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Social Interactions in the Post-COVID-19 Professional World

Before the global pandemic reached the United States in March 2020, a typical professional introduction would involve a handshake and not socially distant conversations. Now, while the light at the end of the tunnel seems closer, we still are going to have to adjust to the “new normal.” So, what does this mean for the future of business social interactions? Of course, I’m not a mind reader or a medical professional when it comes to the future of the world and COVID-19. This topic is something I’ve been pondering a lot in recent months, and I hope some of you all can relate to it too. Fist Bump? Elbow bump? Handshake? I remember all the time walking the halls of public school and thinking someone wanted to do a handshake and they actually wanted to “dap” me up (this is kind of like a different handshake, except there are like 30 different variations of dapping someone up). Back then, I’d mess it up all the time. Luckily adulthood was much easier before COVID-19. Now? It’ll depend on many different things: first and foremost, we should be following CDC instructions. After that has been established, what’s next? Will the handshake make a return, or will the fist bump reign supreme? My guess is that eventually the handshake will return, but it will take a while. What I hope for is the professional world to embrace all three as acceptable forms on introduction, as weird as that might be in a post-COVID-19 […]