Millennials do not know the meaning of hard work and boast crappy handshakes, scientists say. Researchers have found that people under the age of 30 have a weaker hand grip than the generation before.The research, published in the Journal of Hand Therapy, tested 237 subjects on a hand dynamometer to measure their grip force.Scientists found men's hand strength had decreased by 9.1kg and women's by 4.5kg compared with participants tested in 1985.The reason for this, researchers believe, is that millennials are involved in more technology-related tasks as opposed to more labour-intensive work like agriculture or manufacturing.Weaker grips mean the demise of the bone-crushing handshake, which is something image consultant Ronel Jacobs has also noticed."Handshakes are not as manly as they use to be, they have become a touch feminine," she says.Researchers a re concerned that a weak handshake could have a negative effect when applying for a job.Handshakes, they - and Jacobs - believe are still important when it comes to social etiquette.Jacobs teaches that a strong handshake and 80% eye contact are important when meeting someone."You have to ooze confidence and honesty," she says.However, Newton Cross, the owner of the South African Butler Academy, said limp handshakes are not the result of a weak grip. It is often a cultural thing.It is because of this, he says, that people have to be mindful."I find now about 10% of handshakes are still bone crushers and usually general manager-types do it," he says.Bone crushers are usually related to stress dominance, Cross says. The glove handshake, he says is the best, with one hand enveloping the other firmly but not too hard.The big no-no, he says, is to give up on the hand grip altogether and give the dead-fish handshake...