To be surprised about all the hugging and kissing going on in Brussels.

[Crunchymum]

Looks very unprofessional? Who kisses their colleagues?

I worked in Germany years ago & each morning started with a team briefing for our whole team of about 20. It took me a week to realise that you had to turn up 10 mins before the meeting started as you had to shake hands with everyone every morning. If you didn't then they'd all look perplexed and embarrassed as they tried to work out what was worse - not shaking hands or not starting the meeting promptly. What was particularly frustrating was that I had to get a bus to work and the bus only went every 30 mins and I had to get a bus 30 mins earlier than I would have done to get there for the start of handshaking rather than the start of my working hours.
Having subsequently worked in France & Spain, I began to realise shaking colleagues hands is infinitely preferable to kissing them. What I really hated about the whole kissing thing was that you had to include your equally uncomfortable English colleagues and boss as otherwise it just appeared awkward.

MythicalBiologicalFennel and that is totally rational and of course ok, but it isn't really 'socoal ritual carried out'. Personally I'd suggest that someone who really hates contact just sticks out their hand every time for a handshake and be seen as having a foreign tradition, Vs doing air kisses that make them seem like they're a bit inept or cold.

Ah Stuck I come from a hugging and kissing culture, the ritual is not foreign to me, I was brought up in it In that context sticking my hand out instead would be seen as seriously weird!

Must love your anecdote about the protracted, compulsory premeeting handshakes I find little cultural and social rituals like these fascinating and endearing

Oh gosh, people in other countries doing things differently again. I blame the decline if Empire personally.

Dont worry OP, they're only foreigners. They haven't been brought up with your advantages. Just wave the union jack a bit and spit at them til you feel better.

I'm in France.

After many years I tend to just sense when it's cheek kissing, shaking hands or just nothing.

And if you don't want to kiss then you just have to preempt it by holding your hand out.

There's a couple of French colleagues who won't kiss or even shake hands. They are seen as a bit cold and standoffish.

But it is perfectly acceptable to throw your hands up to ward someone off and explain that you're ill and don't want to spread it around.

As a general rule, I cheek kiss colleagues that I don't see often - ones that are more like friends and we're meeting for lunch. Colleagues I see everyday we don't do anything, unless it's the first time back after the holidays.

There's hierarchy involved too. And it's up to the director/boss to make the first move to kiss or shake hands.

When foreigners are visiting its handshakes.