Business · France

Shake hands in business settings, skip la bise

In professional contexts, even with colleagues you know well socially, greet with a single firm handshake, not the cheek-kiss greeting (la bise) used among friends.

France BusinessstrictUpdated September 2, 2026

Offer a single, firm handshake when greeting clients, colleagues you’re meeting professionally, or anyone in a work context, even someone you’d greet with la bise outside the office.

Some coworkers who are also personal friends may switch to la bise once alone together, but default to the handshake in front of clients or in any formal meeting.

The handshake itself is lighter than you’d expect — one or two brisk up-and-down pumps, not a firm multi-second grip.
Shake hands with everyone in the room, both on arrival and on leaving a meeting, not just the person you came to see.

Why it matters

La bise is a social/personal gesture; French business culture keeps a clearer line between personal and professional greetings than the social sphere does. The French professional handshake itself is a distinct style, one or two brief up-and-down pumps with a light grip, not the firmer, longer handshake common in the US. Using la bise with a new professional contact reads as presumptuous; the common guideline is to wait until a working relationship is well established (sometimes cited informally as "after the third meeting") before it's appropriate even between colleagues who'd use la bise socially.

Source: French workplace greetings: Bise, handshake, other? – Oui In France

Shake hands in business settings, skip la bise

Why it matters

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