Kissing in the office

[mudskipper]

It's a tough one this. I have worked with many countries in Europe and the MEA over the last 3 years and it is a minefield trying to decide what to do when meeting colleagues, particularly when dealing with countries that have a strong culture and respect is key like Middle Eastern ones.

Knowing who to kiss on the cheek which is the norm in Algeria/Morocco and very offensive to ladies from Egypt, and who to shake hands with is an utter nightmare.

I tend to just wait until they make their move first, if they stick their hand out then great, if they move in then offer a cheek up.... oh yeah, and don't forget some people do one cheek, some do both... Jesus...

Good way of spreading TB.

[Halo Jones]

They're called moobs.

[sasguru]

I generally offer to shake hands if it's any man or Western(ised) woman.
I don't offer any physical contact (just a friendly smile and "Hello") to any woman in Muslim dress (very rare in the companies I've worked in) or who's from the Middle East, unless they offer it first.

That seems to have served me well over the years.

[d000hg]

So when is a pinch on the bum acceptable these days?

[MarillionFan]

So when is a pinch on the bum acceptable these days?

Just after you've grabbed their breasts so I've heard.

[northernladuk]

Good way of spreading TB.

TB? Is that anything like MF or SY?

[Ticktock]

I never fully understand this, although I'm guilty of succumbing to it too.

Someone comes over to the UK and they may have a different cultural way of greeting than we do, so we spend energy trying to work out the correct way of responding. If you then go visit them in their country, they still greet using their own "cultural norm", so it's nothing to do with guest vs host.
I've actually had French and Dutch women insisting on cheek-kissing and acting offended if I'm standing with my hand out to shake instead.

Is it because we generally insist on them learning a proper language instead of using their own barbarian tongues, so we make up for it by allowing them to practice their own non-verbal greeting instead as a compromise?

[SimonMac]

Good way of spreading TB.

You an catch "The Bench"

[MarillionFan]

You an catch "The Bench"

Isn't 'The Bench' a story of a young hedonistic techie who comes across a dying contractor in a dodgy server room in Bangkok who scrawls a map & directions on a piece of scrap paper to the greatest gig in the world, to whit he then embarks on a great journey on public transport to eventually find said 'nirvana' only to discover he's been locked in to an IR35 unfriendly contract, with no MOO & no notice clause???

[Old Hack]

I enjoy reading about cultures, so tend to try and find out what I should expect on getting to a country. If a furner turns up here, of whom I have no idea of his/her provenance, I follow their lead.