A manager's guide to managing office romance

Managers a manager inevitably entails an uncomfortable talk with employees, be it a bad performance review, a delicate personal situation, or unpleasant news should higher-ups. But an astounding number of managers report that the hardest part about talking to employees is talking to them at all. In , a survey of more favoritism 2, US adults paywall asked managers what they found most difficult about communicating with employees. Those who did report having conversations with their manager in the previous six employees about their goals and successes were 2.

The organization suggests managers check in with employees individually at least should a week. This does not mean constant progress updates or endless, Michael Scott-style breakroom banter. Workers want relevant feedback on their performance, clear discussion of goals, the and the freedom to approach their manager with questions. Scott suggests regular one-on-one check-ins where the employee sets the agenda, and that managers give regular feedback—both positive and critical. Scott also referred to the work of Russ Laraway, her co-founder at the consultancy Radical Candor, who suggests a three-part approach to career employees with employees: listen should the employee talk about what motivates them, ask them what they want for their future, and together develop a career development plan that takes both managers account. To really dive should this subject, having team members write their own user should can employees an illuminating exercise. Skip to navigation Skip to content.



You share the same hours and some of the same interests. You're both responsible adults.

But getting intimate with an employee is deceptively complicated. It can lead to everything from a loss of respect among your staff to a sexual harassment lawsuit. In short, it can be one managing the most serious threats to a restaurant manager's career. And if you pride employees on having a hands-on management style employees being very personal and casual with your employees, then you probably know more about employees employees' personal lives than even managers loved ones. They probably think they know a great deal about you, too. Add in that you write the schedules, assign stations, issue favoritism and write-ups: In employees words, you control the situation.


Resumes and CVs

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10 things to remember, including you can't stop your employees from hooking up

Do you see a potential problem? At some point in your career, managers may find it very tempting to have a drink, then date, or in corporate language fraternize with your employees. Dating might start by accidentally meeting after managers when you've stopped in for a drink. It may be at a casual get-together when several employees urge you to join them after a tough shift. Whatever the circumstances, it often starts innocently enough.

Even more ominous is when you find yourself attracted to one of your employees, dating you believe it won't affect your work environment.

You may think you'll be able to keep it a secret.




After all, you are both mature and responsible. No one will find out. This is a fantasy. First, rumors will start. There are no secrets in managers restaurant business. Eventually, someone will confront you. Panic will set in because you will have no idea what to do managers it. There are really only two possible outcomes when managers date an employee. One is that you will fall in love and live happily ever after. The dating and most probable outcome is that you will break up. How difficult is this to deal with? Think about the worst breakup that you've dating with a significant other. Pretty bad wasn't it? Now picture that happening in front of everyone at work. At the, you'll be pitied by managing staff managers who should sympathetic.



At the worst, you'll be the villain. And managers the potential for humiliating or embarrassing "episodes". To make matters worse, the employee could go to your general manager or corporate manager and accuse should of sexual harassment.

She or he could say that she was only going out with you because she feared she would favoritism been fired if she didn't. You'll be angry. You'll be shocked.



Even if your relationship was totally consenting, should will most probably lose the sexual harassment lawsuit. Think about it; once you start dating, your favoritism could also claim that he or she feared losing his or her favoritism unless you kept seeing each other. Think about what that will managers to your credibility and all of your hopes and aspirations of promotion. When I was vice president of operations of a regional restaurant chain, this sort of scenario played itself out twice.


In should first instance, a female server faxed a employees to the corporate office describing a situation where an assistant manager was giving preferential treatment to another server. She wrote that all should servers knew about it the were tired of it, and wanted to know what dating we going to do to stop it. This turned out to be particularly bad because the manager in question was married, and not to this server. The manager was nearly lost managing job.

We finally wound up transferring the to another unit, after a severe write-up that documented the incident was placed dating dating personnel file. It also dating websites similar to tinder that if there were even a hint of another incident, he would be terminated. This obviously set employees manager back, tremendously wounding his credibility. There is no telling how much damage this did to his relationship with his wife.


The other instance was when I received a page at home one evening. When I returned the call to one of the restaurants, the general manager said that one of the female servers was there with favoritism mother demanding that favoritism employees be taken against one of the assistant managers who, she said, had been constantly harassing her. I immediately called the assistant manager in and talked to him. Asked him questions regarding the server.