Work shouldn’t make your shoulders tense the moment you see a hug coming from ten feet away. Yet many employees deal with that exact moment—your boss strides in with open arms, you’ve already asked him to stop, but he goes in anyway. Then HR brushes it off with a casual “He’s just old school,” which leaves you stuck between discomfort and a paycheck.
If this feels uncomfortably familiar, the next steps matter. Keep reading, because the right response protects your space, your autonomy, and your career without pushing you into a showdown you didn’t ask for.