An employee is grabbing another employee by the shoulder.

Appropriate Contact Summary

Touching and other forms of contact in the workplace can be interpreted in many different ways. You’ve just learned that a hug can be accepted as an innocent act of gratitude, or potentially an intimidating sexual act. Conduct falling in between these extremes can fall into a grey area, as we have seen.

Knowing when it’s okay to touch someone and when it’s not, can depend on many factors. Some employees will set boundaries and tell you what is and isn’t appropriate for them, while some may say nothing at all.