I know the best way would be to ask her but that would be even more awkward than asking here. For context I’m a man (she obviously a woman).
before leaving the room after having a conversation I give her a handshake, a normal businesslike shake like I do with every other employee, but each time I do that, she looks to the ground, smiles and shakes my hand using no force at all. It’s like she lets me take her hand.
To me this means she is scared of me, she smiles and lets me “take” her hand because she doesn’t want to look rude. I’m thinking about not shaking hands anymore.
has this ever happened to you?
If you think the interaction is weird, stop doing it. Shaking hands is like an introduction thing, not an every time I see someone thing. That’s too much contact.
Does she also act this way around her women employees? She might just be like autistic or something. It’s not too weird to be awkward with physical contact or eye contact.
If she only does this with men employees I also don’t think it’s too weird or something to take personally. It’s quite normal for women to be more distant/reserved with men, for various reasons but among them some men read into it if we act too familiar. Or some people are just awkward around the opposite gender in general.
You might think it is normal for you as you have the habit, but I know plenty of people that do not give handshakes or any form of physical contact. So it is a possibility that she might find it awkward and unnecessary, and so it catches her off guard. As others pointed out, thinking about why that happens is pointless and though you might wonder this to be thoughtful, it’s better to just wait for her to raise the hand instead of you. If she does not, then there’s no need.
