Swiss shake hands, Spanish kiss each other
BUSINESS MEETINGS Londen City Airport took the opportunity to conduct a study on business meetings. It determined how greeting rituals differed in meetings. In Switzerland, the handshake dominates. 89% of the Swiss greet male business partners at business meetings with a handshake, only 7% give each other a kiss left and right. For female business partners [...]
In Switzerland, the handshake dominates. 89% of the Swiss greet male business partners at business meetings with a handshake, only 7% give each other a kiss on the left and right. In the case of female business partners, around 80% are greeted with a handshake in Switzerland, and one in 5 receives one or more kisses.An international comparison shows that Spaniards greet female business partners 75% with one or more kisses, while the percentage for male business partners is 28%. The southern countries are thus frontrunners when it comes to greeting with kisses, as Italy also shows higher results with 11% among male and 31% among female business partners. 8% of Britons greet male business partners with one or more kisses, while the figure for female business partners is as high as 19%. The average in Europe is 12% for men and 31% for women - so in an international comparison, the Swiss are very reserved when it comes to greeting business partners with kisses.The Swiss composure is also a theme in the greetingIn terms of mood, the Swiss show themselves to be the most relaxed, with 56% of respondents saying they feel relaxed when greeted at business meetings, with Ireland the second most relaxed country at 42%. Britons feel weird or uncomfortable at 56%, compared to only 11% for the Swiss. The European average is 33%, who tend to feel uncomfortable at business meeting greetings.Bad body odor and being late are absolute no-go'sWhen asked what gives a bad impression at business meetings, the most frequent answers were "bad manners," "body odor," "being late," "bad breath" and "sweating. For the Swiss, "body odor" and "being late" are the main reasons for a bad impression, Irish people are bothered by "untidy clothing" and Italians by "sweating". In contrast, only 46% of Italians consider "being late" to be bad behavior, compared with 67% of Swiss. When it comes to "bad manners," the British are among the people who are most annoyed by it, while Switzerland is the country with the lowest percentage (76% vs. 60%). When it comes to "sweating," the picture is similar: this also gives 59% of Britons a bad impression, while only 32% of Swiss people find it annoying.
