As I walk through the plant daily, I tend to stop and make small talk with the hourly staff for a few minutes. (Small company, and I do a lot of different things, so I'm not at my trusty computer all day.) They respond very well to it.

However, my boss thinks I'm wasting my time and theirs. He worries about a few minutes lost productivity. I worry about their feeling appreciated and that someone cares. I just try to treat them like I like to be treated. I know I work better with a little attention. I assume they will too. Just maybe the boss is wrong on this one. 😉