My store manager will talk their to anyone who will listen about arbitrary topics, such as pop culture or personal life, at inconvenient times. For example, I was cleaning cold bar on a busy afternoon and she was sitting in the back and started venting to me about her anger over the sentencing of Josh Dugger when I was doing dishes.
I have no problem connecting with my sm. There is a reason that the culture of our store is centered around connection.
However, my fellow baristas are often reprimanded for talking to each other in the event that we are slow. Our hands are moving.
Recently I remember my shift talking to a regular for probably 20 minutes during a slower period. Meanwhile me and another barista were having a conversation while cleaning and stocking. She noticed this and asked us what we were doing. I replied saying talking about ___ She seemed annoyed and told us to hustle and work harder. It's just frustrating and hypocritical in my opinion.
(TLDR; upper management is okay with connecting themselves, but not with fellow baristas doing it, even if we are doing it while working)