Germans call for ban on kissing in the office

The German Knigge Society, which sees itself as a guardian of correct etiquette, said kissing in the office had proliferated over recent years and had become offensive, The Telegraph reported.

The French-style greeting has raised eyebrows in a society where colleagues often spend their entire careers referring to each other with the formal address "Sie", instead of "du."

Now the Knigge Society wants the practice banned. It says it has fielded several phone calls from confused Germans seeking advice about how to react when someone kisses them hello or goodbye.

Hans-Michael Klein, chairman of the group, told the Times: "This is valid immediately. There should be no kissing, at least not in the office."

"The suspicion for many remains that there is, or may be, an erotic component to the kissing," he said. "Kissing simply gets on the nerves of many at work. It is a form of terror. In business the handshake is considered the correct greeting ritual."