming across as cold and aloof by opting for a handshake over a kiss and one in six (15%) panic about giving one kiss or two.
Kiss/shake worries are less of a problem for those in Northern Ireland, where three quarters (73%) arenít phased because they always go for a handshake, the highest shake rate of any UK region.
Commenting on the kiss/shake dilemma David Clubb, Managing Director of Office Angels states;
ìIf 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 work place situation.î
To kiss or not to kiss?
New research reveals modern-day work-place dilemma
