1) My team get 30 minutes for lunch. That 30 minutes starts when they sit down in the break room. If their break starts at 9.30 and they get stopped by 3 customers on the way up and don't sit down until 9.42, their break now starts at 9.42.
2) My team have my full support with other managers and customers. If a customer demands to speak to me because they disagree with my team member, I back my team member up and refuse to throw them under the bus. If a different manager tries to get them to do something outside of their role or something unfair, I'll call the manager out in front of everyone.
3) I don't bother them if they're not at work. Personal time is personal. If I do have to call them about a work related talking point, I add 15 minutes to their time sheet. You get paid to work, rostered or not.
4) If my team member can't work, for whatever reason, no worries. I'm not a doctor, I don't need to know the medical reason you're calling off. You say you're not coming in, I'll deal with it, you rest up and feel better. It's not their job to find coverage for their shifts, it's mine.
5) I won't ask them to do anything I won't do. And I mean with them, not hypothetically. If I'm not willing to do the job alongside them, why should they? They'll never be dirty, unsafe or injured when I give them a task.
6) Unfortunately I can't control pay. That's above my level but I'm working to get there. However I can make sure they get free drinks and food on top of as much benefits as possible when they work with me.
This mindset has enabled me to become the most effective and successful manager in my store. My team love working with me and I love working with them. Other managers often question why I get such loyalty and great results when I'm not a slave driver like them. I'm trying to convince them that we owe our loyalty to the team we work with, not the shareholders of the company we all work for.
If you're a manager anywhere, try these methods. See if your team improve. It's never too late to change.