Is The Business Handshake Dead?

[jleves]

With COVID-19 impacting all of our lives in significant ways, do you think the business handshake will cease to exist?

If it gets really bad and wipes out tons of people, we'll all understand that unnecessary physical contact is probably a bad idea.

If it doesn't get really bad, we'll probably have learned that we can reduce deaths from flu significantly every year by slowing it's spread by not having contact.

Obviously, I'm of the mind that handshakes will stop being a part of our culture going forward.

What do you think?

 

[XLCenterFan]

It’s done. Stick a fork in it. I remember listening to Mike and Mike years ago and there was a a doctor on who swore this was necessary. Years ago.

 

[goskis2018]

No chance the handshake is done, we'll be back to shaking hands and slapping backs by June

 

[LIuconn]

June is two months away and the numbers are just starting to rise. Wrong.

the handshake will likely return but it will take a long time

 

[mussels]

It survived the black plague and countless other epidemics. Its one tough tough sucker.

 

[superjohn]

Busineas handshake who the hell cares? Will slapping skins with randos go way down?

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Would love for fist bumps to be the new norm lol

 

[formerlurker]

Depends on if it's a meeting or if it's a focus group.

 

[Jaker]

I have been doing the fist bump for like a decade.

 

[UKemba15]

Not surprisingly, a huge number of people are still (and will continue) shaking hands and whatnot, especially those in finance - and politicians. When the markets tank, that’s when deals get done and big time money gets made, collateral damage be damned. It’s going to take a major culture shift here for these suppression tactics to work...hope we can muster up the courage to think about the collective instead of the individual to avoid a worst-case scenario.

 

[methodology]

Air high 5s. No touching

 

[Jaker]

Air high 5s. No touching

Not even on the flip side???

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

I hope so. Never been a fan although I've had to do it in the real estate world. As I mentioned in another thread, I'm a bit of a germaphobe, and I've seen how folks wash their hands. Always carry sanitizer with me for 15-20 years. Another thing that needs to go away is put luck dinners. Nope, again very few people properly wash their hands.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Couldn't help but notice you put the word "dead" in the thread title.

 

[Deepster]

As long as an alpha dog is in the room, there will be handshakes. It's the ultimate power show. Every single handshake is a measure of "who wins".

 

[Kolumbo]

Aside from the business handshake, what about the hug, whether a relative, friend, or date.

 

[Dove]

There is no way I am going to stop shaking my mom's hand when I see her. I love her too much.

 

[Dove]

Couldn't help but notice you put the word "dead" in the thread title.

Post/avatar

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Post/avatar

Ah, you, see I speak with a wooden prosthetic tongue.

 

[Scoe]

Will have to go with the Elbow bump, or the tapping of toes.

 

[TXHuskyFan]

Forget handshakes. Anyone have a friend that is a hugger? I absolutely hate it. A friend’s wife is a huge hugger. Coming and going. It’s annoying as hell. They’ll walk into a restaurant late and six of us will be seated and she’ll walk around the table hugging everyone expecting them to stand and hug her or do the lame one person seated while she hugs you routine. And this is after we had been hanging out the day before, not a situation where we haven’t seen each other in a while. She gets pissed at me when I refuse to stand or even acknowledge that she is trying to drape herself across my seated body. And before someone comments that I should stand when a lady arrives to sit, I get it, but it’s not our group dynamic. We all know that. I have discussed my displeasure with her and my buddy and now it’s turned to kind of a joke, like when they are leaving and we are standing around talking and I am obviously trying to avoid the hug goodbye, which I am able to avoid 95% of the time despite being called out for it.

On the other hand, another friend’s wife and I discussed a long time ago how much we both despise the social hug and agreed that we’d just shake when that awkward scene arises. We see them somewhat rarely and our spouses hug when we get together and she and I just look at each other and shake. In certain circumstances we’ll hug but only after acknowledging that it’s probably appropriate like at a funeral or if one family has endured some major event of significance.

In the end, I’d much rather the social hug go away than the hand shake.

 

[UKemba15]

There is no way I am going to stop shaking my mom's hand when I see her. I love her too much.

Brave of you to bare your soul like that on the internet, it’s rare to see such love and affection these days. You’re an inspiration to us all, Dove.

 

[Kemba429]

I have a job interview tomorrow, and not really sure what to do when I introduce myself lol.

 

[storrsroars]

Those who live in sanitized bubbles may be more susceptible to allergies and other diseases.

Stop worrying about this and go adopt a dog, ya babies.

 

[temery]

It'll be swapped out for Eskimo nose rubbing.