The handshake may not be a problem, but is more touching in the workplace a good or a bad thing?

A rather eccentric friend of mine recently announced his newfound leadership style. Touch. "People love to be touched," he enthused, "and ever since I started touching my employees, my relationships with them have improved. And sometimes I even pinch them and punch them."

Let's ignore for a moment the pinching and the punching, both of which I'm told are executed playfully. But what about the touching? To what degree is this OK – and even welcomed – in workplaces?

In a review of previous studies published a few months ago in the British Journal of Psychology, a team of scholars chronicled a history of experiments that demonstrate the power of touch. These include:

- Waitresses who touch their customers end up receiving larger tips than those who avoid physical contact.

- Nurses who touch their patients are less likely to encounter resistance when asking them to take unpleasant medicine.

- Passengers have a greater chance of being granted a free bus ride when they touch the driver as they make their request.

- Students, when given a library card, rate the librarian more favourably if there's touching involved as the card is handed over.

And now, in the empirical research just mentioned, the advantages of touch have been extended further. Apparently, it isn't just the recipients who are affected by the physical contact but also the bystanders. Indeed, touchers are viewed even by bystanders as being more likeable and positive.

Earlier this year, David Linden, a professor of neuroscience at John Hopkins University, released his new book, Touch: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind. He's ordinarily an advocate of touching but he warns: "The fact that even incidental touch can influence our perceptions of people and our social interactions can be more than a little disconcerting."

It's disconcerting because it's a somewhat irrational way of forming judgements about individuals and situations. Touch can also be manipulative. We're often unaware it's the subtle pressure on the shoulder, or the slight pat on the hand, or the warm squeeze on the elbow that actually leads us to make certain decisions.

That's the negative perspective, anyway. On the same side are the detractors who suggest touching at work should be avoided because it's inappropriate. It can be misinterpreted as awkward at best and as harassment at worst. But as Professor Linden notes, touching has the potential to connect people in the workplace, "fostering emotions of gratitude, sympathy, and trust."

As an example, he cites a comprehensive analysis of professional basketball teams in the United States. Researchers observed the frequency with which the players touched each other on court at the beginning of the season. Those that engaged in physical contact (such as fist bumping and butt slapping) went on to win a higher number of games. This enhanced level of success was evident at both the team level and the individual level.

Whether fist bumping and butt slapping could generate similar results in the workplace is yet to be determined. The handshake, however, doesn't seem to be a problem and, in many organisations, neither is a kiss on the cheek. A hug, too, is usually appropriate in the event someone's feeling upset, and team building activities often attract their dose of tactile behaviour.

So taking this one step further, could an employee be more likely to comply with a request if you touch him while issuing an instruction? Might a team member be less likely to react negatively if you touch her arm while declining her annual leave request? Is it possible performance could be improved if, during the coaching process, you give the employee a literal pat on the back?

The evidence is compelling but I'm not entirely convinced, especially not when the diversity inherent in teams today produces so many contextual factors, most of which complicate the straightforward nature of the science. This really is a touchy subject.

What do you think? Is it OK to touch people at work?