Corporate America is no place for hugs!

Corporate America is no place for hugs! Just a little quick story for you out there who wonder if maybe you're not hugging enough at work. A few years ago, I worked at a Fortune 100 company with a lot of very professional, successful people. I could tell because a great many of them are rude and had sticks up their...ANYWAY - a few were VERY great to work for and one was a director that was great - His name was Tony. And one day, Tony came back from a trip and stopped by my cube-cell, and he talked about his trip for a minute and I was standing up. Well the cube-cell was small and he leaned forward, for what unfortunately too late, I realized he was reaching for the stapler but I assumed in my naiveté was a hug. So I hugged him. And it was awkward. Really awkward because I realized he was holding the stapler behind my back and there was uncomfortable shoulder patting going on. I just stood there looking stupid, no words coming out, after we separated. He turned wordlessly and walked away. I was so mortified. My cheeks still burn when I think about it. So in case you ever wonder if that person is going in for a hug, they are not. They are reaching for the stapler. It only looks like a hug because your cube space is small and you're both standing up. I waited all day for HR to call my phone that day and fire me for sexual harassment, but it didn't happen. Still, a valuable lesson was learned that day. Even now handshakes seem a little too personal after that. Can we bring forward a corporate high-five? Or professional handshake.