Ideate

Kissing in the workplace

by Shane on 01/02/07 at 4:38 pm
3 comments

So what are the rules when it comes to the increasing social kissing culture in the business place? When is a kiss considered inappropriate? Where should one draw the line?

Thankfully the guys at the Business Opportunities Blog have helped to bring us some clarification; and hopefully we can put an end to the mass confusion:

Here are tips for social kissing etiquette from Pareto Law – the UK’s leading graduate assessment, placement and training organisation:

1) In a business meeting – stick with the hand shake – even if you know one of the other people very well, with others present it’s better to keep things professional and business-like.

2) One, two, three, or four? – In the UK it’s generally one or two kisses, but this causes wide confusion – and many knocks to heads and noses. The best advice is to stick with one, although if you’re overseas it’s worth knowing the local customs, for example in the Netherlands three kisses are expected, while in Spain it’s two kisses, with the right cheek first.

3) Company Culture – much of the kissing confusion comes down to our culture, and in terms of business, the corporate culture. More conservative fields such as banking or manufacturing tend to be more comfortable with a handshake, but in creative fields such as the arts or advertising a kiss may be the way to go, once a relationship exists.

4) Timing is everything – for many a social kiss later in the day feels more acceptable than in the morning – a little like the first beer. Kissing at a 9am team meeting is not recommended, but at a staff dinner in the evening it may be appropriate, although be aware if you kiss a couple of people you may need to keep going with all of your colleagues.

5) Follow others’ lead – if you’re unsure about whether to kiss or not, be prepared that it may happen and follow what others do. If someone moves in for an ‘air’ kiss or two, don’t back away, try to accept it as naturally as possible.

6) Who to kiss – this can be tricky, but as a general rule, if you’ve never met the person before don’t kiss them, especially if it is a work contact. If you know them reasonably well you may want to give a light kiss in a social environment. If you know them very well you can social kiss with ease.

7) How to kiss – in Britain we tend not to actually touch lips to the other person’s cheek – instead we rub cheeks and kiss the air. While our European neighbours may find this a little strange, in a business environment it’s more acceptable than placing a smacker on the cheek of a business partner or supplier.

Be a consistent kisser – if you kiss someone on one occasion don’t hold back the next time. They may think they have offended you or developed some contagious disease. This is complicated by the fact that the first kiss may have been at a dinner party and the next time you meet is at the Tesco’s checkout, which may not put you in the same kissing mood.

9) Never but never on the lips – There is nothing more disturbing than a social kiss that turns into a semi-snog, especially if you are the involuntary “snogee.” Make sure the cheek is offered at a more acute angle to avoid such mouth-on-mouth action.

10) Email kisses – the rise of the email kiss – and the smiley face – has been felt by most people who use email. In the business environment it’s not appropriate to end an email with a kiss when you’re writing to any business contact. If you know them very well and the email is of a more personal nature, rather than professional, kisses can be good.

(Read the entire post here)

Shane Dryden is the 'Maven' at Ideate. The driving-force of Yuppiechef, Shane loves to write on advertising and innovation. He spots the non-obvious stuff behind the obvious, which seems obvious, but isn’t really that obvious (obviously). View more articles by Shane.

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