It's the question confusing many people, as workers return to office and meetings shift from virtual to in-person
The handshake has been around for centuries. A widely-held belief is that it originated to prove to someone that a person was offering peace and not holding a hidden weapon. But in a post-Covid
world, hands that can be coated with germs may prove to be a deadly weapon too. Dr Anthony Fauct, the US’s leading infectious disease expert, ‘had cautioned last year: “I don’t think we should ever shakehands everagain.”
On the other hand, Dr Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, US, said the whole controversy over handshaking is overblown. "If you are worried, the best way to make handshakes safe is to be fully vaccinated. And if you're still worried, just wash your hands before you
touch your face," he said.
Establish rapport
Etiquette experts and business people would agree. As Dave McClain, a Kansas City, US-based retailer, said, "You can make phone calls all you want and you can meet with people online, but it is Just not the same as being able to reach out and shake their hand, look them in the eye and really estab- 1ish that rapport." Diane Gottsman, author of Modern Etiquette for a Better Life, advises people to take it slowly. "Don't be the first to extend your hand, even if you are comfortable," she said. "Watch the other person and allow them to extend theirgreeting of choice."
Gauge comfort levels
Lizzie Post, great-great- granddaughter of the late Etiquette maven, Emily Post, says the world today is similar to what it was like in the initial days of the pandemic, when people were trying to evaluate how comfortable others were before getting close to them. "It's hard to deny the handshake as a greeting because it's been so ingrained since we were kids or young adults," said Post. " And after a year of not practicing it, I feel it might become even more powerful now. Because for many people, that past year was spent not making any Contact with anybody."
Post, who produces a pod-cast on etiquette, revealed she has been getting many questions on the topic. "Our advice is to get comfortable with letting people know. The rude thing to do would be to act like you are ignoring an outstretched hand. If you do not want to shake hands, acknowledge that by saying, 'I actually don't shake hands'or I am sorry that I don't shake hands, but I am pleased to meet you'" she added.
Business Law Southwest, a firm that advises businesses in several US states, had recommended a no- handshake policy in the beginning of the pandemic, but there wasn't much interest, Kristy Donahue, a company spokeswoman, recalls. "At the end of the day, people crave human interaction and a human touch. It's like that psychology experiment, where they have two sets of monkeys, one who was never petted and the other was. And the monkeys that weren't being handled just withered away," she said. "We haven't evolved much from there."
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