Don't crush my hand, warns Richard Branson

Sore-pawed Virgin boss says fist bump or high five has replaced the handshake as his preferred business greeting

Sir Richard Branson has ridden to the rescue of sore-handed businesspeople everywhere by arguing that handshakes should be ditched in favour of fist bumps and high fives.

According to the billionaire Virgin boss, handshakes are often now no more than an alpha-male showdown that leaves one or both parties with a crushed paw.

They are also less hygienic than other forms of greeting, Branson said, pointing to recent research claiming that five times fewer bacteria are transferred in a fist bump than a handshake.

In a blog post, Branson said the fist bump or high five had become his default greeting ever since his entrepreneurial mitt became sore through shaking hands with participants at the London Marathon two years ago.

"I still shake hands with plenty of people, but whenever possible I prefer a high five or a fist bump," he remarked.

"For some reason, it has become common practice to believe a firm handshake constitutes strong will, or even manliness. As a result, I often end up getting my fingers crushed by overzealous handshakers!"

Branson ruminated on the relative hygiene of various business greetings, highlighting that although high fives spread about half as many germs as handshakes, they are far less hygienic than the humble fist bump.

"Next time we bump into each other, you know what to do," he warned.