What about newyear at your company?

[Jan de Boer]

I do not know.., but it always gets me annoyed. First I think the good luck wishes are for friends and family, and on 01-01 at 0:00 until 2:00. Centuries after that you arrive at your job location, you are obliged to shake hands with everybody, and then you have to hear all the propaganda talk from the management during some celebration. But I never refuse free food of course.

[Jayesh A Lalwani]

Generally Americans don't spend time on such rituals. Usually, you greet people you pass by in the hallway, or your immediate coworkers. You don't go around wishing happy new year to each and every person in your office. My employer has 200 people in this office. If everybody had to shake everyone's hands, there would be 200,000 handshakes ( if my math is right). We wouldn't start work until march!

In my previous employer, we had a office in Argentina. In that office everyone greeted everyone else whenever they came into office. Actually, everyone had to kiss everyone else in the cheek. It was fine when we had 5 developers, but once it got to 40 developers half the morning was spent in cheek kissing

[Martin Vashko]

Jayesh A Lalwani wrote:My employer has 200 people in this office. If everybody had to shake everyone's hands, there would be 200,000 handshakes ( if my math is right). We wouldn't start work until march!

Sounds like a challenge!

Divide and conquer will do neatly for us. So, divide the group into two equally sized subgroups and make the groups form two queues facing each other. Let them walk side by side and shake hands with every other person in the other queue. After this, every person has shaken hands with everyone from the opposite group, but no one from his own group. So, repeat the process with each subgroup.

It will take eight iterations overall. If one handshake takes five seconds, and forming the groups/queues for each iteration takes 10 minutes, you should be able to do so under two hours. Half a day for necessary training. The remaining two hours will be spent commuting to a stadium big enough for this exercise, but all in all, it should be possible to undertake it in a day!

[Jan de Boer]

We have 60 and we are more or less expected to shake hands and exchange wishes. After a while it just gets boring. Okay there is one girl I would like to kiss, but on the other hand, if I start that habit and all the other elderly women would demand the same.. Mmmm..

[Dave Trower]

I think there would be 199,000 handshakes.
The formula is (n*(n-1))/2

[fred rosenberger]

i'd form one line, single file. have the first person start down the line, shaking everyone's hand. Once he reaches the end, he's done.

As soon as he shakes the second person's hand, that person then also starts down the remaining line, and so forth.

[Bear Bibeault]

As much as I like the people I work with, the thought of kissing them every morning is not appealing.

[Andy Jack]

Jayesh A Lalwani wrote: Actually, everyone had to kiss everyone else in the cheek. It was fine when we had 5 developers, but once it got to 40 developers half the morning was spent in cheek kissing

Lots of single girls there ? Here is my resume

[Jayesh A Lalwani]

Kissing in Argentina is more or less like shaking hands. You stay there for couple of months, and you get used to people kissing you. And women usually give the kind of kiss where they just touch cheeks and blow kisses in the air. Guys, OTH, kiss you right on the cheek, but they act all macho about it. If you are not a good acquaintance, they might do the kind of the kiss where one half of their lips touch your cheek, and the other half is kissing the air. That one looks funny

[Jesper de Jong]

Dave Trower wrote:I think there would be 199,000 handshakes.
The formula is (n*(n-1))/2

That would be 19,900 handshakes then, not 199,000.

Your formula is correct. When there are 200 people, each of them will shake hands with 199 other people.
But one handshake is between two people, so you have to divide by two: 200 * 199 / 2 = 19,900.

My dad has worked in Belgium for a while. He told me that people there in the office shake hands every day, not just on special occasions. (Is that right Winston? You're working in Belgium, aren't you?).

[imran qureshi]

Well its good to shake hands for new year in India. I wish all of you a belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

[chris webster]

Jayesh A Lalwani wrote:Kissing in Argentina is more or less like shaking hands. You stay there for couple of months, and you get used to people kissing you. And women usually give the kind of kiss where they just touch cheeks and blow kisses in the air. Guys, OTH, kiss you right on the cheek, but they act all macho about it. If you are not a good acquaintance, they might do the kind of the kiss where one half of their lips touch your cheek, and the other half is kissing the air. That one looks funny

What about those of us with beards? Isn't there a danger of a velcro effect?

[Frank Silbermann]

It's even worse if you've ever lived among Bonobos.