Hello, everyone! I'm not really sure how to get into this but I've joined the ranks of my company's management teams back in August. I work as a general manager and I was brought on before working as a crew trainer due to a manpower shortage. I jumped a few steps in my corporate ladder and I had a lot of shoes to fill, but recently I've been coming up to the issue of how to tackle some things that have been going on in my company.

I don't want to become a door-mat just the same as I don't want to become a corporate husk, so with this I have a larger question of: do you have any advice to help me become a good manager? What would you like to see in management?

What are some things you want to have in your manager but don't?

Some things I've already done so far within my role to give an idea is that we have two teams of staff, one is simply a 1st Shift and the second team is 2nd and 3rd shift on rotating 6-8 hour shifts between housekeeping (6-hours) and desk reception (8-hours).

Most, if not all of team 1 were being paid at $9hr and were still being billed at the same rate as when they were hired on from a previous company who we took the contract from back in 2020. Meanwhile, everyone on team 2 were hired on since August along with me and they were getting $13hr. I sent 13 emails and placed dozens of calls to everyone in payroll to get the "discrepancy" as they call it fixed and I raised the issue of potential backpay, but turns out we had to actually "renegotiate" Team 1's contract with the ownership of the property to get everyone to the same amount of pay.

It wasn't fair that, not only were they experienced in the role but also knew almost all of our frequent guests, contractors and customers as well as way more than me in my position and getting less pay, but they were also told not to talk about their pay within their team and the other team. On advice I've seen given to other people, I sent an email to our HR and Payroll Department informing them that, "I understand HR's stance on the issue, but as manager, I wouldn't want us to break any laws that not everyone may know about. Further, I know that Tom (our corporate manager and one of the Vice President's) would want us to be within terms of the Wagner Act." (I've never met the guy but it worked wonders in getting HR to back down. They wanted me to write one of my 3rd Shift Officers up because he told someone from Team 1 he was making $13 and they were only getting $9.)

This was a problem I only found out about when I got access to our payroll information, now everyone makes the same.

I also,

• Tell people if they stay late to talk to your coworkers, be it complaining about the job or whatever it may be, if you are discussing work related events, clock out when your conversation is over. It's all relevant and pertinent to the job. (This counts as OT for "Pass Downs")

• The previous manager was a stickler for "If you show up 5 minutes early, you clock out still at 2:00." I've erased that and I'm trying to work with everyone to pull that attitude back.

I have the mindset that if you show up at 6:55, I'll personally relieve you if you want to leave at 1:55. I don't really care, as long as you're here for the "guts" of the shift, you're fine in my book. One of my employees takes public transport and although he's on paper 6-2, I will cover his last 30-minutes so he can catch the bus. If I weren't doing that, he'd have to wait 25 minutes, get on another bus for 10 minutes and get on another connecting line to his house. That's ~40 minutes out of his day just coming home.

• The company hosts meetings that not everyone can come to since some people are working during those moments. There are also times that the owners will come in and give donuts and other things to whatever shift is working - I go out of my pocket to make sure the other shifts get equal treatment.

I've worked 3rd Shifts, I've worked graveyards and even up to 36-hour shifts when I did contract labour. Nobody likes missing out on donuts just because the bosses are around, it makes that shit grueling.

• If workers are sick or sleepy, I have zero problem in either letting them take the day off (paid) or just resting in the break room.

I don't want people to feel obligated to work so I personally let them off for the day and I will gladly cover it for them to ensure they get their full day's cheque. I'd rather ask forgiveness than permission from corporate.

I don't want this to come off as a "pat me on the back" but just some examples of some things I've been doing, but I'd really appreciate some advice, input and some help to make work a little less shitty. I know it's hard and everyone here has families to take care of but I want to help them at least have some smiles in their days.