Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1912-12-11
Deserved "CalI Down" May Be
Made Effective Without Un-
due Fuss or Buster.
WISE EMPLOYER KNOWS THIS
Restaurant Manager Attained Object
Without Exciting III Feeling OF
the Waitress or Friction Be-
tween Himself and tho
Other Workers.

A man seated at the lunch counter
Of one OF the best patroniEed restau
rants In the downtown district showed
out his glass conspicuously to catch
the eve of the waitress. writes Irwin
Ellis In the Chicago Tribune. But the
waitress, a slip of a girl, though she
was only a foot and a half away from
the counter and almost facing the Gus
toner. failed to see the request OF the
man for a glass Of water
The customer then put the glass to
his lips and drank its contents to the
last drop. He set the glass down on
the counter with slight thud In the
hope that this would surely catch the
eve and ear Of the waitress. Again
he failed however. The waitress
stood there in reyerie. She would have
made an excellent subject for paint
er at that moment AS waitress.
however. she was highly inefficient
just then.
Just then middle-aged man. the
manager OF the place. got behind the
counter himself and. walking past the
dreamy waitress, took the glass from
in front Of the customer. walked clear
to the other end OF the long counter
and returned with II full Of water. He
put the glass down in front OF the Gus
toner and walked away noiselessly
without looking al the waitress or at
any one In particular. as II he were
there for just this purpose-to spy
out an empty glass In front OF patron
OF the place and refill 1t.
This action of the manager awak-
ened not only the waitress who was
caught dreaming on her job, but all
the other Mattresses behind the coun
ter. Each Of the girls looked over
the customers she had served TO see
If there was anywhere an empty glass
and upon finding such glass she
promptly refilled it. All through thai
noon hour every waitress was strictly
'on the job" and the customers got
close service There was no mistak
ing the action Of the manager. 1t wa:
a rebuke most effectively admins
tered.
Who was that man?" a custome
asked of the girl who was waiting oil
him. as he pointed out the recedint
manager.
oh" replied the girl. he is tn
whole boss here. A dear. Isn't he
He is nice to you even when he call
you down"
To be nice even when calling a.
employee down, to administer a re
buke without arousing Ill will an
sometimes hatred, Is an art. 1t is, 4
fact more than an art. 1t is gil
OF nature.
There are no rules to be laid dow
as to how a manager or foreman or
boss is to call down his employee
when a calling down is necessar!
without making himself unpopular
this manager said. in reply to quer,
There are men who cannot exercis
authority without giving offense an
setting the rebuked employee gnasl
ing his teeth, inwardly at least. Al
then again there are men who Ike
get along easy, who abstain from re
tape This latter class of men g
along better and retain their authori'
much longer than the men who civ
their orders ina cutting. eat-em-r
manner"
The ability TO treat employees del
ocratically. without friction. is n
merely a desirable attribute, but It
financial asset. A cross foremi
or manager seldom lasts long. T.
resentment OF the employees soon
or later makes 1t necessary for sor
one higher up to transfer such a FOL
man or manager. or to remove hi
entirely.