Awhile back I reflected on how ridiculous the goodbye ritual of mindlessly bleating out "nice to meet you" is. Isn’t there anything more original or sincere anyone can say?
SO, let’s think of this as the "Empire Strikes Back" to that, the "Star Wars" of blog posts. Ok, not really.
Will someone please explain when in business it is appropriate to hug at hello and goodbye and when you are supposed to shake?
If it's a man and a woman, relative peers, but no sexual tension, the hug sometimes may happen. When it's a woman and a woman -- the hug is likely. After all, who doesn’t appreciate that? If it's two men, well, in the Soprano's not only is there a hug with a primal series of slaps on the back, but there's often a double cheek kiss. Strange, considering how homophobic they are. Speaking of which, if it is two men hugging who are not of Italian descent -- I won't ask if you don’t tell. No seriously, whatever makes you happy is fine by me, just please show me the same courtesy. Unless you are a conservative Congressman from the south and then all bets are off.
Another variable is what sector you work in. Government – no way.
Private -- possibly. Non Profit – likely – you need all the support you
can get. But I digress.
The number of hug vs. shake scenarios is almost too long to count, but hey, these words aren't costing you anything so here goes:
1. When business people meet for the first time, a hello handshake is mandatory. Unless you then discover you are long lost relatives, a shake is also the gateway to goodbye.
2. You have been in business for a little while but rarely meet face to face. No personal information has ever been exchanged and not much money has been transacted. Shake and shake, yes?
This is where it starts to get complicated.
3. After several meetings you're having a meal together. Some deem it appropriate to hug when they arrive. It's in a public setting so not too creepy right?
4. You have been doing business for a while, the financial investment is meaningful, you’ve shared meals together and very likely some personal stories. Again tricky. While you may feel inclined to hug, or vice versa, the opposite is just as likely. And if one swoops in for the hug and the other starts to extend their hand, how friggin' awkward is that? Supreme Court Justice Thomas should have taken the hint at this juncture. Note to Brett Favre, sending photos of one’s “footballs” is never a good overture.
5. There’s enough shared history that a hug hello happens almost organically. Yet, when it’s time for goodbye, some people throw you a curve. You assume another hug is in order and yet they shake. What up with that? Was the first hug insincere? Did you say something in the meeting to offend them? Can’t we all hug along?
6. It’s a group meeting. One of many the two teams have had. Do only the most senior people hug? What if you’re just a figurehead (hello, agency owners, ring a bell?) and it’s the young account person who does all the work? Should they also hug the client? Even if they have intimacy issues their job is riding on that account so they better learn to take the hugging cue, right?
Before we adjourn, What's your take on the half hug? Is a full hug in return inappropriate? Is this person saying they don’t really want to hug but feel obligated because they’ve read this post? Or maybe they strained a muscle at the gym this morning and your half-hug in return offends them?
7. Finally ladies and gentlemen, who hasn't been here? Hug hello. Hug goodbye. Countless times. Then one day, one of you lingers, gazes or squeezes.
Eeewww. 
