Saturday 24 October 2009

Swine Flu Fears at the Workplace


Swine Flu Fears at the Workplace
Originally uploaded by malias.

Sometimes well meaning advice can backfire. Recently posters have been appearing in offices all over France admonishing workers not to do la bise, the ritual kissing greeting performed each time you meet a friend or an acquaintance, or even to shake hands. It's feared that virtually any kind of pyshical contact with a fellow human being will aid the spread of swine flu.

Instead, workers are urged to offer hand gestures from a safe distance. The peace sign, the two finger victory sign or the thumbs up. In an admittedly unscientific survey I've found that not a single person is taking these warnings seriously. In fact they consider them ridiculous. It clearly isn't working. Time to rethink strategy.