A society in Germany that sees itself as a watchdog for etiquette has labeled pecks on the cheeks at the office as inappropriate. According to the German Knigge Society, kissing is deeply offensive to German sensibilities, and such practices should be eliminated immediately, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. "Knigge" is a German term for etiquette or correct behaviour. Hans-Michael Klein, chairman of the group, said that kissing each other in the office is a recent phenomenon, and not a German tradition.

In a country with strict behavioural protocol where colleagues can spend the rest of their lives referring to each other with the formal "Sie" instead of "du", pecks on the cheek are seen as nothing less than a threat to the natural order. Klein said that he has received several inquiries from Germans on whether kissing someone to say hello or goodbye is appropriate at the workplace. "'The suspicion for many remains that there is, or may be, an erotic component to the kissing," Klein said. He added "Kissing simply gets on the nerves of many at work.. In business the handshake is considered the correct greeting ritual." Employment Suite 101 suggests the top five rules of preserving workplace etiquette are:

1. Be Considerate When Eating When eating at the desk, try avoiding smelly foods and messy foods that require direct contact with fingers, especially if the office has clients constantly coming in and out.

2. Control your social networking privacy settings
It can blemish your professional image to have your colleagues seeing your weekend antics splashed across your social networks.

3. Limit non-work related web browsing
Your browsing can often be seen by others in the office, so be mindful of what you're browsing.

4. Keep Relationships on the Down Low
Usually bosses and owners of a company do not like it when co-workers get chummy with each other. A probable reason for this is potentially being less efficient in at work.

5. Dress for Success Be advised to wear appropriate work attire. How a person consistently dresses determines how the person acts and what he/she communicates to the boss, co-workers and clients or customers.