In the age of female empowerment, the practice of greeting a co-worker with a peck on the cheek is coming under fire.
When men and women in the work place say hello, they often greet each other with a small peck on the cheek, but in the wake of the #MeToo movement, some now feel the gesture may be crossing the line.
This week, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was called out for kissing female legislators while giving men just a simple handshake.
“I think certainly for the last 30 or so years that I’ve been involved in professional and public life, 30-plus years, that has been a norm and it's been a respectful norm,” he said when asked about it.
Inside Edition spoke to workplace etiquette expert Stephen Viscusi and examined the proper way to greet someone of the opposite gender.
“The hug and the kiss are dead," Viscusi said. "There's absolutely no reason why a woman should be greeted any differently than a man in business today. A firm handshake is the most important thing — just directly — and look right in the eye.”
Even as the flu wreaks havoc on immune systems across the country, Viscusi said that there is a way to respectfully get away with not shaking someone’s hand.
"It's very important today to be cautious of spreading the flu, so, what I think is the most polite thing, I always tell people — whether it's true or not — I tell someone, 'I'm just getting over something,'" he said. "No handshake, no kiss. I stand back. It may look funny, but it's gonna save you a lot of health problems."
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